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| {{Infobox Country or territory | |||
| |native_name = Republic of South Africa | |||
| |common_name = South Africa | |||
| |image_flag = Flag_of_South_Africa.svg | |||
| |image_coat = Za-coa.png | |||
| |symbol_type = Coat of arms | |||
| |image_map = LocationSouthAfrica.png | |||
| |national_motto = ''!ke e: {{IPA|ǀ}}xarra {{IPA|ǁ}}ke'' <small>(])<br>"Unity In Diversity"<br>(literally "Diverse People Unite")</small> | |||
| |national_anthem = ] | |||
| |official_languages = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] | |||
| |capital = ] (administrative)<br>] (legislative)<br>] (judicial) | |||
| |largest_city = ] | |||
| |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 = 2003 | |||
| |HDI = 0.658 | |||
| |HDI_rank = 120th | |||
| |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 = | |||
| }} | |||
| {{dablink|This article is about the country on the southern tip of the ]. For the region, see ]. For the former country, see ].}} | |||
| The '''Republic of South Africa''' is a country located at the southern tip of the ]n ]. It borders the countries of ], ], ], ], and ]. ] is an independent ] entirely surrounded by South African territory. | |||
| South Africa has experienced a significantly different evolution from other nations in Africa as a result of two facts. Firstly, ] from ] reached levels not experienced in other African communities. Secondly, the strategic importance of the ], as emphasised by the closure of the ] during the ], and mineral wealth made the country extremely important to ] interests, particularly during the ]. As a result of the former, South Africa is a very racially diverse nation. It has the largest population of people of ] (i.e. mixed racial background), ], and ] communities in Africa. ] South Africans 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 of the world's most profoundly compassionate 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> | |||
| The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a ], and 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-] ] as a metaphor to describe the country's newly-developing multicultural diversity in the wake of segregationist apartheid ideology. | |||
| 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 peoples (the term Bantu is a linguistic term not an ethnic one), ]-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. Subsequent to the first circumnavigation of the Cape in ] by the Portuguese Explorer ] a number of shipwrecks occurred along the Southern African coast. 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 1488, a number of small fishing settlements were made along the coast by ] 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. 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. For example, the Boers wore ] clothing, which was the same colour as the earth, whereas the British wore bright red uniforms, making them easy targets for Boer ]s. The British returned in greater numbers without their red jackets in the ] (1899–1902), which was largely opposed by the ] in the ]. 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 and external supply chains and ]s as well as the controversial ] tactic. 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 ]. The right-wing National Party sympathised with ] during the war, and sought greater racial segregation, or apartheid, after it. | |||
| 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 industrialization 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 'colored' South African compared favorably to many other African states, such as ] and ]. | |||
| Apartheid became increasingly controversial, leading to widespread ]s and ] abroad and growing unrest and oppression within South Africa. (See also special section on ].) A long period of harsh suppression by the government, and 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 organizations, and released ] from prison after twenty-seven years' incarceration. 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 attributed to the legacy of the apartheid regime 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. 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. | |||
| == Politics == | |||
| ], 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. --> | |||
| {{morepolitics|country=South Africa}}<!--Please add new information into relevant articles of the series--> | |||
| 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 ], has 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. | |||
| == Administrative divisions == | |||
| [[Image:South Africa Districts April 2006.png|thumb|350px|right | |||
| |Map showing the provinces and districts 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--> | |||
| The districts are numbered. | |||
| }}]] | |||
| {{main|Provinces of South Africa}} | |||
| 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 is in order to give local governments more resources to distribute over smaller areas. | |||
| The nine provinces are further sub-divided into ], ] and ]. The forty-six district municipalities are further subdivided into ]. The district municipalities also contain twenty district management areas (mostly game parks) which are directly governed by the district municipalities. The six metropolitan municipalities perform the functions of both district and local municipalities. The new provinces are: | |||
| {{clear}}{{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 ]), 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 Namib 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 a low of –18.6 degrees ]. 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 Marion Island (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 deforestation 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. Black Wattle, 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 mammals are found in the ] habitats including ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. There is a significant extent of the bushveld habitat in the northeast including Kruger National Park 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 or SANBI <ref> [http://www.sanbi.org</ref> (along with many of its partner institutions), parts of southern Africa will see an increase in temperature by about 1°C along the coast to more than 4°C in the already hot hinterland such as the Northern Cape in late spring and summertime by 2050. | |||
| The Cape Floral Kingdom has been identified as one of the global hotspots since it will be hit very hard by climate change 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 rare species towards extinction. ] 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>. | |||
| == Economy == | |||
| ], well-known resort city on the ] coast and site of Africa's largest commercial port.]] | |||
| ] 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.]] | |||
| {{main|Economy of 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 ten largest 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 localized 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 strategies. 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 developing; South Africa has one of the highest rates of ] in the world. Consecutive growth rates in the last ten years are helping lower unemployment; however, the economy still has a way to go, and 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. 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 US dollar 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 R5.99 to the dollar as of January 2006 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. | |||
| Crime against the farming community continues to be a problem. The rural farm population has shouldered a great increase in attacks and harassment and has suffered as many as 2000 ] since 1994, and this has caused many commercial farmers to flee the countryside for the protection of the gated communities of the cities and that offered by other nations. The government has been accused of not devoting enough time and money to tackle the problem as opposed to other forms of violent crime, or simply inefficiency and incompetence.<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 percent 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 2005 ] ] 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> Results for the other categories were ] at 75.4%, ] at 14.3%, ] at 8.8%, and ] at 2.5%. South Africa has a yearly population growth rate of -0.40% . | |||
| By far the major part of the population classified itself as African or black, but it is not culturally or linguistically homogenous. Major ethnic groups include the ], ], ] (South Sotho), ] (North Sotho), ], ], ], ] and ]. 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 the Warrior ] who escaped persecution from Shaka to settle in that part of the World. 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 originated from British immigrants (see '']''). Many small communities immigrating 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 crime rate and the government's ] policies. | |||
| 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 ] and ] (]/]) who were welcomed to the Cape when India and Burma received their Independence. | |||
| The major part of the ] population of the country is ] in origin, 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). | |||
| ===HIV/AIDS=== | |||
| 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> | |||
| However, despite a significant increase in the percentage of the population that has AIDS, racial statistics are much different. An estimate made by the South African government shows that the number of Blacks with HIV has decreased (-5.66%), and the number of Whites with HIV is rapidly increasing (9.77% per year). | |||
| 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 dependant on the state for financial support.{{fact}} | |||
| == Culture == | |||
| ] Buildings on ], the holding place of several ] fighters including ], who was imprisoned there for eighteen years. Robben Island is now a ] ].]] | |||
| ].]] | |||
| {{main|Culture of South Africa}} | |||
| 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 '']''. 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 tend to avoid traditional African musical themes, instead preferring more 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 traditional dance and music survive; 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 white minority lead lifestyles similar in many respects to whites found in ], ] and ]. | |||
| 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. | |||
| ], 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 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 ]. Since the Taiwanese were classified as White, rather than Asian, under apartheid, they tend to be more culturally similar to whites in many ways than they are to other Asians. | |||
| ===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 ]. | |||
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| 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 as well as globally, even though it is not the most widely spoken language by population. There are ] for South Africa, one for 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 ]ns 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 in the country. | |||
| == 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 ] and, to date, the only country in the world to have voluntarily dismantled its entire ] arsenal. | |||
| == 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}} | |||
| == References == | |||
| <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> | |||
| * ''A History of South Africa, Third Edition''. Leonard Thompson. ]. ] ]. 384 pages. ISBN 0-300-08776-4. | |||
| * ''South Africa: A Narrative History''. Frank Welsh. 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. | |||
| * ''Times Online''. ] ]. | |||
| * ''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= | accessdate=] ]}} | |||
| * . Accessed ] 2005. | |||
| * | |||
| </div> | |||
| == Notes == | |||
| <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"><references/></div> | |||
| == External links == | |||
| {{portal}} | |||
| {{sisterlinks|South Africa}} | |||
| ; Government | |||
| * official government site | |||
| * official site | |||
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| ; News | |||
| * financial daily | |||
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| * daily newspaper | |||
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| ; Culture and entertainment | |||
| * South African Music, Theatre, Entertainment & Arts portal | |||
| ; Overviews | |||
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| * 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}} | |||
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| {{Countries of Southern Africa}} | |||
| {{Member states of the African Union}} | |||
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Revision as of 14:39, 14 November 2006
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