chromium), automobile
assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical,
fertilizer, foodstuffs
Agriculture:
accounts for about 5% of GDP and 30% of labor force; diversified
agriculture, with emphasis on livestock; products - cattle, poultry, sheep,
wool, milk, beef, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables;
self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
NA
Currency:
rand (plural - rand); 1 rand (R) = 100 cents

:South Africa Economy

Exchange rates:
rand (R) per US$1 - 2.7814 (January 1992), 2.7563 (1991), 2.5863 (1990),
2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

:South Africa Communications

Railroads:
20,638 km route distance total; 35,079 km of 1.067-meter gauge trackage
(counts double and multiple tracking as single track); 314 km of 610 mm
gauge
Highways:
188,309 km total; 54,013 km paved, 134,296 km crushed stone, gravel, or
improved earth
Pipelines:
crude oil 931 km, petroleum products 1,748 km, natural gas 322 km
Ports:
Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richard's Bay, Saldanha, Mosselbaai,
Walvis Bay
Merchant marine:
5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 213,708 GRT/201,043 DWT; includes 4
container, 1 vehicle carrier
Civil air:
90 major transport aircraft
Airports:
901 total, 732 usable; 132 with permanent-surface runways; 5 with runways
over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 224 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest capacity
in Africa; it consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables,
radio relay links, fiber optic cable, and radiocommunication stations; key
centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth,
and Pretoria; over 4,500,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 14 AM, 286 FM,
67 TV; 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

:South Africa Defense Forces

Branches:
South African Defense Force (SADF; including Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical
Services), South African Police (SAP)
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 10,051,202; 6,133,484 fit for military service; 420,275 reach
military age (18) annually; obligation for service in Citizen Force or
Commandos begins at 18; volunteers for service in permanent force must be