Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

 

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, South Africa spends US$3.465 million on its military, or 1.2 percent of its GDP. This makes South Africa the 51st highest military spender in the world and represents 0.018 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of South Africa, the South African national defence force, has a Navy, an air force and ground forces and has undergone a large change since the abolishment of apartheid. Its military had a nuclear capability since 1982, but has voluntarily given up its nuclear arsenal after signing the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty.  

Military membership

South Africa is also a member of 9 international military organizations. This makes it the 41st most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone 
  • Conference on Disarmament 
  • Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 
  • Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 
  • Wassenaar Arrangement 
  • Nuclear Suppliers Group 
  • International Atomic Energy Agency 
  • Non-Aligned Movement 
  • New Agenda Coalition 

Military membership

International wars

South Africa has partaken in 12 international wars. These are: 

  • First Xhosa War 
  • Third Xhosa War 1799-1803 
  • First Boer War 1880-1881 
  • Second Boer War 1899-1901 
  • World War I 1914-1918 
  • World War II 1939-1945 
  • Korean conflict 1945-present 
  • Korean War 1950-1953 
  • Angolan War of Independence 1961-1975 
  • South African Border War 1966-1989 
  • Angolan Civil War 1975-2001 
  • M13 rebellion 2011-2013 

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, South Africa is a member of 16 international political organizations. This makes it the 35th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Member state of the United Nations 

  • International Labour Organization 

  • Group of Five 

  • Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization 

  • African Union 

  • Commonwealth of Nations 

  • International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property 

  • UNIDROIT 

  • International Criminal Court 

  • Interpol

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

South Africa is the 46th most democratic state in the world. This is largely due to its regular elections as well as moderate government transparency. However, the ruling political party has been accused of corruption as well as obstruction of justice and it has allowed other political parties, that seek to infringe upon the individual and property rights of the white population, to join the elections. 

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of South Africa take place in the form of a parliamentary representative Republic where the president of South Africa is the head of state as well as the head of government. After the abolishment of apartheid, South Africa has been ruled by a single political party which has created affirmative action in an attempt to close the gap between the wealthier white population and the black population. 

  • Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels 

  • BRICS 

  • Association of World Election Bodies 

  • International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 

  • South Centre (organization) 

  • World Organization for Animal Health 

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover South Korea.

South Africa 

Known for its mining sector, its large economy as well as being named by its geographical location, South Africa has made large transformations throughout the 20th century. Before contact with Europeans, the area was inhabited by the Bantu, San and Khoikhoi people which led a hunter gatherer lifestyle. After being explored by the Portuguese at the end of the 15th century, the area became partially colonized by the Dutch during the second half of the 17th century. At the end of the 18th century, when a quarter of South Africa was under Dutch control, the British ceased their controlled territory through a series of wars. Because of an internal struggle of power between the Dutch settlers and the British rulers, the Dutch settlers decided to move more inland which led to the creation of the states of Orange and Transvaal by these settlers. After the British claimed this territory, a war ensued between the Dutch settlers and the British which led to a truce as well as the agreement that these states would become self-governing colonies within the British Empire at the start of the 20th century. South Africa became a fully independent republic in 1961. Since then, South Africa has followed a policy of Apartheid which led to the separation of the black and white population as well as limitations on political representation by the black population. After large international pressure, political representation was made equal which saw its first black government in 1994. Since then, South Africa has been ruled by a single political party.

 Located in the most southern part of Africa, the geography of South Africa consists of a large mountain range that separates its coastal area with the rest of its land. Its landscape is quite diverse with a desert and steppe environment to its west and a lightly forested area to its east. In total, South Africa borders six other states with Namibia Botswana and Zimbabwe to its north, Swaziland and Mozambique to its northeast and the Indian and Atlantic Ocean to its south. It also borders Lesotho which is encapsulated within South Africa. 

It is the 24th largest state with a total surface area of 1.227.142 square kilometers or 473.802 square miles. This makes South Africa slightly smaller than Colombia and slightly larger than Mali. 

It has a total water surface area of 4.643 square kilometers or 1.789 square miles. This makes South Africa the 68th largest state in the world. 

 

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Water is relatively scarce and South Africa due to its high amount of evaporation as well as long periods of drought. Its current water supply comes from groundwater and desalination treatment plants. The water from its rivers and river basins is mainly used for agriculture. 

The climate of South Africa is a subtropical climate in its east and a desert climate in its Western part. It is known to have a four seasonal pattern with relatively mild winters and warm summers. The average temperature is 17.9 degrees Celsius or 64 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes South Africa the 120th warmest state in the world. 

During summer, between December and March, the average high temperature is 23 degrees Celsius or 73 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During winter, from June to September, the average low temperature is 10.5 degrees Celsius or 50.9 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Rainfall is unevenly distributed throughout South Africa with its eastern part receiving up to nine times as much as its western part. The rain mainly occurs during its warmer period between October and April. On average, South Africa receives 67.1 centimetres or 26.4 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 133rd highest in the world. 

Contrary to other states, South Africa has three capitals with Cape Town being its legislative capital, Bloemfontein being its judicial capital and Pretoria being the administrative capital which is currently considered to be its main capital and is home to approximately 2.9 million people. The closest capital is Gaborone, Botswana, with a distance of 255 kilometers or 158 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Majuro, Marshall Islands, with a distance of 15.609 kilometers or 9.699 miles.  

The economy of South Africa is a market economy which has transformed itself into one of the most successful economies of Africa. The economy of South Africa has transformed itself into a diversified economy with a strong mining sector, a strong agricultural sector as well as a strong business sector. Most of the goods that South Africa exports are metals and minerals with it being the largest exporter of platinum. These products are mainly exported to China and Germany which combined make up more than 15 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China which is solely responsible for nearly 20 percent of all imports. 

South Africa is a member of 16 international economic organizations. This makes it the 38th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Alliance for Financial Inclusion 
  • African development Bank 
  • Bank for International Settlements 
  • Financial Action Task Force 
  • International Monetary Fund 
  • New Development Bank 
  • World Bank Group 
  • World Customs Organization 
  • World Trade Organization 
  • Indian Ocean Rim Association 
  • Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States 
  • Southern African Development Community 
  • International Renewable Energy Agency 
  • Group of 77 
  • Group of 24 
  • G20 

It has a GDP of US$333.580 million, which makes it the 39th highest in the world and represents 0.39 percent of total global GDP.  

Its GDP per surface area is the 118th highest in the world with US$271.835 per square kilometer or US$704.050 per square mile.  

Its GDP per capita is the 98th highest in the world with US$5669. 

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 99th highest in the world with US$12782. 

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

South Africa is the 24th most populous state in the world with a total population of 58.9 million people. The Western part of South Africa is mainly a mix between Europeans and Africans while the eastern part of Africa is inhabited by numerous tribes. It has formally recognized more than eight official languages in regard to the largest tribes in South Africa as well as the language Afrikaans which is used by the former Dutch settlers. 

It has the 133rd highest population density in the world with 48 people per square kilometer or 124 people per square mile.  

1.1 percent of the population, or just over 600,000 people have migrated to other states. This makes South Africa the 99th state with the highest amount of emigrants and represents 0.25 percent of total global emigration. This percentage is among the lowest in all of Africa and is mainly attributed to its stable economy. However, the more highly educated South Africans are seeking economic prosperity in Australia which is solely responsible for roughly a third of all migrants. 

Immigration to South Africa is represented by 5.17 percent of the population, or just over 3 million people which makes it the 19th state with the highest amount of immigrants and represents 1.2 percent of total global immigration. The main reasons for migration to South Africa and economic as well as seeking political refuge. The vast majority of migrants comes from neighbouring states with Mozambique being the largest supplier of migrants which is solely responsible for roughly a quarter of all migrants. 

It is ranked as the 113th most literate state in the world with the literacy rate of 91.6 percent. Despite making education free and compulsory between the ages of five and 18 and, there is a lack of enforcement which leads to this percentage. 

The health care system of South Africa is considered to be a developed health system which has had an increasing pressure over the last few years due to its population growth. In order to counter these issues, the government of South Africa has invested heavily in the availability of healthcare for all its provinces. However, it is likely that the quality of health care will decrease in the near future as a result of a larger demand as well as a lack of medical professionals which are looking for employment elsewhere. Its largest health threats are communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV and noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and lung diseases. The average life expectancy is 64.9 years which is the 169th highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 68.4 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 61.5 years. 

The government of South Africa provides freedom of religion towards all religions. 

A total of 67.8 percent of the population adheres to Christianity which makes it the 94th most Christian state in the world. It was first introduced by Portuguese explorers and later on the Dutch. South Africa does not have a single large denomination, many different religions which are also combined with traditional African religions. 

Islam is followed by 1.9 percent of the population which mainly adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam. Throughout its colonial period, there was a large amount of Muslims that were relocated from Indonesia to South Africa by the Dutch and later on from the Indian subcontinent to South Africa by the British. Today, approximately 1.9 percent of the population adheres to Islam which makes it the 113th most Islamic state in the world. 

Buddhism is represented by 0.3 percent of the population. Despite his small percentage, South Africa houses the largest Buddhist community of the African continent. Along with Islam, many Buddhists arrived during the colonial era when the British Empire re-migrated Buddhists from the Indian subcontinent to south Africa. Today, there are various temples and community centers present. 

Hinduism is represented by 1.2 percent of the population and is the second largest Hindu population of Africa. 

Judaism is represented by 0.11 percent of the population. The largest migration of Jews occurred during the 19th century under the British Empire. After the second world war, a large portion of south African Jews remained in South Africa instead of migrating to Israel. 

Other religions are represented by 0.47 percent of the population and are mainly adherents to the Baha'i faith as well as traditional African religions. 

Irreligion is represented by 9.98 percent of the population.