Official Name: Republic of South Africa

Population: 64 million

Urbanisation: 67%

Area: 1,2 million km²

Political system: Constitutional Democracy; partly unitary and partly federal. The power is shared between the central Government and the nine Provinces. The Parliament has two Chambers (National Assembly and National Council of Provinces), with elections every five years. Each of the nine Provinces also has its own Provincial Government and Chamber.

Capital: Pretoria (the administrative capital, where the Central Government, the Ministries and the Embassies are located); Cape Town (the legislative capital, where the Parliament is located); and Bloemfontein (the judicial capital, where the Supreme Court is located).

The nine Provinces: Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West Province.

Time Zone: GMT + 2

Telephone indicator: + 27

Distances: Cape Town-Johannesburg (1 400 km), Johannesburg-Durban (600 km), Port-Elizabeth-Bloemfontein (700km).

Currency: Rand (ZAR) 1 Rand is divided into 100 cents.

Growth Rate: 0,6% (2023)

Chief exports: Gold, minerals, diamonds, metals and derivatives, agro foodstuffs.

Chief imports: Machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured products, chemicals, oil.

Languages: 11 official languages: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda, Ndebele, Xitsonga and English. 

Communication language: English

National Day: 27 April, in celebration of the first democratic elections held in South Africa (27 April 1994).