Republic of South Africa

Form of government: Republic

Population: 49,109,107 (2010 estimate)

Capital: Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial)

Area: 1, 219, 090 km2, 470, 639 sq mi

Largest cities: Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban

Ethnic groups: Africans/Black 77 %, White 11%, Mixed race 9%, Indians/Asians 2%, Others 1%

Languages: 11 official languages: Afrikaans and English (European origin); Zulu, Xhosa, siSwati, and Ndebele (Nguni language group); Southern Sotho, Northern Sotho, and Tswana (Sotho language group); Tsonga; Venda

Religious affiliations: Black Independent Churches 46%, Protestant 31% , Roman Catholic 8%, Anglican 7%, Hindu 2%, Muslim 2%, Nonreligious 2%, Other 1%

Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GDP): 5.4% (2006)

Number of years of compulsory schooling: 9 years (2007)

Monetary unit: 1 rand (R), consisting of 100 cents

Economy: Agriculture (corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products), Mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair, chemical products, petroleum and coal products,

Major trade partners for exports: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Italy

Major trade partners for imports: Germany, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Saudi Arabia