South Africa: fast facts
South African facts at your fingertips ... Get up-to-date information on the country's land area, population, geography, climate, languages, religion and more.
Geography:
Capitals:
Provinces:
Economy:
South Africa is a medium-sized country, with a total land area of 1 219 090 square kilometres, or roughly equivalent in size to Niger, Angola, Mali or Colombia. It is one-eighth the size of the US, about a third the size of the European Union, twice the size of France and over three times the size of Germany. It measures some 1 600km from north to south, and roughly the same from east to west.
The country lies between 22º and 35º south, flanked on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the east by the Indian Ocean, whose waters meet at the country's – and Africa's – most southern tip, Cape Agulhas.
The coastline stretches 2 798 kilometres from a desert border in the northwest, down the icy Skeleton Coast to Cape Agulhas, then up along the green hills and wide beaches on the coast of the Indian Ocean, to a border with subtropical Mozambique in the northeast.
The low-lying coastal zone is narrow for much of that distance, soon giving way to a mountainous escarpment that separates it from the high inland plateau.
A subtropical location, moderated by ocean on three sides of the country and the altitude of the interior plateau, makes South Africa a warm and sunny country. But it's also dry, with an average annual rainfall of about 464mm. While the Western Cape gets most of its rainfall in winter, the rest of the country is mostly a summer-rainfall region.
South Africa has nine provinces, which vary considerably in size.
The smallest is tiny and crowded Gauteng, a highly urbanised region, and the largest the vast, arid and empty Northern Cape, which takes up almost a third of South Africa's total land area.
| PROVINCIAL LAND AREA | ||
| Province | Area | % of total |
| Eastern Cape | 169 580 km² | 13.9% |
| Free State | 129 480 km² | 10.6% |
| Gauteng | 17 010 km² | 1.4% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 92 100 km² | 7.6% |
| Limpopo | 123 910 km² | 10.2% |
| Mpumalanga | 79 490 km² | 6.5% |
| Northern Cape | 361 830 km² | 29.7% |
| North West | 116 320 km² | 9.5% |
| Western Cape | 129 370 km² | 10.6% |
| TOTAL | 1 219 090 km² | 100% |
| PROVINCIAL POPULATION 2009 | ||
| Province | Number | % of total |
| Gauteng | 10.53-million | 21.4% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 10.44-million | 21.2% |
| Eastern Cape | 6.64-million | 13.5% |
| Limpopo | 5.22-million | 10.6% |
| Western Cape | 5.35-million | 10.9% |
| Mpumalanga | 3.60-million | 7.3% |
| North West | 3.45-million | 7% |
| Free State | 2.90-million | 5.9% |
| Northern Cape | 1.14-million | 2.3% |
| TOTAL | 49.32-million | 100% |
Source: Statistics South Africa
South Africa is a nation of diversity, with 49.32-million people and a variety of cultures, languages and religious beliefs.
According to Statistics South Africa's mid-2009 estimates, the country's population stands at 49 320 500 people.
Africans are in the majority at 39 136 200, making up 79.3% of the total population.
The white population is estimated at 4 472 100 (9.1%), the coloured population at 4 433 100 (9%) and the Indian/Asian population at 1 279 100 (2.6%).
Females make up 52% of the population, and males 48%.
| MID-YEAR POPULATION ESTIMATES 2009 | ||
| Population group | Number | % of total |
| African | 39 136 200 | 79.3% |
| White | 4 472 100 | 9.1% |
| Coloured | 4 433 100 | 9% |
| Indian/Asian | 1 279 100 | 2.6% |
| TOTAL | 49 320 500 | 100% |
Source: Statistics South Africa
South Africa is a multilingual country. The country's new democratic Constitution, which came into effect on 4 February 1997, recognises 11 official languages, to which it guarantees equal status. These are:
- Afrikaans
- English
- isiNdebele
- isiXhosa
- isiZulu
- Sepedi
- Sesotho
- Setswana
- siSwati
- Tshivenda
- Xitsonga
Besides the official languages, scores of others – African, European, Asian and more – are spoken in South Africa, as the country lies at the crossroads of southern Africa.
According to the 2001 census, isiZulu is the most common home language is, spoken by nearly a quarter of the population. It is followed by isiXhosa at 17.6%, Afrikaans at 13.3%, Sepedi at 9.4%, and English and Setswana each at 8.2%.
Sesotho is the mother tongue of 7.9% of South Africans, while the remaining four official languages are spoken at home by less than 5% of the population each.
Most South Africans are multilingual, able to speak more than one language. English- and Afrikaans-speaking people tend not to have much ability in indigenous languages, but are fairly fluent in each other's language. Most South Africans speak English, which is fairly ubiquitous in official and commercial public life. The country's other lingua franca is isiZulu.
| SOUTH AFRICAN LANGUAGES 2001 | ||
| Language | Number of speakers* | % of total |
| Afrikaans | 5 983 420 | 13.35% |
| English | 3 673 206 | 8.2% |
| IsiNdebele | 711 825 | 1.59% |
| IsiXhosa | 7 907 149 | 17.64% |
| IsiZulu | 10 677 315 | 23.82% |
| Sepedi | 4 208 974 | 9.39% |
| Sesotho | 3 555 192 | 7.93% |
| Setswana | 3 677 010 | 8.2% |
| SiSwati | 1 194 433 | 2.66% |
| Tshivenda | 1 021 761 | 2.28% |
| Xitsonga | 1 992 201 | 4.44% |
| Other | 217 291 | 0.48% |
| TOTAL | 44 819 777 | 100% |
* Spoken as a home language
Source: Census 2001
According to the 2001 census the overwhelming majority of South Africans, or 79.8%, are Christian. The independent African Zion Christian churches predominate, being the faith of 15.3% of the total population, and 19.2% of all Christians.
Roughly 15% of the population have no religion, and 1.4% are undetermined about their faith. Islam is the religion of 1.5% of South Africans, Hinduism that of 1.2%, African traditional belief 0.3%, Judaism 0.2% and other beliefs 0.6%.
In terms of population groups, Christianity is most common among white and coloured South Africans, being the faith of 86.8% of the people in both groups. It's slightly less dominant among black South Africans, among whom it falls in line with the national average, being the religion of 79.9% of black people. Roughly a quarter (24.4%) of the Indian population are Christian.
The predominant form of Christianity among black South Africans is the independent and indigenous Zion Christian faith, the religion of 23.7% of black Christians. Black people also have the highest rate of unbelief, with 17.5% saying they have no religion, and 1.3% being undetermined.
Most white South African Christians (42.8%) belong to the Reformed churches, such as the Dutch Reformed Church. Some 9.2% of white Christians are Methodist, 7.8% Pentecostal or Charismatic, 7.7% Apostolic and 7.6% Catholic. White people have the second-highest rate of unbelief, with 8.8% saying they have no religion and 2% being undetermined. Judaism is most common in this community, being the religion of 1.4% of white South Africans.
Predominant churches among coloured Christians are Apostolic (18.6%), Pentecostal or Charismatic (14.2%), Anglican (10.4%) and Catholic (10.2%). Of the other religions, Islam predominates, being the faith of 7.4% of all coloured South Africans. Only 3.8% of the coloured population say they have no religion, and 1.3% are undetermined.
Hinduism is the most common religion (47.3%) in the Indian/Asian population group, followed by Islam (24.7%) and Christianity (24.2%). There is a fairly even spread of churches among Indian and Asian Christians. This group is most certain of their faith, with only 2.3% reporting that they have no religion, and 0.94% being undecided.
| RELIGIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA | ||
| Religion | Number | % of total |
| Christianity | 35 750 641 | 79.8% |
| Islam | 654 064 | 1.5% |
| Hinduism | 551 668 | 1.2% |
| Judaism | 75 549 | 0.2% |
| Other beliefs | 283 815 | 0.6% |
| No religion | 6 767 165 | 15% |
| Undetermined | 610 974 | 1.4% |
| TOTAL | 44 819 774 | 100% |
Source: Census 2001
South Africa is a vigorous multiparty democracy with an independent judiciary and a free and diverse press.
Until 1994, the country was known for apartheid – white-minority rule. South Africa's remarkable ability to put centuries of racial hatred behind it in favour of reconciliation was widely considered a social miracle, inspiring similar peace efforts in Northern Ireland, Rwanda and elsewhere.
The highest law of the land is the new Constitution, considered to be one of the most progressive in the world. The Constitution's Bill of Rights protects equality, freedom of expression and association, property, housing, healthcare, education, access to information, and access to courts. Protecting those rights is the country's independent judiciary, subject only to the Constitution and the law.
With 13 parties in Parliament, South Africa has a vibrant political system. The African National Congress is in the majority, but opposition parties remain robust and vocal. National elections have been held in 1994, 1999, 2004 and 2009.
| SOUTH AFRICA'S POLITICAL PARTIES | |
| Political party | National Assembly seats |
| African National Congress | 264 |
| Democratic Alliance | 67 |
| Congress of the People | 30 | Inkatha Freedom Party | 18 |
| Independent Democrats | 4 |
| United Democratic Movement | 4 |
| Freedom Front Plus | 4 |
| African Christian Democratic Party | 3 |
| United Christian Democratic Party | 2 |
| Pan Africanist Congress | 1 |
| African Peoples Convention | 1 |
| Minority Front | 1 |
| Azanian People's Organisation | 1 |
South Africa's National Qualifications Framework (NQF) recognises three broad bands of education:
- General Education and Training
- Further Education and Training
- Higher Education and Training
School life spans 13 years or grades, from grade 0, otherwise known as grade R or "reception year", through to grade 12 or "matric" – the year of matriculation. General Education and Training runs from grade 0 to grade 9. Under the South African Schools Act of 1996, education is compulsory for all South Africans from the age of seven (grade 1) to age 15, or the completion of grade 9. General Education and Training also includes Adult Basic Education and Training.
South Africa has 12.3-million school pupils, some 386 600 teachers and 27 187 schools, including 1 011 registered independent or private schools, and 26 120 public or state-run schools. Of all schools, roughly 16 600 are primary schools (grade 0 to grade 6), 5 700 are secondary or high schools (grade 7 to grade 12), 900 are intermediate and 3 800 combined primary and secondary schools.
South Africa has a vibrant higher education sector, with more than a million students enrolled in the country's 24 state-funded tertiary institutions: 11 universities, five universities of technology, and six comprehensive institutions.
At almost 5.5% of gross domestic product, South Africa has one of the highest rates of government investment in education in the world – usually around 20% of total government expenditure. In the 2007 national Budget, education received R105.5-billion, amounting to 17.8% of total spending.
Source: MediaClubSouthAfrica.com – get free high-resolution photos and professional feature articles from Brand South Africa's media service.
