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Republic of South Africa
National name: Republic of South Africa
President: Thabo Mbeki (1999)
Area: 471,008 sq mi (1,219,912 sq km)
Population (2005 est.): 44,344,136 (growth rate:
–0.3%); birth rate: 18.5/1000; infant mortality rate:
61.8/1000; life expectancy: 43.3; density per sq mi: 94
Administrative capital (2003 est.): Pretoria,
1,541,300 (metro. area), 1,249,700 (city proper); Legislative
capital and largest city: Cape Town, 3,140,600 (metro.
area), 2,733,000 (city proper); Judicial capital:
Bloemfontein, 378,000. No decision has been made to relocate
the seat of government. South Africa is demarcated into nine
provinces, consisting of the Gauteng, Northern Province,
Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu/Natal, Eastern Cape, Western
Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State. Each province has its own
capital
Other large cities: Durban/Pinetown, 2,396,100;
Johannesburg, 1,675,200; East Rand, 1,378,792 (part of
Johannesburg metro. area, 2000 est.)
Monetary unit: Rand
Languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho,
Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu (all 11 official)
Ethnicity/race: black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored
8.6%, Indian 2.6%
Religions: Christian 68% (includes most whites and
Coloreds, about 60% of blacks, and about 40% of Indians),
indigenous beliefs and animist 28.5%, Islam 2%, Hindu 1.5%
(60% of Indians)
Literacy rate: 86% (2003 est.)
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