By about A.D. 500, Bantu-speaking groups settled into northeastern South Africa. Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of present-day South Africa in 1652. The British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806. British and Afrikaners (Dutch descendants) ruled jointly from 1910 to 1961 in the Union of South Africa. The African National Congress (ANC) led the opposition to apartheid. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 followed the end of apartheid.
Geography
Area
total : 1,219,090 sq km land: 1,214,470 sq km water: 4,620 sq km
Climate
mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
Black African 80.9%, Colored 8.8%, White 7.8%, Indian/Asian 2.6% (2021 est.)
Languages
isiZulu or Zulu (official) 25.3%, isiXhosa or Xhosa (official) 14.8%, Afrikaans (official) 12.2%, Sepedi or Pedi (official) 10.1%, Setswana or Tswana (official) 9.1%, English (official) 8.1%, Sesotho or Sotho (official) 7.9%, Xitsonga or Tsonga (official) 3.6%, siSwati or Swati (official) 2.8%, Tshivenda or Venda (official) 2.5%, isiNdebele or Ndebele (official) 1.6%, other (includes South African sign language (official) and Khoi or Khoisan or Khoe languages) 2% (2018 est.)
Religions
Christian 86%, ancestral, tribal, animist, or other traditional African religions 5.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other 1.5%, nothing in particular 5.2% (2015 est.)
chief of state: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024) head of government: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024)
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Ismail ESAU (since 18 March 2025)
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires David J. GREENE (since March 2025)
Economy
Economic overview
upper middle-income South African economy; hard hit by COVID-19; poor utilities management; key rare earth goods exporter; high income inequality; hosts Africa’s largest stock exchange; rising unemployment, especially youth; land rights changes
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