South Africa, Africa's southernmost nation, is also Africa's largest and
most developed economy. Its premier city, Johannesburg, and its
satellite cities are home to more than eight million
people—generating 9 percent of all economic activity in Africa.
South Africa is a democratic country representing all its diverse people—often called the rainbow nation. The government recognizes 11 official languages.
Area: 470,693 square miles (1,219,090 square kilometers)
Capital: Pretoria (administrative capital), Bloemfontein (judicial capital), Cape Town (legislative capital)
Religion: Christian, indigenous beliefs, Muslim, Hindu
Languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Life Expectancy: 53
Currency: rand
GDP per capita: the equivalent of U.S. $10,000
Economy: mining, automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, agriculture
Exports: gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment
Adapted from the National Geographic Atlas of the World
South Africa Photo Galleries
• Faces of South Africa
• South Africa Tourism: Ten Things to See and Do
South Africa News Stories
Land Animals
• S. Africa Weighs Killing "Excess" Elephants in Parks
• Rare Two-Headed Tortoise Found in South Africa
• Chinese Tigers Learn Hunting, Survival Skills in Africa
• Has Rare Lion of Africa's Cape Eluded Extinction?
• "Killer Bee" Touted as Economic Lifesaver in S. Africa
• Cross-Border Park Is Africa's Largest Wildlife Refuge
• African Air Base Loses Cheetah "Watchdog"
• Africa's New Safari Trend Is for the Birds
• Time Running Out for Exotic Tahrs in Cape Town
• Gamblers Fuel Trade in "Lucky" Vulture Heads in Africa
• Crocodile, Scientist "Communicate" by Mobile Phone
• Hunters Pay to Tranquilize Game for Research
• On the Trail of Africa's Endangered Wild Dogs
• Tiny Bugs Enlisted to Fight Invading Water Hyacinths
• Grasshoppers Used to Fight "Worst Water Weed"
• Model Jerry Hall's Albatross Wins the Big Bird Race
• Killer Cats Hunted Human Ancestors
• Wild Dog Urine May Be Used as "Fences" in Africa
• Cheetah Conservation Hopes Fall on "Ambassador" Cat
• Rare Leopard Behavior Documented on Film
• Meerkats Become Fat Cats in Large Cooperatives
Marine Animals
• South Africa Sardine Migration Draws Crowds
• Poaching, Smuggling Threaten Abalone in S. Africa
• Africa's Penguins Still Reeling From "Guano Craze"
• Photographing Africa's "Flying Sharks"
• Tags Hobble Penguins, Some Researchers Contend
• Satellites Spy on Lives of Great White Sharks
• Underwater Photographer On Swimming With Sharks
• Penguin Tags Are a Drag—Can Rubber Improve Them?
• Satellite Tags Keep Track of Great White Sharks
• Rotten-Egg Gas Suffocating Fish Off African Coast
• Swimming With Sharks Photo Gallery 1
• Swimming With Sharks Photo Gallery 2
Plant Life
• Saving South Africa's Floral Heritage
Archaeology & Paleontology
• Oldest Jewelry? "Beads" Discovered in African Cave
• African Bone Tools Dispute Key Evolution Idea
• New Dino Species Found on Dusty Shelf
• 3.5-Billion-Year-Old Lava Yields Signs of Early Life
• Fossil Tusks Indicate Earliest Sexual Differentiation
• Is Bead Find Proof Modern Thought Began in Africa?
• Africa's Rock Art Documented Before it Disappears
Environment & Conservation
• South African Desert Becomes Global-Warming Lab
• Fire Sparks Conservation Movement in South Africa
• Penguin Decline Due to Global Warming?
• Shampooing to Stop Oil Spill Bird Deaths
• Poaching, Smuggling Threaten Abalone in South Africa
History & Culture
• Game-Filled Park Is School for South African Kids
• Jason Carter Discusses South Africa
• Africa's Bushmen May Get Rich From Diet-Drug Secret
• Nelson Mandela Bows Out of Public Life
• Africa Explorer Takes Off on Yearlong Aerial Survey
• Photo Gallery: South Africa Tourism
• Photo Gallery: Faces of South Africa
Space & Science
• S. African Tech Tycoon Soars as Space Tourist
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