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Compare Bulgaria (2006) - South Africa (2002)

Compare Bulgaria (2006) z South Africa (2002)

 Bulgaria (2006)South Africa (2002)
 BulgariaSouth Africa
Administrative divisions 28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape
Age structure 0-14 years: 13.9% (male 527,881/female 502,334)


15-64 years: 68.7% (male 2,496,054/female 2,579,680)


65 years and over: 17.3% (male 527,027/female 752,391) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 31.6% (male 6,943,761; female 6,849,745)


15-64 years: 63.4% (male 13,377,011; female 14,300,850)


65 years and over: 5% (male 816,222; female 1,360,069) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products
Airports 217 (2006) 740 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 132


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 19


1,524 to 2,437 m: 15


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 96 (2006)
total: 143


over 3,047 m: 10


2,438 to 3,047 m: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 50


914 to 1,523 m: 67


under 914 m: 11 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 85


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 72 (2006)
total: 584


1,524 to 2,437 m: 34


914 to 1,523 m: 298


under 914 m: 252 (2002)
Area total: 110,910 sq km


land: 110,550 sq km


water: 360 sq km
total: 1,219,912 sq km


land: 1,219,912 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)
Area - comparative slightly larger than Tennessee slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Background The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and is slated to join the EU in 2007. 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.
Birth rate 9.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 20.63 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $11.18 billion


expenditures: $10.9 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $22.6 billion


expenditures: $24.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY02/03 )
Capital name: Sofia


geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Pretoria; note - Cape Town is the legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center
Climate temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
Coastline 354 km 2,798 km
Constitution adopted 12 July 1991 10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria


conventional short form: Bulgaria


local long form: Republika Balgariya


local short form: Balgariya
conventional long form: Republic of South Africa


conventional short form: South Africa


former: Union of South Africa


abbreviation: RSA
Currency - rand (ZAR)
Death rate 14.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 18.86 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $15.32 billion (2005 est.) $25.5 billion (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador John Ross BEYRLE


embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1407


mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740


telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100


FAX: [359] (2) 937-5320
chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron H. HUME


embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria


mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001


telephone: [27] (12) 342-1048


FAX: [27] (12) 342-2244


consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Elena B. POPTODOROVA


chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174


FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Makate Sheila SISULU


chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400


FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
Disputes - international none Swaziland continues to press South Africa into ceding ethnic Swazi lands in Kangwane region of KwaZulu-Natal province, that were long ago part of the Swazi Kingdom
Economic aid - recipient $475 million per year in EU pre-accession aid (2004-06) $539 million (1999)
Economy - overview Bulgaria, a former communist country soon to enter the European Union, has experienced macroeconomic stability and strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996 led to the fall of the then socialist government. As a result, the government became committed to economic reform and responsible fiscal planning. Minerals, including coal, copper, and zinc, play an important role in industry. In 1997, macroeconomic stability was reinforced by the imposition of a fixed exchange rate of the lev against the German D-mark - the currency is now fixed against the euro - and the negotiation of an IMF standby agreement. Low inflation and steady progress on structural reforms improved the business environment; Bulgaria has averaged 4% growth since 2000 and has begun to attract significant amounts of foreign direct investment. Corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain the largest challenges for Bulgaria. South Africa is a middle-income, developing country with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to cut into high unemployment, and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially the problems of poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. Other problems are crime, corruption, and HIV/AIDS. At the start of 2000, President MBEKI vowed to promote economic growth and foreign investment, and to reduce poverty by relaxing restrictive labor laws, stepping up the pace of privatization, and cutting unneeded governmental spending. The economy slowed in 2001, largely the result of the slowing of the international economy.
Electricity - consumption 25.1 billion kWh (2004) 181.52 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 6.8 billion kWh (2003) 4.549 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 1.3 billion kWh (2003) 5.294 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 45 billion kWh (2004) 194.38 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 93%


hydro: 1%


nuclear: 7%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Black Sea 0 m


highest point: Musala 2,925 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m
Environment - current issues air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001 census) black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%
Exchange rates leva per US dollar - 1.5741 (2005), 1.5751 (2004), 1.7327 (2003), 2.077 (2002), 2.1847 (2001) rand per US dollar - 11.58786 (January 2002), 8.60918 (2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997)
Executive branch chief of state: President Georgi PURVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002)


head of government: Prime Minister Sergei STANISHEV (since 16 August 2005); Deputy Prime Ministers Ivaylo KALFIN, Daniel VULCHEV, and Emel ETEM (since 16 August 2005)


cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 and 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly


election results: Georgi PURVANOV reelected president; percent of vote - Georgi PURVANOV 77.3%, Volen SIDEROV 22.7%; Sergei STANISHEV elected prime minister, result of legislative vote - 168 to 67
chief of state: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 2 June 1999 (next scheduled for sometime between May and July 2004)


election results: Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation)


note: ANC-IFP is the governing coalition
Exports NA bbl/day $32.3 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment
Exports - partners Italy 12%, Turkey 10.5%, Germany 9.8%, Greece 9.5%, France 4.6% (2005) EU 33%, US 20%, Japan 6%, Mozambique 2.5% (2001 est.)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; note - the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes


note: prior to 26 April 1994, the flag was actually four flags in one - three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands, which had three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags were a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side
GDP - purchasing power parity - $412 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 9.3%


industry: 30.4%


services: 60.3% (2005 est.)
agriculture: 3%


industry: 31%


services: 66% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $9,400 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.5% (2005 est.) 2.6% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 43 00 N, 25 00 E 29 00 S, 24 00 E
Geography - note strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland
Heliports 4 (2006) -
Highways - total: 358,596 km


paved: 59,753 km (including 1,927 km of expressways)


unpaved: 298,843 km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.4%


highest 10%: 23.7% (2001)
lowest 10%: 1%


highest 10%: 46% (1994) (1994)
Illicit drugs major European transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals; some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and possibly cocaine; cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana; attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region
Imports 85,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) $28.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials machinery, foodstuffs and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments
Imports - partners Russia 15.6%, Germany 13.6%, Italy 9%, Turkey 6.1%, Greece 5%, France 4.7% (2005) EU 41%, US 11.4%, Saudi Arabia 7.3%, Japan 7% (2001 est.)
Independence 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire) 31 May 1910 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 7.9% (2005) 7% (2001 est.)
Industries electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs
Infant mortality rate total: 19.85 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 23.52 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
61.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 5% (2005) 5.8% (2001 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC ACP, AfDB, BIS, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, NSG, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 150 (2001)
Irrigated land 5,880 sq km (2003) 13,500 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected for nine-year terms); Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 other members; responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors, and investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the Supreme Judicial Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by the National Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary) Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts
Labor force 3.34 million (2005 est.) 17 million economically active (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 11%


industry: 32.7%


services: 56.3% (3rd qtr. 2004 est.)
agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,808 km


border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km
total: 4,862 km


border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
Land use arable land: 29.94%


permanent crops: 1.9%


other: 68.16% (2005)
arable land: 12.13%


permanent crops: 0.77%


other: 87.1% (1998 est.)
Languages Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census) 11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Legal system civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 25 June 2005 (next to be held June 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - CfB 31.1%, NMS2 19.9%, MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%; seats by party - CfB 83, NMS2 53, MRF 33, UDF 20, ATAKA 17, DSB 17, BPU 13, independents 4
bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has special powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities); note - following the implementation of the new constitution on 3 February 1997 the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new constitution


elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held 2 June 1999 (next to be held by 2 August 2004)


election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 66.4%, DP 9.6%, IFP 8.6%, NP 6.9%, UDM 3.4%, ACDP 1.4%, FF 0.8%, other 2.9%; seats by party - ANC 266, DP 38, IFP 34, NP 28, UDM 14, ACDP 6, FF 3, other 11; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ANC 61, NP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP 3
Life expectancy at birth total population: 72.3 years


male: 68.68 years


female: 76.13 years (2006 est.)
total population: 45.43 years


male: 45.19 years


female: 45.68 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98.6%


male: 99.1%


female: 98.2% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 85%


male: 86%


female: 85% (2000 est.)
Location Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
Map references Europe Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to edge of the continental margin


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine total: 75 ships (1000 GRT or over) 872,653 GRT/1,294,877 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 40, cargo 17, chemical tanker 4, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 4


foreign-owned: 2 (Germany 1, Russia 1)


registered in other countries: 41 (Cambodia 1, Comoros 1, Malta 13, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17, Slovakia 7, unknown 1) (2006)
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 271,650 GRT/268,604 DWT


ships by type: container 6, petroleum tanker 2


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 3, Netherlands 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note - the National Defense Force continues to integrate former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces
Military branches Bulgarian Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Bulgarian Air Force (2006) South African National Defense Force (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services), South African Police Service
Military expenditures - dollar figure $356 million (FY02) $1.79 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.6% (2003) 1.6% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 11,557,242 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 7,031,337 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 466,399 (2002 est.)
National holiday Liberation Day, 3 March (1878) Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
Nationality noun: Bulgarian(s)


adjective: Bulgarian
noun: South African(s)


adjective: South African
Natural hazards earthquakes, landslides prolonged droughts
Natural resources bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Net migration rate -4.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -1.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines gas 2,505 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2006) crude oil 931 km; petroleum products 1,748 km; natural gas 322 km
Political parties and leaders ATAKA (Attack Coalition) (coalition of parties headed by the Attack National Union); Attack National Union [Volen Siderov]; Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER]; Bulgarian People's Union or BPU (coalition of UFD, IMRO, and BANU); Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Petar STOYANOV]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition of center-right parties dominated by UDF) African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE, president]; African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI, president]; Democratic Alliance (formed from the merger of the Democratic Party or DP and the New National Party or NP; note - NP split from DP in 2001) [Anthony LEON]; Freedom Front or FF [Dr. Pieter MULDER, president]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president]; New National Party or NP [Marthinus VAN SCHALKWYK]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president]; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]
Political pressure groups and leaders Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]; note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC
Population 7,385,367 (July 2006 est.) 43,647,658


note: South Africa took a census October 1996 that showed a population of 40,583,611 (after an official adjustment for a 6.8% underenumeration based on a postenumeration survey); estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line Below $2.15 per day (PPP) 4% (2003) 50% (2000 est.)
Population growth rate -0.86% (2006 est.) 0.02% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors - Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha
Radio broadcast stations AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001) AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios - 17 million (2001)
Railways total: 4,294 km


standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2005)
total: 20,384 km


narrow gauge: 20,070 km 1.067-m gauge (9,090 km electrified); 314 km 0.610-m gauge


note: in addition, South Africa has an electrified 1.065-m gauge commuter rail system, with a total length of 1,254 km, which serves Johannesburg-Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, East London, and Port Elizabeth (2001)
Religions Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census) Christian 68% (includes most whites and Coloreds, about 60% of blacks and about 40% of Indians), Muslim 2%, Hindu 1.5% (60% of Indians), indigenous beliefs and animist 28.5%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female


total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: extensive but antiquated


domestic: more than two-thirds of the lines are residential; telephone service is available in most villages; a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of the regions, the others are connected by digital microwave radio relay


international: country code - 359; direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions)
general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa


domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria


international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 2,483,500 (2005) more than 5 million (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 6.245 million (2005) 7.06 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001) 556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)
Terrain mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain
Total fertility rate 1.38 children born/woman (2006 est.) 2.38 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.9% (2005) 37% (2001 est.)
Waterways 470 km (2006) NA
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