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;[14][15][16] to the north
by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east
and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini. It also completely enclaves the country
Lesotho.[17] It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World, and
the second-most populous country located entirely south of the equator, after
Tanzania. South Africa is a biodiversity hotspot, with unique biomes, plant and
animal life. With over 62 million people, the country is the world's 23rd-most
populous nation 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.[18] The largest city, and site of highest court
is Johannesburg.
About 80% of the population are Black South Africans.[6] The remaining population
consists of Africa's largest communities of European (White South Africans), Asian
(Indian South Africans and Chinese South Africans), and multiracial (Coloured South
Africans) ancestry. South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a wide
variety of cultures, languages, and religions. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected
in the constitution's recognition of 12 official languages, the fourth-highest
number in the world.[16] According to the 2011 census, the two most spoken first
languages are Zulu (22.7%) and Xhosa (16.0%).[19] The next two are of European
origin: Afrikaans (13.5%) developed from Dutch and serves as the first language of
most Coloured and White South Africans; English (9.6%) reflects the legacy of
British colonialism and is commonly used in public and commercial life.
Regular elections have been held for almost a century in the country. However, the
vast majority of Black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994. During the
20th century, the black majority sought to claim more rights from the dominant
white minority, which played a large role in the country's recent history and
politics. The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous
racial segregation. After a largely non-violent struggle by the African National
Congress and other anti-apartheid activists both inside and outside the country,
the repeal of discriminatory laws began in the mid-1980s. Since 1994, all ethnic
and linguistic groups have held political representation in the country's liberal
democracy, which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. South
Africa is often referred to as the "rainbow nation" to describe the country's
multicultural diversity, especially in the wake of apartheid.[20] According to the
2023 V-Dem Democracy indices, South Africa is ranked the 51st electoral democracy
worldwide and the 3rd electoral democracy in Africa.[21]
South Africa is a middle power in international affairs; it maintains significant
regional influence and is a member of both the Commonwealth of Nations and the G20.
[22][23] It is a developing country, ranking 109th on the Human Development Index,
the 7th highest on the continent. South Africa is the only African nation to
legislate same-sex marriage.[24] It has been classified by the World Bank as a
newly industrialised country and has the third-largest economy and the most
industrialised, technologically advanced economy in Africa overall,[25] as well as
the 39th-largest economy in the world.[26][27] South Africa has the most UNESCO
World Heritage Sites in Africa. Since the end of apartheid, government
accountability and quality of life have substantially improved.[28] However, crime,
poverty and inequality remain widespread, with about 40% of the total population
being unemployed as of 2021,[29] while some 60% of the population lived under the
poverty line and a quarter under $2.15 a day.