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Fact File: South Africa at a glance
October 15, 2016, 10:51 am

Photo taken on May 6, 2014 shows souvenirs on display in front of a poster of late South African President Nelson Mandela, in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa [Xinhua]

Photo taken on May 6, 2014 shows souvenirs on display in front of a poster of late South African President Nelson Mandela, in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa [Xinhua]


Type of Government: Parliamentary Republic
Current Leader: President Jacob Zuma
Population: 54,956,900 (2015 estimate)
Language(s): IsiZulu (official) 22.7%, IsiXhosa (official) 16%, Afrikaans (official) 13.5%, English (official) 9.6%, Sepedi (official) 9.1%, Setswana (official) 8%, Sesotho (official) 7.6%, Xitsonga (official) 4.5%, siSwati (official) 2.5%, Tshivenda (official) 2.4%, isiNdebele (official) 2.1%, sign language 0.5%, other 1.6% (2011 estimate)

Ethnicities: Black African 80.2%, white 8.4%, colored 8.8%, Indian/Asian 2.5%
Religions: Protestant 36.6% (Zionist Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%), Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census)

Capital(s): Pretoria (Executive), Bloemfontein (Judicial), Cape Town (Legislative)
Main Cities/Provinces: Johannesburg, Capetown, Durban
Area: 1,219,090 km2

Major Industries: mining (world’s largest producer of platinum), gold, chromium, automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair
Major Imports: machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs
Major Exports: gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment
Currency: Rand
GDP [PPP]: $742.461 billion (2016) [Source: IMF 2015] / per capita $13,321