Country Facts

TEFL Trainees / ESL Teachers

Size:
Total Area: 1,219,090 sq km
Land: 1,214,470 sq km
Water: 4,620 sq km
Note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)

Population:
July 2010 estimate: 49,109,107
July 2004 estimate: 42,718,530
Density: 40.392/km2

Neighboring Country:
Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe

Currency:
Currency of South Africa: rand (ZAR)
Code: ZAR
Subunit: 1/100 cent
Banknotes: R10, R20, R50, R100, R200
Central Bank: South African Reserve Bank

Politics:
Government Type: Republic
The President of South Africa is both head of state and head of government. Both the President and Prime Minister are elected by the National Assembly (the lower house of the South African Parliament).

Administrative Divisions: 9 Provinces- Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North-West, Western Cape

Constitution: As per the 1994 elections, South Africa was governed under an interim constitution. This Constitution required the Constituent Assembly (CA) to draft and approve a permanent constitution by 9 May, 1996. The Government of National Unity (GNU) established under the constitution remained in effect until the 1999 national elections. The parties comprising the GNU are – the African National Congress (ANC), the National Party (NP), and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). These parties used to shared executive power. On 30 June 1996, the NP withdrew from the GNU to become part of the opposition.

Political Parties: African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP); African National Congress (ANC); Congress of the People (COPE); Democratic Alliance (DA); Freedom Front Plus (FF+); Independent Democrats (ID); Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP); Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC); United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP); United Democratic Movement (UDM).
Language:

Official: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu.
Most Spoken first Home Languages: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans.
Unofficial Languages: Fanagalo, Khoe, Lobedu, Nama, Northern Ndebele, Phuthi, San, South African Sign Language.

Religion: (According to 2001 Census)
Zion Christian 11.1%
Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%
Catholic 7.1%
Methodist 6.8%
Dutch Reformed 6.7%
Anglican 3.8%
Muslim 1.5%
Other Christian 36%
Other 2.3%
Unspecified 1.4%
None 15.1%

Culture:
Due to its vast ethnic diversity, South Africa has no single culture. Today, the diversity in food is enjoyed by all, and in addition, music and dance also feature prominently. South African cuisine has engendered the South African social gathering known as barbecue. South Africa has also developed into a major wine producer, with some of the best vineyards. The South African cultural traditions survive most strongly among the South African black majority. Urban blacks usually speak English or Afrikaans in addition to their native language. Middle class members have lifestyles similar in many respects to that of people of Western Europe, North America and Australasia. They often study and work abroad for greater exposure to the markets of the world. Asians, predominantly of the Indian origin, preserve their own cultural heritage, languages and religious belief. South Africa has also had a large influence in the Scouting movement, with many Scouting traditions and ceremonies coming from the experiences of Robert Baden-Powell (the founder of Scouting) during his time in South Africa as a military officer in the 1890s. The South African Scout Association was one of the first youth organizations to open its doors to youth and adults of all races in South Africa.

Sports:
Most popular sports: Soccer, Rugby Union and Cricket
Others: Swimming, Athletics, Golf, Boxing, Tennis and Netball.

Important Cities:
Pretoria (Capital), Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Germiston, Port Elizabeth, Vereeniging, East London, Bloemfontein, Vanderbijilpark