SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH AFRICA REGION AFRICA NATURAL RESOURCES INDUSTRY AGRICULTURE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION GLOBAL RELATIONS DATE OF INDEPENDENCE MAY 31 1910 DATE OF CURRENT CONSTITUTION FEBRUARY 3 1999 POPULATION 43426386 1999 EST AREA 470689 SQ MI CAPITAL CAPE TOWN LEGISLATIVE PRETORIA EXECUTIVE BLOEMFONTEIN JUDICIAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT FEDERAL REPUBLIC WITH BICAMERAL PARLIAMENT MAIN INDUSTRIES MINING STEEL CHEMICALS FERTILIZERS VEHICLES MACHINERY TEXTILES AGRICULTURE CORN GRAINS POTATOES SUGAR FRUIT TOMATOES GRAPES NATURAL RESOURCES ALMOST ALL ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES INCLUDING GOLD PLATINUM ANTIMONY CURRENCY RAND GDP 290.6 BILLION 1998 EST GDP PER CAPITA 6800 1998 EST LANGUAGES AFRIKAANS ENGLISH NDEBELE NORTH SOTHO SOUTH SOTHO SWATI TSONGA TSWANA VENDA XHOSA ZULU ALL ARE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES RELIGIONS CHRISTIANITY HINDUISM ISLAM LITERACY RATE 82 LIFE EXPECTANCY 53 YEARS MALE 57 YEARS FEMALE BIRTHRATE 26 BIRTHS PER 1000 POPULATION DEATH RATE 13 DEATHS PER 1000 POPULATION
