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A brief overview of South Africa
Diversity is a key feature of South Africa, where 11 languages are recognised as official, where community leaders include rabbis and chieftains, rugby players and returned exiles, where traditional healers ply their trade around the corner from stockbrokers and where housing ranges from mud huts to palatial homes with swimming pools.
| Full name:
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Republic
of South Africa |
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Population: |
45.3 million (UN, 2005)
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| Capital: |
Pretoria
|
| Area:
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1.22
million sq km (470,693 sq miles) |
| Major language:
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11
official languages including English, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana,
Xhosa and Zulu |
| Major religions: |
Christianity, Islam, indigenous beliefs |
| Life expectancy: |
47 years
(men), 51 years (women) |
| Monetary unit: |
1 Rand =
100 cents |
| Main exports:
|
Gold,
diamonds, metals and minerals, cars, machinery |
| GNI per capita: |
US $4,960
(World Bank, 2006) |
| Internet domain: |
.za
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| International
dialling code: |
+27 |
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