Total area: 471,008 sq mi (1,219,912 sq km)

Population (2009 est.): 49,052,489 (growth rate: –0.2%); birth rate: 19.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 44.4/1000; life expectancy: 49.0; density per sq mi: 93

Administrative capital (2003 est.): Pretoria, 1,541,300 (metro. area), 1,249,700 (city proper); Legislative capital and largest city: Cape Town, 3,140,600 (metro. area), 2,733,000 (city proper). Judicial capital: Bloemfontein, 378,000. No decision has been made to relocate the seat of government. South Africa is demarcated into nine provinces, consisting of the Gauteng, Northern Province, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu/Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State. Each province has its own capital

Other large cities: Durban/Pinetown, 2,396,100; Johannesburg, 1,675,200; East Rand, 1,378,792 (part of Johannesburg metro. area, 2000 est.)

Monetary unit: Rand

Current government officials

Languages: IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001)

Ethnicity/race: black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001)

Religions: Zion Christian 11%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8%, Catholic 7%, Methodist 7%, Dutch Reformed 7%, Anglican 4%, other Christian 36%, Islam 2%, none 15% (2001)

Literacy rate: 86% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $467.1 billion; per capita $9,800. Real growth rate: 5.1%. Inflation: 7.1%. Unemployment: 24.3%. Arable land: 12%. Agriculture: corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products. Labor force: 15.23 million economically active; agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (1999 est.). Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair. Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas. Exports: $50.91 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment. Imports: $52.97 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs. Major trading partners: U.S., UK, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, China, France, Saudi Arabia, Iran (2004).