an result in lower life expectancy,
higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth
rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex
than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 32.46% (male 7,094,756; female 6,999,009)
15-64 years: 62.76% (male 13,111,457; female 14,139,372)
65 years and over: 4.78% (male 782,397; female 1,294,030) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.5% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 24.56 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 14.69 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 58.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 51.1 years
male: 50.41 years
female: 51.81 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.47 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality:
noun: South African(s)
adjective: South African

Ethnic groups: black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%

Religions: Christian 68% (includes most whites and Coloreds, about 60%
of blacks and about 40% of Indians), Muslim 2%, Hindu 1.5% (60% of
Indians), indigenous beliefs and animist 28.5%

Languages: 11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English,
Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 81.8%
male: 81.9%
female: 81.7% (1995 est.)

@South Africa:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of South Africa
conventional short form: South Africa
abbreviation: RSA

Data code: SF

Government type: republic

Capital: Pretoria; note - Cape Town is the legislative center and
Bloemfontein the judicial center

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State,
Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape,
Northern Province, Western Cape

Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)

National holiday: Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)

Constitution: 10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by
the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then
President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3
February 1997; it is being implemented in phases