- Full Country Name: The Republic of South Africa
- Capital: Pretoria (official), Bloemfontein (judicial), Cape Town (legislative).
- Language: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu.
- Currency: Rand R (ZAR) = 100 cents.
- People: Zulu (23%), Xhosa, Ndebele, European descent (16%), Setswana, Sotho, Venda and other tribal origins. Overall, 77% black, 10% white (60% of whites are of Afrikaaner descent, whilst most of the remaining 40% are of British descent), 8% mixed race, 2.5% of Indian or Asian descent.
- Life Expectancy: Male: 43.47, Female: 43.06.
- Religion: Various Christian denominations, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, and traditional religions.
- Size (sq km): 1.2 million (25th)
- Population: 47.4 million (26th)
- Population Density per sq km: 39 (163rd)
- Country Dialling Code: 27
- Internet Country Code: .za
- Time Zone: GMT +2
- Voltage Guide: 220/230 AC (250 AC in Pretoria), 50 Hz.
- Finance: Credit cards and traveller's cheques widely accepted.
- Business Hours: 0830-1630 Mon-Friday.
- GDP: US$146 billion
- GDP per Capita: US$2,133
- Annual Growth: 0.9%
- Inflation: 7.8%
- Major Industries: Mining, finance, insurance, food processing.
- Major Trading Partners: USA, UK, Germany, Japan, Italy.
- Personal Safety: Politically stable but experiencing high levels of crime, especially in cities and black townships. Johannesburg is infamous for carjackings and muggings, Cape Town quieter. Rape is a serious problem nationwide.
