Land surface area
1 220 813 km2
Key economic sectors
Mining, transport, energy, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture.
Population
Total: 60,14 million
Male: 29,39 million (48,9%)
Female: 30,75 million (51,1%)
Official languages
English, isiZulu, isiXhosa, isiNdebele, Afrikaans, Siswati, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Tshivenda and Xitsonga.
Currency
Rand (ZAR) – 100 cents equal one rand.
Time
GMT +2 hours.
Government
Constitutional multiparty democracy, with three spheres – local, provincial and national government.
Capitals
Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial). The Constitutional Court is located in Johannesburg.
Provinces
Eastern Cape
Free State
Gauteng
KwaZulu-Natal
Limpopo
Mpumalanga
Northern Cape
North West
Western Cape
Transportation
Excellent roads, rail and air facilities (both domestic and international). Public transport in major cities include the Gautrain between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and the Bus Rapid Transport System in major cities.
Telecommunications
World-class infrastructure. Internet and WiFi access is widely available. The four major mobile (cellular) networks are Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom Mobile
Health
Top-quality public and private healthcare is available throughout the country. Malaria precautions are necessary in some areas.
Source: Statistics South Africa’s Mid-year population estimates, 2021.