Land surface area

1 220 813 km2

Key economic sectors

Mining, transport, energy, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture.

Population

Total: 62 million
Male: 30 076 814 million (48,5%)
Female: 31 974 531 million (51,5%)

Population group 

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 Wi-Fi access is widely available. The four mobile (cellular) networks are Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom Mobile 

South Africa is widely recognised as having one of the most advanced digital ecosystems in the continent. Its key features include over 300 000 kilometres of fibre distributed across the country.

Health

Top-quality public and private healthcare is available throughout the country. Malaria precautions are necessary in some areas.

Source on population figures: Statistics South Africa’s Census 2022.

For more information, visit www.southafrica.info and www.gov.za.

Source: Official Guide to South Africa