:
12 nm
Disputes:
claim by Namibia to Walvis Bay exclave and 12 offshore islands administered
by South Africa; South Africa and Namibia have agreed to jointly administer
the area for an interim period; the terms and dates to be covered by joint
administration arrangements have not been established at this time; and
Namibia will continue to maintain a claim to sovereignty over the entire
area
Climate:
mostly semiarid; subtropical along coast; sunny days, cool nights
Terrain:
vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain
Natural resources:
gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates,
tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Land use:
arable land 10%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 65%; forest and
woodland 3%; other 21%; includes irrigated 1%
Environment:
lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water
conservation and control measures
Note:
Walvis Bay is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia; South Africa completely
surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland

:South Africa People

Population:
41,688,360 (July 1992), growth rate 2.6% (1992); includes the 10 so-called
homelands, which are not recognized by the US
Population:
four independent homelands:
Bophuthatswana 2,489,347, growth rate 2.86%; Ciskei 1,088,476, growth rate
2.99%; Transkei 4,746,796, growth rate 4.13%; Venda 718,207, growth rate
3.81%
six other homelands:
Gazankulu 803,806, growth rate 3.96%; Kangwane 597,783, growth rate 3.60%;
KwaNdebele 373,012, growth rate 3.40%; KwaZulu 5,748,950, growth rate 3.58%;
Lebowa 2,924,584, growth rate 3.90%; QwaQwa 288,155, growth rate 3.60%
Birth rate:
34 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
50 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
62 years male, 67 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.4 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - South African(s); adjective - South African
Ethnic divisions:
black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%
Religions:
most whites and Coloreds and about 60% of blacks are Christian; about 60% of
Indians are Hindu; Muslim 20%
Languages:
Afrikaan