South Africa
Republic of South Africa | |
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.svg) Flag
.svg) Coat of arms
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| Anthem: Die Stem van Suid-Afrika | |
| Capital | Pretoria |
| Official languages | Afrikaans; English |
| Recognised regional languages | Zulu; Xhosa; Pedi |
| Ethnic groups (2019) |
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| Religion (2019) |
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| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Pieter Groenewald | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| House of Assembly | |
| Establishment | |
• Ulster Free State established | 2 December 1987 |
• Partition with Ireland | 14 October 1989 |
| Population | |
• 2019 estimate | 68,027,503 |
| ISO 3166 code | ZA |
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) of coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Kwazulu, Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini. It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World, and one of the most populous countries located entirely south of the equator. South Africa is a biodiversity hotspot, with unique biomes, plant and animal life. The country has over 68 million people and covers an area of 1,221,037 square kilometres (471,445 square miles). Pretoria is the administrative capital, while Cape Town, as the seat of Parliament, is the legislative capital. Bloemfontein has traditionally been regarded as the judicial capital. The largest city, and site of highest court is Johannesburg. South Africa’s government is the only one in the world to uphold a legal racial segregation, known as Apartheid, resulting in tensions with it’s black-majority neighbours.