MID,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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

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) 431-4000
FAX: [27] (12) 342-2299
consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

Flag description:

two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by
a central green band that 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

Economy
South Africa

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 However, unemployment remains high and outdated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.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$467.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$282.6 bil