South+Africa

 South Africa   __ Overview __ Until 1994 South Africa was ruled by a white minority government which was so determined to hang onto power that it took activists most of the last century before they succeeded in their fight to get rid of apartheid and extend democracy to the rest of the population. The white government which came to power in 1948 enforced a separation of races with its policy called apartheid. It dictated that black and white communities should live in separate areas, travel in different buses and stand in their own queues. The government introduced grand social engineering schemes such as the forced resettlement of hundreds of thousands of people. It poisoned and bombed opponents and encouraged trouble in neighbouring countries. The apartheid government eventually negotiated itself out of power, and the new leadership encouraged reconciliation. But the cost of the years of conflict will be paid for a long time yet, not least in terms of lawlessness, social disruption and lost education. South Africa faces major problems, but having held three successful national elections as well as local polls since the end of white rule, a democratic culture appears to be taking hold, allowing people at least some say in the search for solutions. Very much Africa's superpower, South Africa has the continent's biggest economy, with strong financial and manufacturing sectors. It is a leading exporter of minerals and tourism is a key source of foreign exchange. But many South Africans remain poor and unemployment is high - a factor blamed for a wave of violent attacks against migrant workers from other African countries. Land redistribution is an ongoing issue. Most farmland is still white-owned. Having so far acquired land on a "willing buyer, willing seller" basis, officials have signalled that large-scale expropriations are on the cards. The government aims to transfer 30% of farmland to black South Africans by 2014. South Africa has the second-highest number of HIV/Aids patients in the world. Around one in seven of its citizens is infected with HIV. Free anti-retroviral drugs are available under a state-funded scheme.

__ Facts __ **Full name:** Republic of South Africa -South Africa has developed from an agrarian into a modern industrial state since World War II. -Today, the economy is diversified and the country produces a wide range of consumer and investment goods. South Africa produces one fifth of the entire production of the African continent. -The economy is based on foreign trade. More than half of the gross national product (GNP) is received through exports and imports. -Exports consist of mineral raw materials, agricultural produce, chemical products, machinery, electric appliances and vehicles. Import goods are machines, plastic products, chemicals and also vehicles. -The main customer countries are: Japan (7.2 %), Italy (6.2 %), USA (6.2 %), Germany (5.1 %), Great Britain (4.8 %) and Zimbabwe (4.1 %). Imports mainly come from: Germany (13 %), USA (11 %), Great Britain (10.5 %), Japan (7.4 %), Italy (4.4 %) and France (3.2 %). Factsheet [|Here] Economic Data [|Here]
 * For information on outlook of South African economy for 2009-2010 click** [|Here]
 * Population:** 48.8 million (UN, 2008)
 * Capitals:** Pretoria (executive capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)
 * 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:** 49 years (men), 50 years (women)
 * Monetary unit:** 1 Rand = 100 cents
 * Main exports:** Gold, diamonds, metals and minerals, cars, machinery
 * GNI per capita:** US $5,760 (World Bank, 2007)
 * Internet domain:** .za
 * International dialling code:** +27
 * GDP:** 283,071 Billion

South Africa economy dominates Africa for chart click [|Here]

__ Recent Articles __     SA Voters Grumble, but Favor A.N.C. [|Here] Zuma's Challenges's [|Here] South Africans Vote in Election [|Here] Q&A: South Africa's General Elections [|Here]

__Older Articles__ Fighting Foreclosure in SA [|Here] HIV/Aids [|Here] Are You a South African Abroad? [|Here] SA Peace Forum Canceled [|Here] SA Fears Recession [|Here]  SA farmers losing land [|Here] SA sees economic shrink [|Here] Global Recession [|Here] Refugee camp closing [|Here] Secrets to the sucess of African business [|Here]

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__Opportunities for South Africa__ media type="youtube" key="NF_6C0plUnY" height="295" width="480"

__Unempoyment with South African society media type="youtube" key="_4MM-In3gfI" height="344" width="425"

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