d from the green band
and its arms by narrow white stripes note: prior to 26 April 1994, the
flag was actually four flags in one - three miniature flags reproduced
in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands,
which had three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue;
the miniature flags were a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free
State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a
horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side

Economy South Africa

Economy - overview: South Africa is a middle-income, developing country
with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal,
communications, energy, and transport sectors, a stock exchange that
ranks among the 10 largest in the world, and a modern infrastructure
supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers
throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to cut
into high unemployment, and daunting economic problems remain from the
apartheid era, especially the problems of poverty and lack of economic
empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. Other problems are crime,
corruption, and HIV/AIDS. At the start of 2000, President MBEKI vowed to
promote economic growth and foreign investment, and to reduce poverty by
relaxing restrictive labor laws, stepping up the pace of privatization,
and cutting unneeded governmental spending. The economy slowed in 2001,
largely the result of the slowing of the international economy.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $412 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.6% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,400 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 31% services: 66%
(2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 50% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 45.9% (1994)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 59.3 (1993-94)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.8% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 17 million economically active (2000)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45%
(1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 37% (2001 est.)

Budget: revenues: $22.6 billion expenditures: $24.7 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY02/03)

Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold,
chromium), automobile assem