SOUTH AFRICA
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LAND
1,222,480 km2 (includes enclave of Walvis Bay, 1,124 km2; Transkei, 44,000 km2, and Bophuthatswana, 38,000 km2); 12% cultivable, 2% forested, 86% desert, waste, or urban
Land boundaries: 2,044 km
WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 12 nm (fishing 200 nm)
Coastline: 2,881 km, including Transkei
PEOPLE
Population: 30,021,000 (July 1982), including Bophuthatswana, Transkei, and Venda, average annual growth rate 2.4%; Bophuthatswana 1,347,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.4%; Transkei 2,390,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.2%; Venda 374,000 (July 82), average annual growth rate 2.4%
Nationality: noun—South African(s); adjective—South African
Ethnic divisions: 69.9% African, 17.8% white, 9.4% Colored, 2.9% Asian
Religion: most whites and coloreds and roughly 60% of Africans are Christian; roughly 60% of Asians are Hindu, 20% are Muslim
Language: Afrikaans and English official, Africans have many vernacular languages
Literacy: almost all white population literate; government estimates 50% of Africans literate
Labor force: 8.7 million (total of economically active, 1970); 53% agriculture, 8% manufacturing, 7% mining, 5% commerce, 27% miscellaneous services
Organized labor: about 7% of total labor force is unionized (mostly white workers); relatively small African unions, representing about 1% of black labor force, have recently gained official recognition
GOVERNMENT
Official name: Republic of South Africa
Type: republic
Capital: administrative, Pretoria; legislative, Cape Town; judicial, Bloemfontein
Political subdivisions: 4 provinces, each headed by centrally appointed administrator; provincial councils, elected by white electorate, retain limited powers
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; constitution enacted 1961, changing the Union of South Africa into a republic; possibility of judicial review of Acts of Parliament concerning dual official languages; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Republic Day, 31 May
Branches: State President as formal chief of state; Prime Minister as head of government; Cabinet responsible to the legislature; legislature elected directly by white electorate; judiciary maintains substantial independence of government influence
Government leaders: State President Marais VILJOEN; Prime Minister Pieter W. BOTHA
Suffrage: general suffrage limited to whites over 18 (17 in Natal Province)
Elections: must be held at least every five years; last elections 30 November 1977
Political parties and leaders: National Party, P. W. Botha; Progressive Federal Party, Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert, Colin Eglin; New Republic Party, Vause Raw
Voting strength: (1977 general elections) parliamentary seats: 134 National Party, 17 Progressive Federal Party, 10 New Republic Party, 3 South Africa Party (recently absorbed into the National Party)
Communists: small Communist Party illegal since 1950; party in exile maintains headquarters in London; Dr. Yasuf Dadoo, Moses Kotane, Joe Slovo
Other political groups: (insurgent groups in exile) African National Congress (ANC), Oliver Tambo; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Vusumzi Make
Member of: GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IHO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMF, ISO, ITU, IWC—International Whaling Commission, IWC—International Wheat Council, UN, UPU (South Africa in process of being expelled from UPU but they have not been officially notified as yet), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
ECONOMY
GDP: $70.3 billion (1980), about $2,400 per capita; 8% real growth in 1980
Agriculture: main crops—corn, wool, wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, citrus fruits; dairy products; self-sufficient in foodstuffs
Fishing: catch 658,688 metric tons (1979)
