| Revision as of 18:42, 20 March 2007 view sourceAntiVandalBot (talk | contribs)258,750 editsm BOT - rv 199.80.163.39 (talk) to last version by 194.126.226.253← Previous edit | Revision as of 19:14, 20 March 2007 view source 199.80.161.43 (talk) ←Replaced page with 'fuck u biatch'Next edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| fuck u biatch | |||
| {{featured article}} | |||
| {{dablink|This article is about the country on the southern tip of the ]. For the region, see ]. For the former country, see ] and ].}} | |||
| {{Infobox Country | |||
| |native_name = Republic of South Africa | |||
| |common_name = South Africa | |||
| |image_flag = Flag_of_South_Africa.svg | |||
| |image_coat = Coat_of_arms_of_South_Africa.svg | |||
| |symbol_type = Coat of arms | |||
| |image_map = LocationSouthAfrica.png | |||
| |national_motto = ''!ke e: {{IPA|ǀ}}xarra {{IPA|ǁ}}ke''{{nbsp|2}}<small>(])<br />“Unity In Diversity”<br />(literally “Diverse People Unite”)</small> | |||
| |national_anthem = ]<small><sup></sup></small> | |||
| |official_languages = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] | |||
| |capital = ] (executive)<br />] (judicial)<br />] (legislative) | |||
| |largest_city = ] <small>(])</small> | |||
| |government_type = ] | |||
| |leader_title1 = ] | |||
| |leader_name1 = ] | |||
| |area_rank = 25th | |||
| |area_magnitude = 1 E12 | |||
| |area = 1 221 037 | |||
| |areami² = 471 443 <!--Do not remove per ]--> | |||
| |percent_water = negligible | |||
| |population_estimate = 47 432 000 | |||
| |population_estimate_year = 2005 | |||
| |population_estimate_rank = 26th | |||
| |population_census = 44 819 278 | |||
| |population_census_year = 2001 | |||
| |population_density = 39 | |||
| |population_densitymi² = 101 <!--Do not remove per ]--> | |||
| |population_density_rank = 163rd | |||
| |GDP_PPP_year = 2005 | |||
| |GDP_PPP = $570.2 billion <!--IMF--> | |||
| |GDP_PPP_rank = 18th | |||
| |GDP_PPP_per_capita = $12 161 | |||
| |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 55th | |||
| |sovereignty_type = ] | |||
| |sovereignty_note = from the ] | |||
| |established_event1 = ] | |||
| |established_event2 = ] | |||
| |established_event3 = ]| | |||
| |established_date1 = ] ] | |||
| |established_date2 = ] ] | |||
| |established_date3 = ] ] | |||
| |HDI_year = 2004 | |||
| |HDI = {{decrease}} 0.653 | |||
| |HDI_rank = 121st | |||
| |HDI_category = <font style="color:#fc0">medium</font> | |||
| |currency = ] | |||
| |currency_code = ZAR | |||
| |country_code = RSA | |||
| |time_zone = ] | |||
| |utc_offset = +2 | |||
| |cctld = ] | |||
| |calling_code = 27 | |||
| |footnotes = | |||
| }} | |||
| '''South Africa''', officially the '''Republic of South Africa''' (]: ''Republiek van Suid-Afrika'', ]: ''iRiphabliki yaseNingizimu Afrika'', ]: ''iRiphabliki yaseMzantsi Afrika'', ]: ''Riphabliki yaAfrika Dzonga'', ]: ''Rephaboliki ya Afrika Borwa''), is a country located at the southern tip of the ] ]. It borders the countries of ], ], ], ], ], and ] (an independent ] entirely surrounded by South African territory). South Africa is a member of the ]. | |||
| South Africa has experienced a significantly different history from other nations in Africa as a result of two facts. Firstly, early ] from ] that started shortly after the ] founded a station at (what was to become) Cape Town in 1652. Early and later European interest followed from the second fact, the strategic importance of the ]. The closure of the ] during the ] exemplifies its significance. The country's relatively developed infrastructure made its mineral wealth available and important to ] interests, particularly throughout the late nineteenth century; then, with international competition and rivalry during the ]. South Africa is an ethnically diverse nation. It has the largest ], ], and ] communities in Africa. ] South Africans, who speak nine officially-recognized languages and many more dialects, account for slightly less than 80% of the population. | |||
| Racial strife between the white minority and the black majority has played a large part in the country's ] and ], culminating in ], which was instituted in 1948 by the ] (although ] existed prior to that date). The laws that defined apartheid began to be repealed or abolished by the National Party in ] after a long and sometimes violent struggle (including ] from the ]) by the Black majority as well as many White, Coloured, and Indian South Africans. | |||
| Two philosophies originated in South Africa: ] (the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity); and ]'s notion of "passive resistance" ('']''), developed while he lived in South Africa.<ref> </ref> | |||
| Regular ]s have been held for almost a century; however, the vast majority of black South Africans were not ] until ]. The ] is the largest and best developed on the continent, with modern ] common throughout the country. | |||
| South Africa is often referred to as "]", a term coined by ] ] and later adopted by then-] ]. Mandela used the term "Rainbow Nation" as a metaphor to describe the country's newly-developing multicultural diversity in the wake of segregationist apartheid ideology. The country's socially progressive policies are rare in Africa. By 2007, the country had joined ], the ], ], and ] in legalising same-sex marriage. | |||
| South Africa will be the host nation for the ]. It will be the first time the tournament is held in Africa. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| {{main|History of South Africa}} | |||
| South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological sites in Africa. Extensive ] remains at the ], ] and Makapansgat caves suggest that various ] existed in South Africa from about three million years ago. These were succeeded by various species of ''Homo'', including '']'', '']'' and modern man, '']''. ]-speaking ], ]-using agriculturists and herdsmen, moved south of the ] into modern-day South Africa by the fourth or fifth century (the ]) displacing the original Khoi and San speakers. They slowly moved south and the earliest ironworks in modern-day ] are believed to date from around 1050. The southernmost group was the ] people, whose language incorporates certain linguistic traits from the earlier Khoi and San people, reaching the ], in today's ]. These ] populations displaced earlier ] peoples as they migrated. | |||
| ]]] | |||
| The written history of South Africa begins with the accounts of European navigators passing South Africa on the ] trade routes. The first European navigator to achieve circumnavigation of the Cape was the ] explorer ] in ]. | |||
| When ] returned to Lisbon he carried news of this discovery he called "Cabo das Tormentas" (cape of storms). But for his sponsor, ], chose a different name, "Cabo da Boa Esperança" ] for it promised a sea route to the riches of India, which was eagerly anticipated in ]. | |||
| Along with the accounts of the early navigators, the accounts of shipwreck survivors provide the earliest written accounts of Southern Africa. In the two centuries following ], a number of small fishing settlements were made along the coast by Portuguese sailors, but no written account of these settlements survives. In ] a victualling station was established at the ] by ] on behalf of the ]. For most of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the slowly-expanding settlement was a ] possession. The Dutch settlers eventually met the southwesterly expanding ] people in the region of the ]. A series of wars, called ], ensued, mainly caused by conflicting land and livestock interests. | |||
| To ease Cape labour shortages ] were brought from ], ], and ]. Furthermore, troublesome leaders, often of royal descent, were banished from Dutch colonies to South Africa. This group of slaves eventually gave rise to a population that now identifies themselves as "]". ] have traditionally been accorded a higher social status by the European colonists - many became wealthy landowners, but became increasingly dispossessed as ] developed. Cape Malay mosques in ] were spared, and now serve as monuments for the destruction that occurred around them. | |||
| Most of the descendants of these slaves, who often married with Dutch settlers, were later classified together with the remnants of the Khoikhoi as ]. Further intermingling within the ] population itself, as well as with ] and other South African people, now means that they constitute roughly 50% of the population in the ]. | |||
| ] seized the ] area in 1797 seeking to use ] in particular as a stop on the route to Australia and India. The ] declared bankruptcy, and the British annexed the Cape Colony in 1805. The British continued the frontier wars against the AmaXhosa, pushing the eastern frontier eastward through a line of forts established along the Fish River and consolidating it by encouraging ]. Due to pressure of ] societies in Britain, the British parliament first stopped its global ] in 1806, then abolished slavery in all its colonies in 1833. | |||
| The discovery of ]s in 1867 and ] in 1886 encouraged economic growth and immigration, intensifying the subjugation of the natives. The ] successfully resisted British encroachments during the ] (1880–1881) using ] tactics, much better suited to local conditions. However, the British returned in greater numbers without their red jackets in the ] (1899–1902). The Boers' attempt to ally themselves with German ] provided the British with yet another excuse to take control of the Boer Republics. | |||
| ] women and children in British ]s]] | |||
| The Boers resisted fiercely, but the British eventually overwhelmed the Boer forces, using their superior numbers, improved tactics and external supply chains. Also during this war, the British used controversial ] and ] tactics. The ] specified full British sovereignty over the South African republics, and the British government agreed to assume the ]3 000 000 war debt owed by the Afrikaner governments. One of the main provisions of the treaty ending the war was that 'Blacks' would not be allowed to vote, except in the Cape Colony. | |||
| After four years of negotiations, the ] was created from the ] and ] colonies, as well as the republics of ] and ], on ], ], exactly eight years after the end of the Second Boer War. The newly-created Union of South Africa was a ]. In 1934, the ] and ] merged to form the ], seeking reconciliation between Afrikaners and ]-speaking 'Whites', but split in 1939 over the Union's entry into ] as an ally of the ], a move which the National Party strongly opposed. | |||
| In 1948, the ] was elected to power, and began ] that would become known collectively as ]. Not surprisingly, this segregation also applied to the wealth acquired during rapid industrialisation of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. While the White minority enjoyed the highest ] in all of Africa, often comparable to "]" western nations, the Black majority remained disadvantaged by almost every standard, including income, education, housing, and life expectancy. However, the average income and life expectancy of a black, 'Indian' or 'coloured' South African compared favourably to many other African states, such as ] and ]. | |||
| Apartheid became increasingly controversial, leading to widespread ] and ] abroad and growing unrest and oppression within South Africa. (See also the article on the ].) A long period of harsh suppression by the government, and at times violent resistance, ]s, marches, protests, and ], by various anti-apartheid movements, most notably the ] (ANC), followed. In 1990, the National Party government took the first step towards negotiating itself out of power when it lifted the ban on the African National Congress and other ] political organisations, and released ] from prison after twenty-seven years' incarceration on a ] sentence. Apartheid legislation was gradually removed from the statute books, and the first ] were held in 1994. The ANC won by an overwhelming majority and has been in power ever since. | |||
| Despite the end of apartheid, millions of South Africans, mostly black, continue to live in ]. This is partly attributed to the legacy of the apartheid system (although poverty is also a problem throughout much of Africa), and, increasingly, what many see as the failure of the current government to tackle social issues, coupled with the monetary and fiscal discipline of the current government to ensure both redistribution of wealth and economic growth. In the ten years since the ANC government took power, South Africa's ] ] has fallen dramatically, while it was steadily rising until the mid-1990s.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_ZAF.html| | |||
| title=Human Development Report - South Africa| | |||
| date=2006| | |||
| publisher=United Nations Development Programme}}</ref> Much of this could be attributed to the ] ] and the government's failure to take steps to address it.<ref>{{cite web| | |||
| url=http://www.sairr.org.za/wsc/pstory.htx?storyID=428| | |||
| title=Ridicule succeeds where leadership failed on AIDS| | |||
| publisher = South African Institute of Race Relations| | |||
| date=November 10, 2006}}</ref> However, the ANC's social housing policy has produced some improvement in living conditions in many areas by redirecting fiscal spending and improving the efficiency of the tax collection system. | |||
| ==Government & politics== | |||
| {{main|Politics of South Africa}} | |||
| ], the administrative capital of South Africa]]<!-- Please, the city's name is Pretoria, not Tshwane. Tshwane refers to the municipality which Pretoria finds itself in. The administrative devisions however is situated in Pretoria. Do not change this.--> | |||
| South Africa has a ] ]: the ninety members of the ] (the ]); and the four hundred members of the ] (the ]). Members of the lower house are elected on a population basis by ]: half of the members are elected from national lists and half are elected from provincial lists. Ten members are elected to represent each province in the National Council of Provinces, regardless of the population of the province. Elections for both chambers are held every five years. The government is formed in the lower house, and the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly is the ]. | |||
| Current South African politics are dominated by the ] (ANC), which received 69.7% of the vote during the last ] and 66.3% of the vote in the ]. The main challenger to the ANC's rule is the ] party, which received 12.4% of the vote in the 2004 election and 14.8% in the 2006 election. The leader of this party is ]. The formerly dominant ], which introduced apartheid through its predecessor, the ], suffered increasing humiliation at election polls since 1994, and finally voted to disband. It chose to merge with the ANC on ] ]. Other major political parties represented in Parliament are the ], which mainly represents ] voters, and the ], who took 6.97% and 1.7% of the vote respectively, in the 2004 election. | |||
| ==Law== | |||
| {{main|Law of South Africa}} | |||
| The primary sources of South Africa law were Roman-Dutch mercantile law and personal law with English Common law, as imports of Dutch settlements and British colonialism. The first European based law in South Africa was brought by the ] and is called ]. It was imported before the codification of European law into the ] and is comparable in many ways to ]. This was followed in the 19th Century by ] both ] and ]. Starting in 1910 with unification, South Africa had its own ] which passed laws specific for South Africa, building on those previously passed for the individual member colonies. | |||
| ==Administrative divisions== | |||
| {{main|Provinces of South Africa}} | |||
| [[Image:South Africa Districts April 2006.png|thumb|350px|right | |||
| |Map showing the provinces and districts (numbered) of South Africa. | |||
| {{columns | |||
| |width=200px | |||
| |col1 = | |||
| {{legend|#E0A0C0|]}} <!--pale pink--> | |||
| {{legend|#40C0C0|]}} <!--turquoise--> | |||
| {{legend|#C1ABD7|]}} <!--purple--> | |||
| {{legend|#608040|]}} <!--(dark) green--> | |||
| {{legend|#808040|]}} <!--(green-)brown--> | |||
| |col2 = | |||
| {{legend|#E04080|]}} <!--dark pink--> | |||
| {{legend|#E0E040|]}} <!--yellow--> | |||
| {{legend|#80C080|]}} <!--light green--> | |||
| {{legend|#E0E080|]}} <!--pale yellow--> | |||
| }}]] | |||
| When apartheid ended in 1994, the South African government had to integrate the formerly independent and semi-independent ]s into the political structure of South Africa. To this end, it abolished the four former provinces of South Africa (], ], ], and ]) and replaced them with nine fully integrated provinces. The new provinces are usually much smaller than the former provinces, which theoretically give local governments more resources to distribute over smaller areas. | |||
| The nine provinces are further sub-divided into ]: ] and ]. The 46 district municipalities are further subdivided into ]. The district municipalities also contain 20 district management areas (mostly game parks) that are directly governed by the district municipalities. The six metropolitan municipalities perform the functions of both district and local municipalities. The new provinces are: | |||
| {{SouthAfricaProvinces}} | |||
| ==Geography== | |||
| {{main|Geography of South Africa}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| South Africa is located at the southern most region of Africa, with a long ] that stretches more than 2 500 ]s (1 550 ]) and across two ]s (the ] and the ]). At 470 979 ] (1 219 912 ]),<ref>{{cite web| | |||
| url=https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html| | |||
| title=World Fact Book| | |||
| publisher=CIA}}</ref> South Africa is the world's 25th-largest country (after ]). It is comparable in size to ], and is nearly twice the size of the US state of ]. ] in the ] at 3,408 m is the highest peak in South Africa. | |||
| South Africa has a great variety of climate zones, from the extreme ] of the southern ] in the farthest northwest to the lush ] climate in the east along the border with ] and the ] ocean. From the east, the land quickly rises over a ] ] towards the interior ] known as the ]. Even though South Africa is classified as ], there is considerable variation in ] as well as ]. | |||
| The interior of South Africa is a giant, rather flat, and sparsely populated ] ], which is drier towards the northwest along the Namib desert. In contrast, the eastern coastline is lush and well-watered, which produces a climate similar to the tropics. The extreme southwest has a climate remarkably similar to that of the ] with wet winters and hot, dry summers, hosting the famous ] ]. This area also produces much of South Africa's ]. This region is also particularly known for its wind, which blows intermittently almost all year. The severity of this wind made passing around the ] particularly treacherous for sailors, causing many ]s. Further east on the country's south coast, rainfall is distributed more evenly throughout the year, producing a green landscape. This area is popularly known as the ]. | |||
| The ] is particularly flat due to the fact that it lies centrally on the high plateau. North of the ], the Highveld becomes better watered and does not experience subtropical extremes of heat. ], in the centre of the Highveld, is at 1 740 ]s (5 709 ]) and receives an annual rainfall of 760 millimetres (30 ]). Winters in this region are cold, although ] is rare. | |||
| To the north of Johannesburg, the altitude drops beyond the Highveld's escarpment, and turns into the lower lying Bushveld, an area of mixed dry forest and an abundance of wildlife. East of the Highveld, beyond the eastern escarpment, the Lowveld stretches towards the ] ocean. It has particularly high temperatures, and is also the location of extended subtropical agriculture. The high ], which form the south-eastern escarpment of the Highveld, offer limited ]ing opportunities in winter. Many people think that the coldest place in South Africa is ] in the western ], where midwinter temperatures can reach as low as −15 degrees ] (5 °]). In fact, the coldest place is actually Buffelsfontein, which is in the Molteno district of the Eastern Cape. Buffelsfontein recorded a low of −18.6 degrees ].<ref>{{cite web| | |||
| url=http://www.weathersa.co.za/Pressroom/2005/2005Jun30ColdestPlaceInSA.jsp| | |||
| title=Coldest Place in South Africa| | |||
| publisher=Weather SA| | |||
| date=30 June 2005}}</ref> The deep interior has the hottest temperatures: A temperature of 51.7 °C (125 °F) was recorded in 1948 in the ] Kalahari near ].<ref> </ref> | |||
| South Africa also has one possession, the small sub-Antarctic archipelago of the ], consisting of ] (290 km²/112 mi²) and Prince Edward Island (45 km²/17.3 mi²) (not to be confused with the ]). | |||
| ==Flora and fauna== | |||
| ], a ] unique to South Africa, is found near ]]] | |||
| South Africa has more than 20,000 different ]s, or about 10% of all the known ] of plants on ], making it particularly rich in plant biodiversity. | |||
| South Africa's most prevalent biome is ], particularly on the ], where the plant cover is dominated by different ], low ]s, and ]s, mainly camel-thorn and whitethorn. ] becomes even more sparse towards the northwest due to low ]. There are several species of water-storing ]s like ]s and euphorbias in the very hot and dry ] area. The grass and thorn ] turns slowly into a bush savannah towards the northeast of the country, with more dense growth. There are significant numbers of ] trees in this area, near the northern end of ].<ref> </ref> | |||
| The ] ], one of the six ]s, is located in a small region of the ] and contains more than 9,000 of those species, making it among the richest regions on earth in terms of floral biodiversity. The majority of the plants are ] hard-leaf plants with fine, needle-like ], such as the ] plants. Another uniquely South African plant is the ] genus of flowering plants. There are around 130 different species of protea in South Africa. | |||
| While South Africa has a great wealth of flowering plants, it has few ]s. Only 1% of South Africa is forest, almost exclusively in the ] ] along the ] in ]. There are even smaller reserves of forests that are out of the reach of ], known as montane forests. ]s of imported tree species are predominant, particularly the non-native ] and ]. South Africa has lost extensive acreage of natural habitat in the last four decades, primarily due to ], sprawling development patterns and ] during the nineteenth century. South Africa is one of the worst affected countries in the world when it comes to invasion by alien species with many (e.g. ], Port Jackson, ], ] and ]) posing a significant threat to the native ] and the already scarce water resources. The original ] that met the first European settlers to South Africa was exploited ruthlessly until only small patches remained. Currently, South African ] trees like ] ''(Podocarpus latifolius)'', ] ''(Ocotea bullata)'', and South African ] ''(Olea laurifolia)'' are under government protection. | |||
| Numerous ]s are found in the ] habitats including ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. There is a significant extent of the bushveld habitat in the northeast including ] and the ] Reserve, as well as in the far north in the ]. | |||
| Climate change is expected to bring considerable warming and drying to much of this already semi-arid region, with greater frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, flooding and drought. According to computer generated climate modelling produced by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)<ref> </ref> (along with many of its partner institutions), parts of southern Africa will see an increase in temperature by about one degree Celsius along the coast to more than four degrees Celsius in the already hot hinterland such as the ] in late spring and summertime by 2050. | |||
| The Cape Floral Kingdom has been identified as one of the global ] since it will be hit very hard by ] and has such a great diversity of life. Drought, increased intensity and frequency of fire and climbing temperatures are expected to push many of these ] towards ]. ] takes much of the modelling produced by SANBI and presents it in an accessible travelogue-style collection of essays.<ref> http://www.scorched.co.za Scorched : South Africa’s changing climate</ref> | |||
| South Africa houses many endemic species, among them the ] ] (''Bunolagus monticullaris'') in the ]. | |||
| ==Economy== | |||
| {{main|Economy of South Africa}} | |||
| ] in ] with ] in the background. Cape Town has become an important ] and ] centre for the country, and attracts the largest number of foreign visitors in South Africa]] | |||
| By UN classification South Africa is a middle-income country with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, a ] (the ]), that ranks among the top twenty in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centres throughout the region. South Africa's per capita ], corrected for ], positions the country as one of the fifty wealthiest in the world. | |||
| In many respects, South Africa is developed; however, this development is significantly localised around four areas, namely Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, and Pretoria/Johannesburg. Beyond these four economic centres, development is marginal and poverty still reigns despite government efforts. However, key marginal areas are experiencing rapid growth recently. Such areas include: Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay; Rustenburg area; Nelspruit area; Bloemfontein; Cape West Coast; KZN North Coast amongst others. | |||
| Large income gaps and a ] designate South Africa as a ]. South Africa has one of the highest rates of ] in the world. A decade of continual economic growth has helped to lower unemployment, but daunting economic problems remain. Other problems are crime, corruption, and HIV/AIDS. | |||
| At the start of 2000, President Thabo Mbeki vowed to promote economic growth and foreign investment by relaxing restrictive labour laws, stepping up the pace of ], and cutting unneeded governmental spending. His policies face strong opposition from organised ]. It is estimated that South Africa accounts for up to 30% of the ] of the entire African continent.{{fact|date=2007}} South Africa is also the continent's largest energy producer and consumer. | |||
| The ], the world's most actively-traded emerging ], has joined an elite club of fifteen currencies, the ] (CLS), where forex transactions are settled immediately, lowering the risks of transacting across ]s. The South African rand (ZAR) was the best-performing currency against the ] between 2002 and 2005, according to the ] Currency Scorecard. | |||
| The volatility of the ] has affected economic activity, with the rand falling sharply during 2001, hitting an historic low of R13.85 to the ], raising fears of inflation, and causing the Reserve Bank to increase ]s. The rand has since recovered, trading at R6.99 to the dollar as of January 2007 while the South African Reserve Bank's policy of inflation targeting has brought inflation under control. The stronger rand has however put exporters under considerable pressure, with many calling for government to intervene in the exchange rate to help soften the rand, and many others dismissing staff. | |||
| 21.5% of the adult South African population have been estimated to be ] positive in 2003.<ref></ref> The government has recently, after much delay, devoted substantial resources to fighting this pandemic. A recent study from the African Journal of AIDS Research by Thomas Rehle and Olive Shisana showed the infection rate starting to level off, from 4.2% to 1.7% infection rate for 15–49 year olds, and AIDS deaths peaking at 487,320 in 2008. | |||
| In 2000, President ] publicly questioned the importance of HIV in causing ], controversially suggesting that the main cause was "poverty."<ref> </ref>In 2001 the government appointed a panel of scientists, including a number of ]s (who question the mainstream view on HIV), to report back on the issue. Following their report, the government stated that it continues to base its policy on the premise that the cause of AIDS is indeed HIV.<ref> </ref> The controversy has not abated, and organisations such as the ] continue to mount political and legal challenges to what they claim is the government's slow response to the epidemic. | |||
| Refugees from poorer neighbouring countries abound with immigrants from the DRC, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi and many others representing a large portion of the informal sector. With high unemployment levels amongst poorer South Africans, ] is a very real fear and many people born in South Africa feel resentful of immigrants who are seen to be depriving the native population of jobs, a feeling which has been given credibility by the fact that many South African employers have employed migrants from other countries for lower pay than South African citizens, especially in the ], ], ] and ] industries. Illegal immigrants are also heavily involved in informal trading.<ref> </ref> However, many immigrants to South Africa continue to live in poor conditions, and the South African immigration policy has become increasingly restrictive since 1994.<ref> </ref> | |||
| ==Agriculture== | |||
| ]]] | |||
| ] | |||
| South Africa has a large agricultural sector and is a net exporter of ] products. There are almost a thousand ]s and ]es throughout the country, and agricultural exports have constituted 8% of South Africa's total exports for the past five years. The agricultural industry contributes around 10% of formal employment, relatively low compared to other parts of Africa, as well as providing work for casual labourers and contributing around 2.6% of ] for the nation.<ref>Human Rights Watch, 2001. <u>Unequal Protection: The State Response to Violent Crime on South African Farms</u> ISBN 1-56432-263-7 http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/safrica2/</ref> However, due to the ]ity of the land, only 13.5% can be used for crop production, and only 3% is considered high potential land.<ref> Mohamed, Najma. 2000. ''Greening Land and Agrarian Reform: A Case for Sustainable Agriculture''. In <u>At the Crossroads: Land and Agrarian Reform in South Africa into the 21st Century</u>. Ed. Cousins, Ben. Bellville, School of Government, University of the Western Cape. ISBN 1-86808-467-1.</ref> | |||
| Although the commercial farming sector is relatively well developed, people in some rural areas still survive on ]. It is the eighth largest wine producer in the world, and the eleventh largest producer of sunflower seed. South Africa is a net exporter of agricultural products and foodstuffs, the largest number of exported items being ], ]s, ], ]s, ] and ] fruit. The largest locally produced crop is ] (corn), and it has been estimated that 9 million tons are produced every year, with 7.4 million tons being consumed. ] are also popular on South African farms, with the country producing 85% of all meat consumed. The dairy industry consists of around 4,300 milk producers providing employment for 60,000 farm workers and contributing to the livelihoods of around 40,000 others.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southafrica.co.za/agriculture_29.html |title=South Africa Online: Agriculture |accessdate=2006-07-17}}</ref> | |||
| In recent years, the agricultural sector has introduced several reforms, some of which are controversial, such as ] and the deregulation of the market for agricultural products. Land reform has been criticised both by farmers' groups and by landless workers, the latter alleging that the pace of change has not been fast enough, and the former alleging racist treatment and expressing concerns that a similar situation to ] may develop,<ref></ref> a fear exacerbated by comments made by the country's ].<ref> </ref><ref> </ref> The sector continues to face problems, with increased foreign competition and crime being two of the major challenges for the industry. The government has been accused of not devoting enough time and money to tackle the problem of ] as opposed to other forms of violent crime.<ref> </ref> | |||
| Another issue which affects South African agriculture is environmental damage caused by misuse of the land and global climate change. South Africa is unusually vulnerable to climate change and resultant diminution of surface waters. Some predictions shows surface water supply could decrease by 60% by the year 2070 in parts of the Western Cape.<ref> ] ]]</ref> To reverse the damage caused by land mismanagement, the government has supported a scheme which promotes ] and the use of natural resources.<ref> </ref> | |||
| ==Demographics== | |||
| {{main|Demographics of South Africa}} | |||
| South Africa is a nation of over 47 million people of diverse origins, ]s, ]s, and ]s. The last ] was held in 2001 and the next will be in 2011. ] provided five ] categories by which people could classify themselves, the last of which, "unspecified/other" drew negligible responses, and these results were omitted.<ref> </ref> The 2006 estimated figures for the other categories were ] at 79.5%, ] at 9.2%, ] at 8.9%, and ] at 2.5%.<ref>{{cite web| | |||
| url=http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0302/P03022006.pdf| | |||
| title=Mid-year population estimates, South Africa| | |||
| format=PDF| | |||
| date=2006| | |||
| publisher=Statistics South Africa | |||
| }}</ref> South Africa has a yearly population growth rate of -0.4%.<ref>{{cite web| | |||
| url=http://www.xist.org/earth/pop_growth.aspx| | |||
| title=The demographical status of the world's population| | |||
| publisher=GeoHive: Global Statistics}}</ref> | |||
| By far the major part of the population classified itself as African or black, but it is not culturally or linguistically homogeneous. Major ethnic groups include the ], ], ] (South Sotho), ] (North Sotho), ], ], ], ] and ], all of which speak ] (see '']''). | |||
| Some, such as the Zulu, Xhosa, Bapedi and Venda groups, are unique to South Africa. Other groups are distributed across the borders with South Africa's neighbours: The ] group is also the major ethnic group in ]. The ] ethnic group constitute the majority of the population of ]. The ] ethnic group is the major ethnic group in ]. The ] ethnic group is also found in ] in ], where they are known as the ]. These Ndebele people are however in effect Zulu people because the language they speak is Zulu and they are the descendants of a faction under the warrior ] that escaped persecution from ] by migrating to their current territory. The ] ethnic group is also found in southern ], where they are known as the Shangaan. | |||
| The white population descends largely from colonial immigrants: ], ], ] ], and ]. Culturally and linguistically, they are divided into the ], who speak ], and ]-speaking groups, many of whom are descended from British immigrants (see '']''). Many small communities that have immigrated over the last century retain the use of other languages. The white population is on the decrease due to a low birth rate and emigration; as a factor in their decision to emigrate, many cite the high ] rate and the government's ] policies. In the first decade after the ANC took power, a million whites emigrated.<ref>http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2006/09/million_whites.php | |||
| </ref><ref>http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=13537</ref><ref>http://www.queensu.ca/samp/sampresources/samppublications/policyseries/policy23.htm</ref><ref>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displayStory.cfm?story_id=4277319</ref> | |||
| The term "]" is still largely used for the people of mixed race descended from slaves brought in from East and Central Africa, the indigenous ] who lived in the ] at the time, indigenous African Blacks, Whites (mostly the ]/] and British settlers) as well as an admixture of ], ], ]n, ] and other European (such as ]) and Asian blood (such as ]). The majority speak Afrikaans. Khoisan is a term used to describe two separate groups, physically similar in that they were light-skinned and small in stature. The ], who were called ''Hottentots'' by the Europeans, were pastoralists and were effectively annihilated; the San, called ] by the Europeans, were hunter-gatherers. Within what is known as the Coloured community, more recent immigrants will also be found: Coloureds from the former ] (now ]) and ] and immigrants of mixed descent from India and ] (]/]) who were welcomed to the Cape when India and Burma received their Independence. | |||
| The major part of the ] population of the country is Indian in origin (see ]), many of them descended from indentured workers brought in the nineteenth century to work on the ] ]s of the eastern coastal area then known as ]. There is also a significant group of ] South Africans (approximately 100,000 individuals) and ] South Africans (approximately 50,000 individuals). | |||
| ==HIV/AIDS== | |||
| {{Main|HIV/AIDS in South Africa}} | |||
| As in many African countries, the spread of AIDS (acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome) is a serious problem in South Africa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avert.org/aidssouthafrica.htm |title=HIV & Aids in South Africa |publisher=Avert |accessdate=2006-10-08}}</ref> The link between HIV, a virus spread primarily by sexual contact, and AIDS has long been denied by the president and the health minister, who have insisted that the many deaths in the country are due to malnutrition, and hence poverty, and not HIV.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afrol.com/articles/21094 |title="Sack SA Health Minister" – world's AIDS experts |publisher=afrol News |accessdate=2006-10-08}}</ref> | |||
| AIDS is affecting mainly those who are sexually active, which means the demographics of the country are slowly changing. Most deaths are people who are also economically active, resulting in many families losing their primary wage earners. This is resulting in many 'AIDS orphans' who in many cases depend on the state for care and financial support.<ref name="avertaids">{{cite web |url=http://www.avert.org/aidsorphans.htm |title=AIDS orphans |publisher=Avert |accessdate=2006-10-08}}</ref> It is estimated that there are 1,100,000 orphans in South Africa.<ref name="avertaids"/> Elderly people, traditionally supported by younger members of the family, are also becoming more and more dependent on the state for financial support.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} | |||
| ==Religion== | |||
| According to the latest 2001 national census, the Christian proportion of the population is broken down to ] 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, and other Christian 36%. Furthermore, ] accounted for 1.5% of the population, 15.1% had no religious affiliation, 2.3% were other and 1.4% were unspecified.<ref></ref> | |||
| African Indigenous Churches were the largest of the ] groups. | |||
| It was believed that many of these persons who claimed no affiliation with any organised religion adhered to traditional indigenous religions. Many persons combined Christian and traditional indigenous religious practices.<ref></ref> | |||
| ==Culture== | |||
| {{main|Culture of South Africa}} | |||
| ] Buildings on ], the holding place of several ] fighters including ], who was imprisoned there for eighteen years. Robben Island is now a ] ]]] | |||
| ]]] | |||
| It may be argued that there is no "single" culture in South Africa because of its ethnic diversity. Today, the diversity in foods from many cultures is enjoyed by all and especially marketed to tourists who wish to sample the large variety of South African cuisine. In addition to ], ] and ] feature prominently. | |||
| ] is heavily ] and has spawned the distinctively South African social gathering known as a '']'', or barbecue. South Africa has also developed into a major ] producer, with some of the best ]s in the world lying in valleys around ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| There is great diversity in music from South Africa. Many black musicians who sang in Afrikaans or English during apartheid have since begun to sing in traditional African languages, and have developed a unique style called ]. Of note is ], who launched to fame with her song "Weekend Special", which was sung in English. More famous traditional musicians include ], while the ] performs classic music with an African flavour. White and Coloured South African singers are historically influenced by European musical styles including such western metal bands such as ]. ] music covers multiple genres, such as the ] ] and the ] band ]. Crossover artists such as ] and his bands ] and ] have enjoyed various success underground, publically, and abroad. | |||
| The country's black majority still has a substantial number of rural inhabitants who lead largely impoverished lives. It is among these people, however, that cultural traditions survive most strongly; as blacks have become increasingly ] and ], aspects of traditional culture have declined. Urban blacks usually speak ] or ] in addition to their native tongue. There are smaller but still significant groups of speakers of ] which are not official languages, but are one of the eight officially recognised languages. There are small groups of speakers of ]s, most of which are from the Khoi-San family, that receive no official status; however, some groups within South Africa are attempting to promote their use and revival. | |||
| The ] lifestyle, predominantly of the white minority but with significant numbers of black, Coloured and Indian people, is similar in many respects to that of people found in ], ] and ]. Members of the middle class often study and work abroad for greater exposure to the world's markets. | |||
| Despite considerable discrimination under apartheid, Coloureds tend to relate more to white South African culture rather than black South African culture, especially ]-speaking Coloured people whose ] and ] beliefs are similar or identical to white ]s. The exceptions are coloured individuals and families who were personally involved in the struggle against apartheid and who prefer to be called black. Such cases are generally in the minority. | |||
| ], predominantly of ]n origin, preserve their own cultural heritage, languages and religious beliefs, being either ], ] or ] and speaking English, with Indian languages like ], ], ] or ] being spoken less frequently. Most Indians live lifestyles similar to that of whites. The first Indians arrived on the famous ] as ] in Natal to work the Sugar Cane Fields. There is a much smaller ] community in South Africa, although its numbers have increased due to immigration from ]. | |||
| South Africa has also had a large influence in the ] movement, with many Scouting traditions and ceremonies coming from the experiences of ] (the founder of Scouting) during his time in South Africa as a military officer in the 1890s. The ] was one of the first youth organisations to open its doors to youth and adults of all races in South Africa. This happened on ] ] at a conference known as ''Quo Vadis''.<ref name="scouthistorypage">{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 2006| url = http://www.scouting.org.za/visitors/history.html | title = History of Scouting in South Africa | format = | work = History of Scouting in South Africa| publisher = South African Scout Association | accessdate = 2006-11-30}}</ref> | |||
| ===Languages=== | |||
| {{main|Languages of South Africa}} | |||
| [[Image:South_Africa_municipalities_by_language_2001.png|thumb|300px|right | |||
| |Map showing principal South African languages by municipality. Lighter shades indicate a non-majority ]. | |||
| {{columns | |||
| |col1 = | |||
| {{legend|#0080C0|]}} <!--blue--> | |||
| {{legend|#FF00FF|]}} <!--pink--> | |||
| {{legend|#7F7F7F|]}} <!--grey--> | |||
| {{legend|#FFFF00|]}} <!--yellow--> | |||
| {{legend|#00C0C0|]}} <!--cyan--> | |||
| |col2 = | |||
| {{legend|#FF0000|]}} <!--red--> | |||
| {{legend|#87870E|]}} <!--olive--> | |||
| {{legend|#800080|]}} <!--purple--> | |||
| {{legend|#7FE000|]}} <!--green--> | |||
| }}]] | |||
| South Africa has eleven ]s: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. In this regard it is ] in number. While each language is technically equal to every other, English has emerged recently as the chief-among-peers as it is the most widely spoken language across racial barriers{{Fact|date=February 2007}} as well as globally, even though it is not the most widely spoken language by population. There are ] for South Africa, one in each of the official national languages. | |||
| The country also recognises eight non-official languages: ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. These non-official languages may be used in certain official uses in limited areas where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent. Nevertheless, their populations are not such that they require nationwide recognition. | |||
| Many of the "unofficial languages" of the ] and ] people contain regional ]s stretching northward into Namibia and Botswana, and elsewhere. These people, who are a physically distinct population from other Africans, have their own cultural identity based on their ] societies. They have been marginalised to a great extent, and many of their languages are in danger of becoming ]. | |||
| Many white South Africans also speak other ]an languages, such as ] (also spoken by Angolan and Mozambican blacks), ], and ], while many ] and ] in South Africa speak ]n languages, such as ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| ==Crime== | |||
| {{main|Crime in South Africa}} | |||
| Crime has been a major problem in South Africa. According to a survey for the period 1998–2000 compiled by the ], South Africa was ranked second for ] and murder (by all means) per capita, in addition to being ranked second for ] and first for rapes per capita.<ref> </ref> Total crime per capita is tenth out of the sixty countries in the data set. Nevertheless, crime has had a pronounced effect on society: many wealthier South Africans moved into ], abandoning the central business districts of some cities for the relative security of suburbs. This effect is most pronounced in ], although the trend is noticeable in other cities as well. Many emigrants from South Africa also state that crime was a big motivator for them to leave. ] has continued to be a major problem.<ref>{{cite news| | |||
| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2772-2100080,00.html| | |||
| title=Farms of fear| | |||
| publisher=The Times Online| | |||
| date=April 02, 2006}}</ref> | |||
| ==Military== | |||
| {{main|South African National Defence Force}} | |||
| South Africa's ]s, known as the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), was created in 1994. Previously known simply as the South African Defence Force (SADF), the new force consists of the forces of the old SADF, as well as the forces of the African nationalist groups, namely ] (MK), ] (APLA), and the former ] defence forces. The SANDF is subdivided into four branches, the ], the ], the ], and the ]. | |||
| In recent years, the SANDF has become a major ] force in Africa, and has been involved in operations in ], the ], and ], amongst others. It has also participated as a part of multi-national ] peacekeeping forces. | |||
| South Africa undertook a nuclear weapons program in the 1970s and ] a nuclear test over the ] in ]. It has since renounced its nuclear program and, after destroying its small nuclear arsenal, signed the ] in ]. It is the only African country to have successfully ]. | |||
| ==Media== | |||
| {{main|Media in South Africa}} | |||
| South Africa has a large, free, and active press that regularly challenges the government, a habit formed during the apartheid era when the press was the medium least controlled by the government. Major ]s have erupted when the press reported charges of ] that were proven to be true in cases such as that of ], in which (then) deputy president ] was implicated, and the corruption allegations that led to the dismissal of ] from parliament. The government's stance on the ] and ] have also attracted plenty of coverage. | |||
| Even though South Africa now has the most sophisticated media network in Africa, it was one of the last countries in the world to allow ], with colour TV broadcasts commencing in 1975. By the end of ] in 1994, television networks covered all ] and some less populated areas, while radio networks covered almost all of the country. | |||
| During the Apartheid era the majority of commercial and all public-service radio stations and all of the television channels were operated by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), and were subject to strict control and censorship by the government, with a few independent regional stations allowed. The creation of the independent black homelands (or ]s) in the 1970s allowed for the establishment of TV and radio stations outside of the control of the apartheid Government. Following the demise of apartheid, the broadcasting industry was de-regulated with many of the commercial regional SABC radio stations and former Bantustan stations privatised and sold to companies and consortiums that were majority owned by black people. Three SABC television channels are in place at present. | |||
| An African language channel was introduced to the ] in 1981 (during ]) with a second African language channel added later in the decade. The SABC's television monopoly was eventually challenged in 1986 when a new privately owned subscription television network, ], was launched. M-Net was forbidden to operate a news service. | |||
| South Africa currently has two terrestrial free-to-air television networks (SABC and ]), one subscription based terrestrial network (M-Net), as well as has access to satellite television (]) which is operated by M-Net's owners, Multichoice. e.tv is allowed to operate an independent television news service. The SABC broadcasts news and entertainment channels Africa-wide via satellite. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| {{South African topics}} | |||
| ==International rankings== | |||
| {{SouthAfricaRankings}} | |||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> | |||
| *''Twentieth-Century South Africa''. William Beinart ] 2001, 414 pages, ISBN 0-19-289318-1 | |||
| * ''A History of South Africa, Third Edition''. Leonard Thompson. ]. ] ]. 384 pages. ISBN 0-300-08776-4. | |||
| * ''South Africa: A Narrative History''. ]. Kodansha America. ] ]. 606 pages. ISBN 1-56836-258-7. | |||
| * ''The Atlas of Changing South Africa''. A. J. Christopher. ] ]. 216 pages. ISBN 0-415-21178-6. | |||
| * ''The Politics of the New South Africa''. Heather Deegan. ] ]. 256 pages. ISBN 0-582-38227-0. | |||
| * ''Making of Modern South Africa: Conquest, Segregation and Apartheid''. Nigel Worden. ] ]. 194 pages. ISBN 0-631-21661-8. | |||
| * ''Emerging Johannesburg: Perspectives on the Postapartheid City''. Richard Tomlinson, et al. ] ]. 336 pages. ISBN 0-415-93559-8. | |||
| * "Religion and Politics in South Africa." David Hein. Modern Age 31 (1987): 21–30. | |||
| * {{cite web |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=homepage |work=South Africa Government Online |publisher=South African Government |date= |url=http://www.gov.za |format= |doi= | accessmonthday = February 20 | accessyear = 2005 }} | |||
| * . Accessed ], 2005. | |||
| * | |||
| * ] ]. | |||
| </div> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"><references/></div> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{portal|South Africa|Flag of South Africa.svg}} | |||
| {{sisterlinks|South Africa}} | |||
| ; Government | |||
| * official government site | |||
| * official site | |||
| * official site | |||
| * official government site | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ; News | |||
| * financial daily | |||
| * | |||
| * daily newspaper | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ; Overviews | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * data as of November 1994 | |||
| * directory category | |||
| * and Former De Beers general Manager's 800-page overview of the history of South Africa and its diamond mines. | |||
| ; Tourism | |||
| *{{wikitravel}} | |||
| * official South African tourism site | |||
| ; Languages | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * information on South African languages | |||
| * language & localisation info, links | |||
| ; ICT and Business - Tshwane "pretoria" | |||
| * Tshwanelive Project From Ga-Rankuwa | |||
| ; Major Social Movements | |||
| * Shack dwellers' movement | |||
| * Campaign for access to treatment for HIV/AIDS | |||
| {{Countries of Southern Africa}} | |||
| {{Countries of Africa}} | |||
| {{South Atlantic Ocean}} | |||
| {{Indian Ocean}} | |||
| {{UN Security Council}} | |||
| {{Member states of the SADC}} | |||
| {{Member states of the African Union}} | |||
| {{Peri-Antarctic countries and overseas territories}} | |||
| <!--Other languages--> | |||
| <!--Categories--> | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| {{Link FA|de}} | |||
| {{Link FA|eo}} | |||
| <!--Interwiki--> | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 19:14, 20 March 2007
fuck u biatch