South Africa

Government
Republic.

Geography
South Africa, on the continent’s southern tip, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and by the Indian Ocean on the south and east. The kingdom of Lesotho forms an enclave within the southeast part of South Africa, which occupies an area nearly three times that of California. The southernmost point of Africa is Cape Agulhas, located in the Western Cape Province about 100 mi (161 km) southeast of the Cape of Good Hope.

 Historical Background
After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule.

Name

South Africa

Capital

Pretoria (executive)Bloemfontein (judicial) Cape Town (legislative) Largest Johannesburg (2006)

Area

Total 1,221,037 km2 (25th) 471,443 sq mi  Water (%) Negligible

Population

2010 estimate 49,991,300 (25th)-2001 census 44,819,778,Density 41/km2 (170th) 106.2/sq mi

Currency

Rand (ZAR)