ermany 16.6%, UK 8.5%, US 8.2%, Japan 5.9%, China 5.9%, Saudi
Arabia 5.2%, France 5% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$7.972 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$25.9 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$487.5 million (2000)

Currency:
rand (ZAR)

Currency code:
ZAR

Exchange rates:
rand per US dollar - 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001),
6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications South Africa

Telephones - main lines in use:
4.844 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
16.86 million (2003)

Telephone 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)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
17 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
6 million (2000)

Internet country code:
.za

Internet hosts:
288,633 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
150 (2001)

Internet users:
3.1 million (2002)

Transportation South Africa

Railways:
total: 22,298 km
narrow gauge: 21,984 km 1.065-m gauge (10,436 km electrified); 314
km 0.610-m gauge
note: includes a 2,228 km commuter rail system (2003)

Highways:
total: 362,099 km
paved: 73,506 km (including 2,032 km of expressways)
unpaved: 288,593 km (2000)

Pipelines:
condensate 100 km; gas 1,052 km; oil 847 km; refined products 1,354
km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth,
Richards Bay, Saldanha

Merchant marine:
total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 31,505 GRT/37,091 DWT
by type: container 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 2
registered in other countries: 7 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Denmark 1, Netherlands 1

Airports:
728 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
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
un