African Countries

South Africa Country Overview

 

Republic of South Africa

South Africa Country Overview. The official name is the Republic of South Africa (1961 to present). Called South Africa for short. Its previous name was the Union of South Africa from 1910–1961. South Africa gained its first independence from the United Kingdom in 1910. The country became a true democracy on April 27, 1994, after a long fight against racism and a white apartheid government.

South Africa country overview Flag

South Africa country Overview

South Africa country overview location on the African map

  1. South Africa’s located?

    Location on the southern tip of the continent of Africa. South Africa is borders the following states; Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe.

  2. What is the capital of South Africa?

    Capital of South Africa is Cape Town, Pretoria and Bloemfontein. Currently South Africa has three Capital cities. Pretoria is the administrative capital. Cape Town is the legislative capital. Additionally, Bloemfontein maybe considered judicial capital.

  3. How large is the country of South Africa?

    The country of South Africa has 1,220,813 square kilometers of land (471,359 square miles).

  4. Is South Africa a member of the African Union?

    Yes, South Africa is a a member of the African Union. It has been a member since 6th, June 1994.

South Africa Country Overview People

  1. What is the population of South Africa?

    The population of South Africa is approximately 59,563,386 as of 2019. The most populated city in South Africa is Johannesburg with a population of 4.4 million (approx.).

  2. What are the Ethnic groups in South Africa?

    As of 2019, the estimated breakdown of Ethnic groups is as follows; Black African 80.9%, Mixed 8.8%, White 7.8%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2018 est.).

  3. How many languages are spoken in South Africa?

    The most popular language spoken in South Africa is IsiZulu. There are also hundreds of other native local languages spoken. Dutch, English, Afrikaans are also spoken by a combined 80% of the population, but South Africa’s Constitution of 1996 gave official protection to all major languages. South African languages are; isiZulu 24.7%, isiXhosa 15.6%, Afrikaans 12.1%, Sepedi 9.8%, Setswana 8.9%, English 8.4%, Sesotho 8%, Xitsonga 4%, siSwati 2.6%, Tshivenda 2.5%, isiNdebele 1.6%, and Other 1.9%.

South Africa Culture

  1. What is the culture of South Africa?

    The country has over many ethnic groups that follow different religions and respect for each other. The locals are known for being friendly and polite to visitors. In urban areas, many different ethnic groups will make up the population.

  2. What religions are in South Africa? 

    Christian 86%, ancestral, tribal, animist, or other traditional African religions 5.4%, Muslim 1.9%, and other 5.7% as of 2019 (est.).

South Africa Economy

  1. South Africa Political System Overview.

    The country of South Africa is a constitutional democracy with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary. The President is both the chief of state and the head of the Government.

  2. What is the currency used in South Africa?

    South African Rand (ZAR) is the official currency for the Republic of South Africa.

  3. What makes up the economy in South Africa?

    The economy in South Africa is heavily dependent on mining and agriculture. South African is one of the world’s largest exporters of gold, diamond and, platinum.

Interesting Fact about South Africa.
South Africa’s first inhabitants were not the famous Zulu but, in fact, the KhoiSan (Khoi and San) people, who were the first of southern Africa and one of the earliest distinct groups of Homo sapiens. This concludes our short South Africa country overview, but we encourage you to learn more about this amazing country.

 

All numerical data are estimates. Information may vary after the date of this article.