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Compare South Africa (2008) - Saint Helena (2005)

Compare South Africa (2008) z Saint Helena (2005)

 South Africa (2008)Saint Helena (2005)
 South AfricaSaint Helena
Administrative divisions 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North-West, Western Cape 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*
Age structure 0-14 years: 29.1% (male 6,447,623/female 6,370,909)


15-64 years: 65.5% (male 14,040,210/female 14,761,179)


65 years and over: 5.4% (male 917,227/female 1,460,680) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 18.8% (male 715/female 691)


15-64 years: 71.3% (male 2,745/female 2,575)


65 years and over: 9.8% (male 330/female 404) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha)
Airports 728 (2007) 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 146


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: 13 (2007)
total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 582


1,524 to 2,437 m: 34


914 to 1,523 m: 300


under 914 m: 248 (2007)
-
Area 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)
total: 410 sq km


land: 410 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Saint Helena Island, Ascension, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which consists of Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islands
Area - comparative slightly less than twice the size of Texas slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Background Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the East, founding the city of Cape Town. 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); however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers became known, ruled together under the Union of South Africa. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in black majority rule. Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Ascension Island is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; Gough Island has a meteorological station.
Birth rate 17.94 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 12.33 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $68.2 billion


expenditures: $66.7 billion (2007 est.)
revenues: $11.2 million


expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY92/93)
Capital name: Pretoria (administrative capital)


geographic coordinates: 25 42 S, 28 13 E


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


note: Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)
Jamestown
Climate mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Coastline 2,798 km 60 km
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 4 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases 1 January 1989
Country name conventional long form: Republic of South Africa


conventional short form: South Africa


former: Union of South Africa


abbreviation: RSA
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Saint Helena
Death rate 22.45 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $64.8 billion (30 September 2007) NA (1996)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Eric BOST


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
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Welile Augustine NHLAPO


chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400


FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international South Africa has placed military along the border to apprehend the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing economic dysfunction and political persecution; as of January 2007, South Africa also supports large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (33,000), Somalia (20,000), Burundi (6,500), and other states in Africa (26,000); managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa none
Economic aid - recipient $700 million (2005) $12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997)
Economy - overview 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 is 17th largest in the world; and modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. Growth has been robust since 2004, as South Africa has reaped the benefits of macroeconomic stability and a global commodities boom. However, unemployment remains high and outdated infrastructure has constrained growth. At the end of 2007, South Africa began to experience an electricity crisis because state power supplier Eskom suffered supply problems with aged plants, necessitating "load-shedding" cuts to residents and businesses in the major cities. Daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty, lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups, and a shortage of public transportation. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative but pragmatic, focusing on controlling inflation, maintaining a budget surplus, and using state-owned enterprises to deliver basic services to low-income areas as a means to increase job growth and household income. The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, raising livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.
Electricity - consumption 241.4 billion kWh (2007) 4.65 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 13.42 billion kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 11.32 billion kWh (2007) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 264 billion kWh (2007) 5 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m
Environment - current issues 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 NA
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 black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census) African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%
Exchange rates rand per US dollar - 7.05 (2007), 6.7649 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003) Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)


note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound
Executive branch 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)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 24 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009)


election results: Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation)
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)


head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Michael CLANCY (since 15 October 2004)


cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch
Exports 217,700 bbl/day (2004) NA
Exports - commodities gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts
Exports - partners Japan 12.1%, US 11.8%, UK 9%, Germany 7.6%, Netherlands 5.3%, China 4% (2006) Tanzania 30.3%, US 23.8%, Japan 10.4%, UK 7.1%, Spain 6.3% (2004)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March 1 April - 31 March
Flag description 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 blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 2.2%


industry: 27%


services: 70.9% (2007 est.)
agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: NA
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2007 est.) NA
Geographic coordinates 29 00 S, 24 00 E 15 56 S, 5 42 W
Geography - note South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
Heliports 1 (2007) -
Highways - total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km)


paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km)


unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.4%


highest 10%: 44.7% (2000)
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs transshipment center for heroin, hashish, and cocaine, as well as a major cultivator of marijuana in its own right; cocaine and heroin consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries, but increasingly producing its own synthetic drugs for domestic consumption; attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region and the size of the South African economy -
Imports 319,000 bbl/day (2006 est.) NA
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts
Imports - partners Germany 12.6%, China 10%, US 7.6%, Japan 6.6%, Saudi Arabia 5.3%, UK 5% (2006) UK 35.7%, US 17.6%, South Africa 17.5%, Tanzania 10.4%, Australia 5.5%, Spain 4.1% (2004)
Independence 31 May 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State); 31 May 1961 (republic declared) 27 April 1994 (majority rule) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 6.2% (2007 est.) NA
Industries mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing
Infant mortality rate total: 59.44 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 62.95 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 55.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 19 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 22.74 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6.5% (2007 est.) 3.2% (1997 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC ICFTU, UPU
Irrigated land 14,980 sq km (2003) NA sq km
Judicial branch Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile Court
Labor force 20.49 million economically active (2007 est.) 3,500


note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 9%


industry: 26%


services: 65% (2007 est.)
agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 est.)
Land boundaries 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
0 km
Land use arable land: 12.1%


permanent crops: 0.79%


other: 87.11% (2005)
arable land: 12.9%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 87.1% (2001)
Languages 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) English
Legal system based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law NA
Legislative branch 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 4 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 on 14 April 2004 (next to be held in 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
unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 27 June 2001 (next to be held June 2005)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15
Life expectancy at birth total population: 42.45 years


male: 43.21 years


female: 41.66 years (2007 est.)
total population: 77.76 years


male: 74.86 years


female: 80.81 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 86.4%


male: 87%


female: 85.7% (2003 est.)
definition: age 20 and over can read and write


total population: 97%


male: 97%


female: 98% (1987 est.)
Location Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 28,722 GRT/32,226 DWT


by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 1


foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1)


registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Seychelles 1, UK 4, unknown 1) (2007)
-
Military - note 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 defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South African Army, South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), Joint Operations Command, Joint Support Command, Military Intelligence, Military Health Service (2007) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.7% (2006) -
National holiday Freedom Day, 27 April (1994) Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Nationality noun: South African(s)


adjective: South African
noun: Saint Helenian(s)


adjective: Saint Helenian
Natural hazards prolonged droughts active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Natural resources gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas fish
Net migration rate -0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2007 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines condensate 100 km; gas 1,177 km; oil 992 km; refined products 1,379 km (2007) -
Political parties and leaders African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE]; African National Congress or ANC [Jacob ZUMA]; Democratic Alliance or DA [Helen ZILLE]; Freedom Front Plus or FF+ [Pieter MULDER]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI]; New National Party or NNP; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Motsoko PHEKO]; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA] none
Political pressure groups and leaders 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 none
Population 43,997,828


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 2007 est.)
7,460 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 50% (2000 est.) NA
Population growth rate -0.46% (2007 est.) 0.59% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors - Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown
Radio broadcast stations AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 20,872 km


narrow gauge: 20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (8,931 km electrified); 436 km 0.610-m gauge (2006)
-
Religions Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census) Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic
Sex ratio at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.012 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.951 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.628 male(s)/female


total population: 0.947 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal NA years of age
Telephone system general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa


domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 100 telephones per 100 persons; 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; the SAT-3/WASC and SAFE fiber optic cable systems connect in South Africa providing connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: can communicate worldwide


domestic: automatic network


international: country code - 290; HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension Island, which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 4.729 million (2005) 2,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 39.66 million (2006) 0 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997) 0


note: television programs are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by cable (2002)
Terrain vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains


note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Total fertility rate 2.16 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 24.2% (2007 est.) 14% (1998 est.)
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