Fast+Facts

=Fast Facts About South Africa!=




 * Population (2011)**: 50.59 million. //Composition//--black 79.5%; white 9%; colored 9%; Asian (Indian) 2.5%.


 * Languages:** Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga (all official languages).


 * Religions:** Predominantly Christian; traditional African, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish.


 * Government**: Parliamentary democracy.


 * Trad**e: //Exports//--$85.8 billion; merchandise exports: minerals and metals, motor vehicles and parts, agricultural products. //Major markets//--China, U.S., Japan, Germany, U.K., Sub-Saharan Africa. //Imports//--$81.86 billion: machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, textiles, and scientific instruments. //Major suppliers//--China, Germany, U.S., Saudi Arabia, Japan.


 * Education:** Education is in transition. Under the apartheid system schools were segregated, and the quantity and quality of education varied significantly across racial groups. The laws governing this segregation have been abolished. The long process of restructuring the country's educational system is ongoing. The challenge is to create a single, nondiscriminatory, nonracial system that offers the same standards of education to all people.


 * Gender-Based Violence**: South Africa has the world’s highest rate of rape and sexual assault for any country not embroiled in conflict. By some estimates, a woman in South Africa is raped every 26 seconds. The United States is committed to helping South Africa stem this epidemic of gender-based violence and assist the thousands of women and children affected. Through a national network of Thuthuzela Care Centers, the United States assists 10,000 victims of sexual violence annually with medical and legal help and counseling.


 * HIV/AIDS**: South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV prevalence in the world, with more than 5 million HIV-infected individuals. Overall, 11.8% of the population is infected. The prevalence rate among 15-49 year olds is 18.1%, and in parts of the country more than 35% of women of childbearing age are infected. About 1,000 new infections occur each day, and approximately 350,000 AIDS-related deaths occur annually.


 * Impact of the 2010 FIFA World Cup**: On May 15, 2004, South Africa was awarded with the winning bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first African nation to serve as host for the international football (soccer) competition. The 2010 World Cup was the largest event ever to be held on the African continent. In preparation, South Africa spent over $5 billion on building and improving stadiums and transportation systems, and ensuring that security measures were up to par for the event. The World Cup was expected to add an additional 0.5% to South Africa’s 2010 GDP growth, fully an additional $5 billion (R35 billion) to GDP,