South Africa

Full name of country: Republic of South Africa

Region: Africa

Official language: Afrikaans, English, Sesotho, Setswana, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, Sepedi, Xitsonga, siSwati, Tshivenda, isiNdebele

Population: 60,442,647 (2024 est.)

Nationality: South African(s) (noun), South African (adjective)

Land area: 1,214,470 sq km (468,909 sq miles)

Water area: 4,620 sq km (1,784 sq miles)

Capital: Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)

National anthem: "National Anthem of South Africa", by Enoch Sontonga And Cornelius Jacob Langenhoven/Enoch Sontonga And Marthinus Lourens De Villiers

National holiday: Freedom Day, April 27 (1994)

Population growth: 1.07% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +2

Flag: The flag of the Republic of South Africa features a centered horizontal green stripe, outlined in white, which breaks into a horizontal “Y” on the left side. The green stripe is bordered by equal horizontal bands of red, on the top, and blue, on the bottom. The left-sided “Y” forms a black symmetrical triangle, outlined in yellow. The flag’s design symbolizes unity.

Motto: “Unity in Diversity”

Independence: May 31, 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State); May 31, 1961 (republic declared); April 27, 1994 (majority rule)

Government type: republic

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law

The Republic of South Africa occupies the southernmost tip of the African continent. Foreign powers have sought to control its vast natural resources since the seventeenth century. Until the 1990s, the country was ruled by a White minority that upheld a strict policy of apartheid, or racial segregation. Since the peaceful transition to Black majority rule, the government has pursued social and economic policies designed to overcome the country’s legacy of inequality and exploitation. Though violent crime, unemployment, and unequal opportunity remain widespread, progress has been made toward building a multiracial, egalitarian society.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Black Africans comprise 8.4 percent of the total population of South Africa. They can be divided into several ethnic groups, including Zulu and Xhosa, the two largest. White people comprise 7.3 percent of the total population, and are mainly of Dutch or English descent. The term “Colored” is used in South Africa to describe those of mixed race ancestry, who comprise 8.2 percent of the total population. Asians, including Indians and Malaysians, comprise 2.7 percent (2022 estimates).

South Africa recognizes eleven official languages, including English and Afrikaans. The remaining nine official languages all belong to the Southern Bantu language group, a subset of the Niger–Congo language family; the most widely spoken of these are isiZulu and isiXhosa. Several other languages are also spoken by significant numbers, including Khoi, Nama, and San. The rate of multilingualism is high, with English serving as a second language for many South Africans. White South Africans who speak Afrikaans are known as Afrikaners.

Christians make up the single largest religious group, at approximately 85.3 percent of the population. Practitioners of traditional African religions comprise 7.8 percent of the population, Muslims constitute 1.6 percent, Hindus account for 1.3 percent, and those of other faiths make up 1.3 percent. About 2.9 percent profess no religion. (2022 estimates).

The population is largely focused in the eastern part of the country and along the southern coast. Approximately 68.8 percent of the population lives in urban areas (2023 estimate). The largest urban centers are Johannesburg (population 10.316 million), Cape Town (4.890 million), Durban (3.228 million), Pretoria (2.818 million), Port Elizabeth (1.296 million), and West Rand (934,000) (2023 estimates).

Indigenous People: Early humans appeared in what is now South Africa around three million years ago, and the area has a rich archaeological record of human habitation. The San, hunter-gatherers, and the Khoikhoi, nomadic herders, have been in the region for thousands of years. Bantu-speaking peoples later migrated from the northwest of Africa and largely displaced these earlier groups. The Zulu people became especially influential in the 1800s, expanding into other groups' territory.

Dutch colonials began arriving in the region in 1652, eventually forming the population historically known as the Boers or Afrikaners. The Dutch also brought substantial numbers of enslaved people from southeast Asia to the area. The British increasingly took control of South Africa in the 1800s, driving Dutch settlers north and clashing with the Zulu and other Indigenous groups. White British and Dutch authorities discriminated against Black Africans even after the abolition of slavery in 1838, giving rise to the apartheid system after South Africa became independent.

Education: Since the end of apartheid, the South African government has made significant strides toward eradicating the legal discrimination that occurred under White minority rule. Inequalities still exist, but today ethnic Africans have better access to educational opportunities and training, a legal framework to guarantee their rights, and greater funding. Nonetheless, in poorer areas, shortages of teachers and materials, large classes, and inadequate facilities are still problems. The adult literacy rate was estimated at 95 percent in 2019.

Schooling is compulsory for nine years, beginning at the age of seven. Instruction can be in any of the country’s eleven official languages, although English and Afrikaans are most common. Schools set tuition fees to complement government subsidies, but it is illegal to exclude students who are unable to pay. Education at private schools is widely available for those who can afford it.

South Africa had an array of public universities and technical schools. Institutes of higher education are officially desegregated, and language of instruction varies between institutions. Among the universities are the University of South Africa in Pretoria, the University of Cape Town, and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Health Care: Though the health care situation in South Africa has improved, the system still reflects the socioeconomic divisions that typified the country during apartheid. State hospitals provide comprehensive care to the majority of South Africans on a sliding scale. Prenatal and postnatal care is free for mothers, and health care is free for children until the age of six. Hospitals and clinics are primarily located in urban centers, and many people rely on traditional medicine. The wealthier class can afford treatment in private hospitals, where standards and costs are high.

According to 2023 estimates, average life expectancy at birth is 71.9 years (70.3 years for males, 7.35 years for females). Most health indicators still tend to show racial disparities, however, with life expectancy lower and infant mortality higher among ethnic Africans. There is moderate risk of several infectious diseases, particularly among lower-income people, including hepatitis A, typhoid fever, schistosomiasis, and bacterial diarrhea. As in many sub-Saharan African nations, HIV/AIDS also remains a major health concern, although significant progress has been made in the twenty-first century.

South Africa was ranked 110 out of 193 countries on the 2022 United Nations Human Development Index, which measures quality-of-life indicators.

Food: South African cuisine reflects the indigenous population and the country’s many settlers. One of the most popular influences is that of Indians and Malays, who introduced curries and a range of spices which transformed the typical European dishes of the Dutch and British.

Many indigenous African dishes are based on ground corn, which is eaten for breakfast like a sweet porridge, or with tomatoes, onions, and meat. Grilling meat or fish over an open fire is one of the most popular ways of cooking; meat is often eaten dried as well. More exotic South African dishes include crocodile, ostrich, and fried caterpillars.

Wine produced in the country’s vineyards as well as coffee, tea, and homemade sorghum and millet beer are typical drinks.

Arts & Entertainment: South Africa has an international literary reputation, with writers having made contributions to South African literature in English, Afrikaans, and several native languages. Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014) and J. M. Coetzee (b. 1940) wrote in English, often about South African society under apartheid, and both won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Gordimer’s numerous novels include A Sport of Nature (1987) and None to Accompany Me (1994). J. M. Coetzee’s major works include the novels The Life and Times of Michael K. (1983) and Disgrace (1999). Coetzee emigrated to Australia in 2002. Another internationally famous work of South African literature in English is the novel Cry, the Beloved Country (1948) by Alan Paton (1903–88), which gained further visibility through popular film adaptations.

Among the Afrikaner poets who have attained high stature are Elisabeth Eybers (1915–2007) and Breyeten Breytenbach (b. 1939). Prominent ethnic African writers have included Thomas Mofolo (1876–1948), a Basotho author who wrote mainly in Sesotho, and Adam Small (1936–2016), a mixed-race author who wrote in Afrikaans. Other notable authors include Miriam Tlali (1933–2017), the first Black woman in South Africa to publish a novel (Muriel at Metropolitan, 1975); and Gcina Mhlope (b. 1958), a poet, playwright, storyteller, actor, director, and anti-apartheid activist of Xhosa and Zulu heritage with work in four languages: English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, and isiXhosa.

Music and dance are central to many social events in South Africa. Styles are diverse, and some musicians, such as Miriam Makeba (1932–2008), Hugh Masekela (1939–2018), and the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, have earned wide international acclaim.

Many South Africans enjoy sports, as participants or spectators. Cricket, association football (soccer), and rugby are the most popular sports. With the end of apartheid, South African teams became racially mixed and were once again allowed to participate in international events. In 2010, South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup tournament, which raised the country’s international profile. The country has also hosted the Rugby World Cup and won that tournament multiple times.

Holidays: In addition to traditional holidays pertaining to Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, South Africans celebrate a number of political holidays commemorating the country’s struggle for equality. They are marked by parades and rallies and include Human Rights Day (March 21), Family Day (Monday after Easter), Freedom Day (April 27), Workers’ Day (May 1), Youth Day (June 16), Heritage Day (September 24), Day of Reconciliation (December 16), and Day of Goodwill (December 26).

South Africa also has an extensive calendar of art, music, and wine festivals. Among the most popular annual events are the National Festival of the Arts in Grahamstown, the Cape Town Festival, and the Arts Alive International Festival in Johannesburg.

Environment and Geography

Topography: South Africa is bordered by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Eswatini, and it completely surrounds Lesotho. The country also includes several small islands, and its entire southern boundary is ocean coastline, divided between the Atlantic Ocean on the southwestern side and the Indian Ocean to the southeast.

Several natural regions make up the territory of South Africa. A high central plateau is the largest region. It can be divided into high, middle, and bush veld (an Afrikaans-derived word meaning “rolling grasslands”). The high veld ranges in elevation between 1,200 and 1,800 meters (about 4,000 and 6,000 feet) and is bounded in the north by the Witwatersrand, a massive gold-bearing reef. North of the Witwatersrand is the bush veld, an intensively cultivated area that has an average elevation of 1,200 meters (4,000 feet). Low mountains, including the Waterberg and Strypoortberg ranges, form the northern border of the bush veld. The middle veld, to the west and ranging in elevation between 600 and 1,200 meters (2,000 and 4,000 feet), is an arid, marginally populated area.

South of the veld is the Great Escarpment, which separates the central plateau from the coast in a semicircle. The Drakensberg Mountains run along the southeastern coastline. The country’s highest point, Mount Njesuthi, rises in this range to 3,450 meters (11,181 feet). Along the southwestern coastline are the Cedarberg Mountains, the Witsenberg Mountains, and the Great Winterhoek Mountains. Along the southern coastline are the Swartberg Mountains and the Langeberg Mountains. Some peaks in these ranges surpass 2,000 meters (over 6,500 feet).

South Africa’s long, narrow coastal plain extends 2,798 kilometers (1,739 miles) along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

South Africa has several rivers, but they are often dry because of low rainfall or drought. The Orange, Vaal, and Limpopo Rivers are the most significant. Natural lakes are few, but several artificial lakes have been made by damming rivers.

Natural Resources: Gold, uranium, chromium, tin, copper, platinum, nickel, manganese, phosphates, iron ore, coal, and diamonds are among the country’s vast mineral resources. There are also reserves of natural gas.

Environmental problems include water, air, and soil pollution from mining and other industries, inadequate sewage disposal and treatment, and the widespread use of open fires. Overgrazing and deforestation have led to soil erosion and desertification in some regions.

Plants & Animals: More than 20,000 plant species have been identified in South Africa. The largest biomes are savanna, including part of the Kalahari xeric savanna, and grassland, including the Highveld grasslands. The savanna biome is characterized by various grasses and shrubs as well as acacia, baobab, and mopani trees. Vegetation varies greatly according to rainfall patterns.

Forests cover only 7.6 percent of the total land area (2018 estimate) and tend to be scattered. Yellowwood, lemonwood, and ironwood are rare indigenous trees; pine and eucalyptus are nonindigenous trees grown for timber.

The small fynbos biome, part of the Cape Floral (or Floristic) Region, is one of six floral kingdoms in the world. It contains around nine thousand plant species, more than two-thirds of which are endemic to South Africa.

Wildlife is also extensive. The country boasts elephants, zebras, lions, monkeys, baboons, antelope, black and white rhinoceroses, cheetahs, and a sizable population of birds and reptiles.

Climate: South Africa is famed for its pleasant, mild climate. Long, sunny days and cool nights are the norm throughout much of the country.

Four different weather patterns prevail. The western coast, where it is generally warm and dry, is affected by the Benguela Current from the Atlantic Ocean between June and September. It brings light rainfall.

Temperatures in Cape Town average about 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) in January and 17 degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit) in July. The subtropical eastern coast is hotter and more humid, affected by the warm Agulhas Current. Durban, typical of the region, experiences average temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) in January, and 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) in July.

In the Karroo Desert, conditions are hot and dry with low rainfall. Only the central northwest region receives regular, heavy rainfall between October and April. On the highest plateaus, mists, winter frosts, and occasional snowfall can occur.

In the regions where rainfall varies from year to year, long droughts can be followed by floods.

Economy

South Africa is the most industrialized country on the African continent. After the end of apartheid and the lifting of international sanctions, economic growth was strong and major reforms were implemented. Serious problems remain, however. High unemployment has been persistent, with the rate estimated at 27.99 percent in 2023. Poverty and income inequality have also proven deeply entrenched despite the country's overall upper-middle-income status. In 2021, the estimated gross domestic product (GDP, purchasing power parity) was US$862.981 billion, or US$14,300 per capita.

Industry: Industry accounted for an estimated 29.7 percent of the 2017 GDP and employed an estimated 23.5 percent of the labor force in 2014. The major industry sectors are mining, manufacturing, and transportation. Mining remains a major source of revenue despite overall decline in the sector in the twenty-first century. The country remains among the world's leading producers of chromium, gold, and platinum.

The manufacturing sector is dominated by automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, and foodstuffs.

Agriculture: Agriculture accounted for an estimated 2.8 percent of the 2017 GDP and employed an estimated 4.6 percent of the labor force in 2014. Commercial farming is important to the export economy, and subsistence farming is important to a wide section of the population. Scarce water sources combined with droughts make production variable from year to year, and only about 9.9 percent of the land is arable (2018 estimate).

Corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, and vegetables are major crops. Cattle, poultry, and sheep are the main livestock.

Tourism: After the end of apartheid, South Africa’s tourism industry grew exponentially. The country's stable government and economy have helped make it one of Africa's top tourist destinations, attracting millions of international visitors both from other African countries and from overseas locations including the United States and Europe. Like other countries, South Africa struggled with sharp decline in tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, but the sector began to recover in the following years.

Cultural attractions include Stone Age rock art, vineyards, early Dutch domestic architecture, and the nightlife and settings of Cape Town and Durban. Important collections about local prehistory and history are found in the National Museum in Bloemfontein and the South African Museum and the National Museum of Cultural History in Cape Town.

Natural attractions include beaches and nature reserves, particularly the Royal Natal National Park, the Kruger National Park, and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which showcase South Africa’s diverse flora and fauna.

Government

South Africa left the British Commonwealth and became a republic in 1961. Until the early 1990s, the White minority maintained apartheid in the face of increasing pressure from political groups within the country as well as pressure from the international community. The country’s first fully democratic elections were held in 1994, and ethnic Africans finally won majority control. A new constitution guaranteeing equal rights was approved in 1996 and implemented over the next four years.

The executive branch is presided over by a president, who is both head of state and head of government. He or she is elected to a five-year term by the National Assembly, and is eligible for a second term. The president is responsible for appointing a deputy president and a cabinet of ministers from within the National Assembly.

South Africa’s bicameral legislature consists of the four-hundred-member National Assembly and the ninety-member National Council of Provinces (ten delegates from each of nine provinces), all of whom serve five-year terms. Members of the National Assembly are elected by proportional representation, whereas the National Council of Provinces are appointed at the provincial level.

The judicial branch consists of the Constitutional Court, which is the highest authority on constitutional matters, and the Supreme Court of Appeals, which is the highest authority on all other matters. Beneath these two courts are High Courts and Magistrates’ Courts, which rule on the majority of cases, as well as labor courts and land claims courts.

South Africa consists of nine provinces that are each administered by a provincial assembly. The provincial legislatures choose a premier to preside over the province’s core executive council. Under the constitution, the provinces are vested with wide-ranging powers.

Since South Africa transitioned to a democratic government, political parties have been able to function normally. The African National Congress (ANC) is the country’s most popular political party; since the end of the apartheid, it has governed as the major portion of a coalition. Other parties include the Democratic Alliance, the Inkatha Freedom Party, and the African Christian Democratic Party.

Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in for a second term as president in June 2024, even though his party, the African National Congress (ANC), failed to secure a majority in parliament in the May 2024 elections.

Interesting Facts

• Nelson Mandela, the first president of a democratic South Africa, shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with F. W. de Klerk, the country’s last president under apartheid. Both men were instrumental in bringing a peaceful end to apartheid.
• The JSE Limited, or the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Limited, is the largest stock exchange in Africa.
• South Africa ranks among the world’s top countries for gold, platinum, and chromium extraction.
• In 1967 Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first human heart transplant at Groot Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.

Bibliography

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"Human Development Insights." Human Development Reports, 13 Mar. 2024, UNDP, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.

"South Africa." UNICEF Data: Monitoring the Situation of Children and Women, UNICEF, data.unicef.org/country/zaf/. Accessed 1 June 2022.

"South Africa." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 23 Dec. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/south-africa/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.

"South Africa Country Profile." BBC News, 9 July 2024, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14094760. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.