Key Facts

GDP (ppp) per CAPITA

$10,100 (2008 est.)

Inflation Rate

11.3% (2008 est.)

Population

49,052,489

Country Risk Ratings

A3

Ease of Doing Business

32/181

Global Competitiveness

4.41/134

Country Map

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gE Network

There are 111 members in the
gE Network for this country.

South Africa : Introduction

Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers became known, ruled together under the Union of South Africa. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in black majority rule under the African National Congress (ANC). ANC infighting, which has grown in recent years, came to a head in September 2008 after President Thabo MBEKI resigned. Kgalema MOTLANTHE, the party's General-Secretary, succeeded as interim president until general elections scheduled for 2009.

South Africa: South African Reserve Bank

The SARB is the central bank of the Republic of South Africa. In its web site, the bank publishes information on its monetary and financial policies, payment and settlement systems, banknotes and coins, in addition to online statistical queries, periodic reports, research and conference papers.

South Africa: Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Limited (IDC)

Established in 1940, the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Limited (IDC) is a self-financing state-owned development finance institution whose primary objectives are to contribute to the generation of balanced sustainable economic growth in southern Africa.

South Africa: JSE Securities Exchange

South Africa: Statistics South Africa

This site is the official source of statistical data for South Africa, it provides the key national indicators online (CPI ,GDP, etc.), information of the census and some reports and publications with ordering instructions.

Sources:
CIA World Factbook (September 2009)
U.S. Dept. of State Country Background Notes (October 2008)