Saint Pierre and Miquelon (2001) | South Africa (2005) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territorial collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions approved by the US Government, but there are two communes - Saint Pierre, Miquelon | 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
25.85% (male 917; female 874) 15-64 years: 64.22% (male 2,273; female 2,176) 65 years and over: 9.93% (male 291; female 397) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 30.3% (male 6,760,137/female 6,682,013)
15-64 years: 64.5% (male 13,860,727/female 14,750,496) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 893,360/female 1,397,403) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish | corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products |
Airports | 2 (2000 est.) | 728 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 144
over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 51 914 to 1,523 m: 67 under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 584
1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 300 under 914 m: 250 (2004 est.) |
Area | total:
242 sq km land: 242 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups |
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 | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
Background | First settled by the French in the early 17th century, the islands represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. | 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 | 15.88 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 18.48 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$70 million expenditures: $60 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.) |
revenues: $47.43 billion
expenditures: $52.54 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
Capital | Saint-Pierre | Pretoria; note - Cape Town is the legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center |
Climate | cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy | mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights |
Coastline | 120 km | 2,798 km |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | 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:
Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon |
conventional long form: Republic of South Africa
conventional short form: South Africa former: Union of South Africa abbreviation: RSA |
Currency | French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) | - |
Death rate | 6.64 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 21.32 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $27.01 billion (2004 est.) |
Dependency status | self-governing territorial collectivity of France | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territorial collectivity of France) | chief of mission: Ambassador Jendayi E. FRAZER
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 | none (territorial collectivity of France) | chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara Joyce Mosima MASEKELA
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 | South Africa has placed military along the border to stem the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution; managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River |
Economic aid - recipient | approximately $65 million in annual grants from France | $487.5 million (2000) |
Economy - overview | The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France to the great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. | South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural 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 lower South Africa's high unemployment rate; and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to increase job growth and household income. |
Electricity - consumption | 37.2 million kWh (1999) | 189.4 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 6.95 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 7.873 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 40 million kWh (1999) | 202.6 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | 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: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Basques and Bretons (French fishermen) | black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census) |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 1.06594 (January 2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) | rand per US dollar - 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Remi THUAU (since NA) head of government: President of the General Council Bernard LE SOAVEC (since NA 1996) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 7 May 1995 (next to be held NA May 2002); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the General Council is elected by the members of the council |
chief of state: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005); 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 Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005); 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 24 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009) election results: Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation) note: ANC-IFP is the governing coalition |
Exports | $12 million (f.o.b., 1999) | NA |
Exports - commodities | fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts | gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment (1998 est.) |
Exports - partners | US 43%, Egypt 14%, Japan 11%, Colombia 8% (1999) | US 10.2%, UK 9.2%, Japan 9%, Germany 7.1%, Netherlands 4% (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a dark blue background with a black wave line under the ship; on the hoist side, a vertical band is divided into three parts: the top part is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the square into four sections; the middle part has a white background with an ermine pattern; the third part has a red background with two stylized yellow lions outlined in black, one on top of the other; the flag of France is used for official occasions | 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 |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $74 million (1996 est.); supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 31.2% services: 65.2% (2004 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $11,000 (1996 est.) | purchasing power parity - $11,100 (2004 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 3.5% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 46 50 N, 56 20 W | 29 00 S, 24 00 E |
Geography - note | vegetation scanty | South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland |
Highways | total:
114 km paved: 69 km unpaved: 45 km (1994 est.) |
total: 275,971 km
paved: 57,568 km (including 2,032 km of expressways) unpaved: 218,403 km (2002) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 45.9% (1994) |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and 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 | $55 million (f.o.b., 1999) | NA |
Imports - commodities | meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials | machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs (2000 est.) |
Imports - partners | France 44%, Canada 40% (1999) | Germany 14.2%, US 8.5%, China 7.5%, Japan 6.9%, UK 6.9%, France 6%, Saudi Arabia 5.6%, Iran 5% (2004) |
Independence | none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763) | 31 May 1910 (from UK); note - South Africa became a republic in 1961 following an October 1960 referendum |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 5.5% (2004 est.) |
Industries | fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism | mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair |
Infant mortality rate | 8.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 61.81 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 65.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 57.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.1% (1991-96 average) | 4.5% (2004 est.) |
International organization participation | FZ, WFTU | ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 13,500 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel | Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts |
Labor force | 3,000 (1997) | 16.63 million economically active (2004 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | fishing 18%, industry (mainly fish-processing) 41%, services 41% (1996 est.) | agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 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:
13% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 4% other: 83% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 12.08%
permanent crops: 0.79% other: 87.13% (2001) |
Languages | French | IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census) |
Legal system | French law with special adaptations for local conditions, such as housing and taxation | based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
Legislative branch | unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats - 15 from Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: elections last held NA April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the French Senate; elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 seat to the French National Assembly; elections last held 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDF 1 |
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 14 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 69.7%, DA 12.4%, IFP 7%, UDM 2.3%, NNP 1.7%, ACDP 1.6%, other 5.3%; seats by party - ANC 279, DA 50, IFP 28, UDM 9, NNP 7, ACDP 6, other 21; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
77.77 years male: 75.51 years female: 80.13 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 43.27 years
male: 43.47 years female: 43.06 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1982 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.4% male: 87% female: 85.7% (2003 est.) |
Location | Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada) | Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa |
Map references | North America | Africa |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 31,505 GRT/37,091 DWT
by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1) registered in other countries: 7 (2005) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete |
Military branches | - | South African National Defense Force (SANDF): Army, Navy, Air Force, Joint Operations, Joint Support, Military Intelligence, Military Health Service (2004) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $3.172 billion (2004) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1.5% (2004) |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Freedom Day, 27 April (1994) |
Nationality | noun:
Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French |
noun: South African(s)
adjective: South African |
Natural hazards | persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard | prolonged droughts |
Natural resources | fish, deepwater ports | gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas |
Net migration rate | -4.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Pipelines | - | condensate 100 km; gas 1,052 km; oil 847 km; refined products 1,354 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR [leader NA]; Socialist Party or PS [leader NA]; Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF [leader NA] | African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE, president]; African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI, president]; Democratic Alliance or DA (formed from the merger of the Democratic Party or DP and the Freedom Alliance or FA) [Anthony LEON]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president]; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | 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 | 6,928 (July 2001 est.) | 44,344,136
note: 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 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 50% (2000 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.43% (2001 est.) | -0.31% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Saint Pierre | Cape Town, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | 4,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | total: 20,872 km
narrow gauge: 20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (10,436 km electrified); 436 km 0.610-m gauge note: includes a 1,210 km commuter rail system (2004) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 99% | Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, other Christian 36%, Islam 1.5%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 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: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
adequate domestic: NA international: radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; 1 earth station in French domestic satellite system |
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: country code - 27; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 4,000 (1997) | 4.844 million (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (1994) | 16.86 million (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (there are, however, two repeaters which rebroadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997) | 556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly barren rock | vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain |
Total fertility rate | 2.12 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.24 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 9.8% (1997) | 26.2% (2004 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |