| Area: | 1.2 million sq km |
| Population (Mid-2009 estimates): | 49.3 million |
| Currency: | 1 Rand = 100cents |
| Time: | GMT + 2 hrs |
| Official Name: | Republic of South Africa |
| Capitals: | Cape Town (legislative), Pretoria (administrative), Bloemfontein (judicial) |
| Head of State: | President Jacob Zuma |
| Main Languages: | 11 Official languages. English preferred language of business |
| Religion: | Predominantly Christian. Freedom of worship guaranteed by the Constitution |
| Form of State: | Federal, comprising a central government and nine provincial governments |
| Legal System: | Based on Roman Dutch law and 1996 Constitution |
| National Legislature: | Bi-cameral parliament, elected every five years, comprising a 400- seat National Assembly and a 90- seat Council of Provinces |
| Electoral System: | List-system with proportional representation based on universal adult suffrage |
| Total GDP 2009: | R2,450 bn (at current prices) |
| GDP per Capita: | R49,696 |
| Real GDP Growth: | -1.8% |
| Inflation 2009 (year-on-year) : | CPI: 6.3% PPI: 0.7% |
| Exports: | Gold, minerals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foods, automotive components |
| Imports: | Machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, oil |
| Main Trading Partners: | Germany, USA, UK, China, Japan, France |
| International dialing code: | +27 |
