South Africa at a glance

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 VodacomMTNCell 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

Share this page