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South Africa

Capital: Pretoria (executive capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital) GDP 2016:0.3 %
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Key Facts
Full name: Republic of South Africa
Population: 50.5 million (UN, 2011)
Largest city: Johannesburg
Area: 1.22 million sq km (470,693 sq miles)
Major languages: 11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhosa and Zulu
Major religion: Christianity, Islam, indigenous beliefs
Life expectancy: 53 years (men), 54 years (women)
Monetary unit: 1 Rand = 100 cents
Main exports: Gold, diamonds, metals and minerals, cars,
GNI per capita: US $6,090 (World Bank, 2010)
Internet domain: .za
International dialling code: +27
  • Top 10 Most Attractive Investment Destinations In Africa

    2017/08/20

    Africa’s feverish increase has decelerated in recent years and a lot of nations have buckled under the pressure of falling resource prices, security disruptions, fiscal imprudence and adverse weather conditions.

  • Africa's Relationship With China Is Ancient History

    2017/07/02

    In 2002 South Africa's Parliament unveiled a digital reproduction of a map - of China, the Middle East and Africa - that some speculated could be the initial map of the African continent. The Da Ming Hun Yi Tu - the Comprehensive Map of the Great Ming Empire - was drawn up around 1389 during the Ming Dynasty, according to historian Hyunhee Park.

  • Climate change laws around the world

    2017/05/14

    There has been a 20-fold increase in the number of global climate change laws since 1997, according to the most comprehensive database of relevant policy and legislation.

    The database, produced by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Sabin Center on Climate Change Law, includes more than 1,200 relevant policies across 164 countries, which account for 95% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

  • South Africa Year in Review 2016

    2017/04/17

    South Africa’s economy faced an extra challenging year in 2016, as soft commodity prices, slow domestic request and an uncertain political outlook combined to limit increase, with prospects for the coming year expected to be only somewhat additional positive.

    Possible downgrade

    Allegations of mismanagement by President Jacob Zuma and uncertainty over economic policy continued to impact increase through 2016, causing two leading ratings agencies to put the government on notice of a possible downgrade in the new year.

  • Preventable blindness in children on the rise in poorer countries

    2016/07/23

    The number of children suffering from preventable blindness is increasing, half because additional children are surviving complicated births in low- and middle-gain nations, specialists say. Worldwide, about 19 million children under the age of 15 are blind, with 12 million of these cases preventable or treatable.

    Experts say one cause of high rates of blindness is retinopathy of prematurity (Rop), which occurs in premature infants and can be caused by being given too much oxygen next birth.

    Brian Doolan, CEO of the Fred Hollows Foundation, said world advances in neonatal care mean additional children are surviving early births, but this means additional premature babies are at risk of Rop.

  • 'Let's get more travel stories on Africa by Africans'

    2016/07/23

    This month actor Louise Linton caused a social media storm at the same time as an extract of her African gap year memoir was published by the Telegraph and was widely panned online for being a tick inventory of cliches and stereotypes in the way the west has always liked to portray the continent. On Twitter, #LintonLies, set up by Zambian writer Lydia Ngoma, was trending as people started to pour scorn on Linton’s version of certain events and her take on life there. Think: “close encounters with lions”, “brutal tales of rape and murder,” and 12-inch long spiders, which would be terrifying, though they only exist in Laos.

  • Exposing South Africa's "Lettergate" Scandal

    2015/05/10

    Recently The Wall Street Journal reported on European jewelry giant De Beers “squeezing” diamonds from mining waste ore in Kimberley, South Africa’s most renowned diamond mine. The diamonds were labeled as “scarce” minerals.

    Whether or not this is actually authentic, the volume of gem quality diamonds available in nations like South Africa does not necessarily correspond to the price that will be received by governments. That is, mining is not always in the interests of a country where governments are politically weak or corrupt—or both.

  • South Africa Year in Review 2014

    2015/03/30

    Lower oil prices and a rise in domestic request could fuel a modest rebound for South Africa’s economy in 2015 next power supply and labour disruptions slowed increase last year.

  • SA developing reliable energy mix, Zuma tells Davos

    2015/01/24

    South Africa remains open for business and is an attractive destination for investments despite the current energy challenges, President Jacob Zuma told a business delegation at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos Switzerland on Wednesday.

  • South African CBG toes a fine line

    2014/05/28

    South Africa’s central bank governor Gill Marcus faces the tricky task of curbing inflationary pressures while trying not to damage the country’s weak economy. Whether or not she succeeds will depend to a large extent on factors outside her control.

  • Meet the woman behind a South African high school's success

    2014/02/23

    On a recent morning, Phadiela Cooper closed the door to her office. She is the principal at the Centre of Science and Technology (COSAT), a public high school near Cape Town, South Africa. A nervous ninth-grader stood in the corner.

    “You are in critical trouble,” Mrs. Cooper said to the girl.

  • Nelson Mandela has died at the age of 95

    2013/12/06

    He went from prison to power, changing his native South Africa in a way few of its citizens would have ever thought possible at the same time as he was incarcerated in its jail cells for 27 years.

    That story came to a peaceful end Thursday, as South African president Jacob Zuma said in a televised address that Mandela passed away at home surrounded by family.

  • Africa: Making Things Happen at the Bank - 'Not a Talk Shop' - Akin Adesina

    2017/07/02

    Dr. Akinwumi Adesina is focusing on five areas to achieve the African and world goals for a prosperous continent since becoming president of the African Development Bank - Africa's major public financial institution in September 2015. He was a keynote speaker at this month's Corporate Council on Africa's U.S.- Africa Business Summit in Washington D.C. and moderated a lively panel with five African government ministers. He as well received the Gene White Lifetime Succcess Award from the World Child Nutrition Foundation. This week, he was named the 2017 recipient of the World Food Prize, a prestigious honor that includes a $250,000 award. In an interview in Washington, DC, Adesina discussed the Development Bank's ambitious schedule and his vision for attracting the increase capital Africa needs. Posting questions for AllAfrica was Noluthando Crockett-Ntonga.

  • Eugene Skrynnyk

    2013/04/13

    Following the passing of the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act ("FATCA") in January, compliance in Africa will be a challenge

    At the same time as the US Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service issued the final Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act ("FATCA") regulations in January, there was a sigh of relief that the financial services industry in Africa could begin to analyse its FATCA's obligations. However, experience and comments from the industry suggest that compliance remains a challenge.

  • President Jacob Zuma

    2012/12/19

    Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (born 12 April 1942) is the President of South Africa,elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election.
    Zuma is the President of the African National Congress (ANC), the governing political party, and was Deputy President of South Africa from 1999 to 2005.Zuma is as well referred to by his initials JZand his clan name Msholozi. Zuma became the President of the ANC on 18 December 2007 after defeating incumbent Thabo Mbeki at the ANC conference in Polokwane.

  • Outlook for 2013-17

    2013/10/09

    The country (South Africa) is situated in Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa.
    It has borders with Botswana for 1840km, Mozambique for 491km, Lesotho for 909km, Namibia for 967km, Swaziland for 430km and Zimbabwe for 225km.
    Land in South Africa is vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain.
    South African land covers an area of 1219912 km².

    The climate is mostly semiarid and subtropical along east coast with sunny days and cool nights.
    South African(s) speak IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2%

  • Pretoria

    2013/07/21

    Pretoria is a city in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.

    Pretoria is sometimes regarded as being divided into three sections: West, East and north, relative to the CBD (Central Business District). Pretoria is contained within the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality as one of several constituent forme administrations (part which as well Centurion and Soshanguve).

  • Pretoria

    2012/12/19

    Pretoria is a city in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is divided into three sections: pretoria west, east and north. Pretoria is contained within the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality as of several constituent former administrations (part which as well Centurion and Soshanguve). Pretoria itself is sometimes referred to as "Tshwane" due to a long-running and controversial proposed change of name, which has from now on to be decided, as of 2012.