GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION 
  

LOCATION 

South Africa lies at the southern end of the African continent.  
 
 

AREA 

1.288 Million Sq Km 

MAIN GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS 

There are four major geographical regions: the Coastal Belt between the escarpment and the sea; the Little Karoo, a narrow tableland separated from the Coastal Belt by the Langeberg and Outeniqua mountains; the Great Karoo, separated from the Little Karoo by the Swartberg and Surberg mountains; and the Highveld comprising the nortern Cape, the Orange Free State and part of Natal together with most of the Transvaal. The coastline is 3,000 km in extent and is washed by two oceans, the Atlantic in the west and the Indian in the south and east. Two major current systems, the warm Mozambique in the east and south and the cold Benguela in the west, flow along the country's shores. 

CLIMATE 

South Africa enjoys a generally temperate climate, though weather patterns and rainfall statistics vary widely. While the Western Cape has mediterranean-type winter rains and the rainfall on other coastal areas are spread throughout the year, 80% of the country's annual rainfall happens during the summer months (from October to March), much of it is accompanied by hail and thunder-storms. 

TIME + 2 Hours GMT 
 
 

POPULATION 

TOTAL POPULATION WITH AGE GROUP WISE BREAKDOWN 

43,647,658 (July, 2002 est.) 
 

Source: Development Bank of Southern Africa 
  

LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH (2002 est.)
  
Total Population : 45.43 years
Male : 45.19 years
Female :45.68 years

 

INFANT MORTALITY RATE 

61.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
 

BIRTH RATE

20.63 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
 

DEATH RATE

18.86 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

 

LITERACY RATE

85%