South Africa geographical position of the country. Geography of South Africa: population, relief, climate, flora and fauna
south african republic population economy economy
Physical location
The Republic of South Africa (SAR) is located south of 22°S, in the tropical and subtropical latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. The territory of South Africa is 4.2% of the area of the continent (1,223,410 sq. km). In the west, the country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic, and in the south and east by the Indian Ocean. The coastline is 2798 km. The highest point of South Africa is Mount Njesuthi (Njesuthi) - 3408 m
This location of the country predetermines the presence of various natural landscapes. According to the device, it resembles a giant amphitheater. Its highest ranks are formed in the east and south by a ledge of the Drakensberg and Cape Mountains. To the north, the surface drops in steps - a plateau to a vast arena - the Kalahari and the Limpopo River valley.
The relief of South Africa is characterized by the predominance of high-altitude flat plateaus, about half of the territory has a height of 1000 to 1600 m, more than? located above 600 m above sea level, only a narrow strip of coastal lowlands in the west, south and east has a height of up to 500 m. In general terms, the relief is determined by the internal elevated plateaus and coastal plains of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Almost all of South Africa is located within the southern margin of the African Platform, the basement of which consists of folds of Precambrian rocks (metamorphic shales, gneisses, etc.) and clastic rocks penetrated and metamorphosed by intrusions of the so-called ancient granites. In the coastal regions of the country, the base rocks often come to the surface, in the central regions they are covered with a thick layer of younger rocks.
north of the middle reaches of the river. Orange, within the southern margin of the vast trough of the African platform, are the Kalahari plains (800-900 m), covered with a thick cloak of Cenozoic sands and sandstones.
At present, almost everywhere the surface of the Kalahari is occupied by grassy vegetation and shrubs; the typical desert landscape can be found only in the most arid southwestern part, along the borders with Namibia.
The West Coast presents a sharp contrast. To the north, beyond the Ulifants River, the Namib Desert begins. There are few bays and convenient bays on the coast; it is distinguished by a slightly indented, as if leveled, coastline. The coast, composed mainly of slates and quartzites, has a rocky character, rising 7-20 m above sea level. Its stern, impregnable appearance scared away European sailors for a long time.
The coastline in the southwest and south of South Africa up to Cape Recife is more indented. A number of convenient natural bays and bays of the southern coast were appreciated by medieval navigators. These are Saldanha Bay (with the port of the same name), Dining Bay (with the port of Cape Town), False Bay (with the port of Simons Town), Mossel Bay and Algoa Bay. The narrow, rocky Cape Agulhas in front of Mossel Bay is the southernmost point of Africa. In the east, in the shallow bay of Natal, one of the largest ports on the mainland, Durban, is located. To the north of it stretches a low-lying accumulative coast. "All countries of the world" - encyclopedic reference book
SOUTH AFRICA
state in southern Africa. On May 31, 1910, the Union of South Africa was created, which included the self-governing British colonies (Cape, Natal) and the Boer republics (the Orange Free State and the Transvaal). On May 31, 1961, the country was proclaimed a republic, and on April 27, 1994, democracy triumphed in South Africa.
Republic of South Africa. The capital is Pretoria. Population - 47.5 million people (1997). The population density is 39 people per 1 sq. km. km. Urban population - 62%, rural - 38%. Area - 1,223,404 sq. km. The highest point is Mount Enjesuti (3446 m). Main languages: English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa (total 11 official languages). The main religion is Protestantism. Administrative-territorial division - 9 provinces. Monetary unit: rand = 100 cents. National holiday: Constitution Day - 27 April. National anthems: "God Bless Africa" and "The Call of South Africa".
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The territory of South Africa is located in tropical and subtropical zones. In the west, the country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and in the south and east by the waters of the Indian Ocean. In the northwest it borders on Namibia, which South Africa ruled from 1920-1966 under a League of Nations mandate. South Africa retained control of Namibia until 1990, when it gained independence. In the north, South Africa borders on Botswana, in the northeast on Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland. South Africa is home to the independent state of Lesotho. On December 24, 1947 and January 4, 1948, Great Britain transferred its rights to the Marion and Prince Edward Islands in Antarctica to South Africa.
The capital of the country is Pretoria. Before the multiracial democracy regime was established in South Africa in 1994, its territory was administratively divided into four provinces - Cape, Transvaal, Natal and Orange. In 1994, the Cape and Transvaal were divided into seven new provinces, and Natal was renamed KwaZulu-Natal. In 1995, Orange Province became known as the Free State. According to the results of the 1996 census, the population of nine provinces of South Africa was (in thousand people): Eastern Cape - 6302.5, Free State - 2633.5, Gauteng - 7348.4, KwaZulu-Natal - 8417.0, Mpumalanga - 2800 ,7, North Cape - 840.3, Northern - 4929.4, Northwestern - 3354.8 and Western Cape - 3956.8 people.
Relief features. The central plateau is saucer-shaped and mostly composed of almost horizontal sedimentary rocks. Its central part is at heights of approx. 600 m above sea level, and the edges are raised by more than 1500 m. The surface of the plateau is predominantly gently undulating, above it in many places rise flat-topped hills with steep slopes, called table mountains, and bizarre remnants dotted with boulders, called spears (in translation - "heads"). The plateau is almost entirely drained by two rivers. The Orange River (with a tributary of the Vaal) flows west through the Northern Cape and further along the border with Namibia rushes into the Atlantic Ocean. The Limpopo River flows northeast along the borders with Botswana and Zimbabwe and then follows through the territory of Mozambique into the Indian Ocean. With the exception of these rivers and some of their tributaries, most of the rivers on the plateau only flow during the wet season. In the west and northwest, some rivers are lost in shallow basins that remain dry most of the year and fill with water only during the rainy season.
The Great Escarpment is a 2,250 km mountain arc that rises above the coastal lowlands of South Africa. Each part here has its own name. The Kamisberh and Bockefeldberg mountains in Namaqualand stand out; the Rohhefeldberg and Komsberg mountains near Sutherland; the Niuwefeldberg range near Beaufort West; the Kouefeldberge (2130 m) and Snieuberge (2504 m) mountains above Hraff Reinet and the Stormberge mountains north of Queenstown. The Great Escarpment reaches its highest heights in the Dragon Mountains near the eastern border of Lesotho, where in several places there are marks above 3350 m. located in Lesotho. In this area, the Great Escarpment is a system of jagged buttresses and deep amphitheaters that form one of South Africa's most scenic landscapes.
Namaqualand is a very dry area in the west of the Northern Cape and Western Cape. This flat platform drops from the Great Ledge towards the Atlantic Ocean. Granite remnants and isolated low, but dissected mountain ranges often rise above its surface. In coastal parts, the platform is covered with a thick cover of pebbles.
Cape and Southern Coastal Regions. As noted above, these areas are similar in relief. Linear mountain ranges stand out here, composed mainly of sedimentary rocks and extending in the latitudinal direction through the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces, and the ridges alternate with longitudinal valleys. The ridges themselves are narrow and strongly dissected, with numerous peaks rising above 1830 m above sea level. The flat bottoms of many valleys are lined with thick layers of alluvium, formed as a result of the destruction of the surrounding mountains. Between the mountains and the foot of the Great Ledge there is an area called the Great Karoo, which is a series of wide flat-bottomed interconnected basins, confined to altitudes of 600-900 m above sea level. and having a runoff through narrow gorges towards the ocean.
The southeastern coastal region is located between the Great Escarpment and the Indian Ocean. Its surface is a complex combination of rounded hills. In many places the hills come directly to the coast, where steep ledges and small beaches alternate. The coastal plain is developed only in the far north, near the border with Mozambique.
Transvaal Low Weld. The southeast coast hills continue north into the Transvaal Low Weld. Low undulating hills dominate, overgrown with sparse trees and shrubs, as well as grass. The vast bottoms of the valleys of large rivers are flattened.
Climate. General characteristics. In winter (in July), the center of the high pressure area is located above the Central Plateau. At this time of the year it is cold there, and the winds blowing from there contribute to the establishment of dry cold cloudless weather in many parts of South Africa. However, in the far south (Cape and Southern Coastal Regions), winter is a season of frequent cold torrential rains, and there the sky is almost constantly covered with clouds.
In summer (January) the center of low pressure is above the Central Plateau. Humid air is drawn in from the Indian Ocean. At the same time, moisture-bearing winds contribute to rainfall in the southeastern and eastern parts of the Great Escarpment and on the Central Plateau. However, in the Cape region, dry and hot weather sets in in summer.
Precipitation amounts decrease to the west from 1900 mm on the eastern slopes of the Drakensberg Mountains to less than 25 mm on the coast of Namaqualand. Due to the uneven topography, the Cape and Southern Coastal Regions show large local differences in rainfall.
Temperatures in South Africa decrease from east to west. Under the influence of the cold Benguela current, following along the west coast, temperatures drop significantly. The average annual temperature in Port Nollot is 14°C, however, on the east coast, under the influence of the warm Indian Ocean, temperatures are high, and in Durban the average annual temperature is 22°C. On the other hand, the temperature difference between the northern and southern regions is small, as the altitudes increase north. The southern tip of the mainland (Cape Agulhas) and Johannesburg (located 1450 km to the north, but at an altitude of 1740 m above sea level) have an average annual temperature of approx. 16° C.
The central plateau is characterized by a sharply continental climate with pronounced contrasts of daily and annual temperatures. The summer is hot with blindingly bright sunlight and occasional severe thunderstorms. Kimberley, at an altitude of 1220 m above sea level, in January has an average maximum temperature of 32 ° C and an average minimum temperature of 17 ° C. On the other hand, during the winter there is pleasant warm weather (the average maximum temperature in July is 19 ° C) due to the bright sunlight, but the nights are cold (the minimum temperature in July is 2°C). Winters are very dry, with little to no rain in June, July and August.
Namaqualand is a very dry area: the amount of precipitation ranges from a maximum value of 200 mm in the mountains of the interior to a minimum of less than 25 mm on the coast. On the coast, the weather is cool and temperatures are fairly constant. Outside the zone of influence of the coastal breeze, temperatures rise strongly in summer.
The Cape region has the same favorable climate as the Mediterranean coast of Europe and southern California. Rainy weather sets in in winter, and dry in summer. Precipitation occurs in May - September. On the coast, they usually fall as rain, but in the higher mountains (for example, on the Table Mountain near Cape Town) there are occasional snowfalls. Their number varies greatly depending on the nature of the relief. In Cape Town, the average annual rainfall reaches 630 mm, while some high mountains usually receive 2540 mm. Temperatures in Cape Town vary greatly throughout the year. In July (winter) the average minimum temperature is 9°C and the average maximum is 17°C; in January (summer) the average minimum temperature is 16°C, and the average maximum temperature is 27°C. Within the region, however, large temperature contrasts are observed, which depends on exposure to the moderating influence of the ocean; in the interior valleys, summers are hotter and winters colder than on the coast.
The Southern Coastal Region receives as much precipitation in winter as the Cape Region and in summer as much as the Southeast Coastal Region.
The Southeast Coastal Region receives most of its rainfall during the summer months, but no month is truly dry. In Durban, 1140 mm of liquid precipitation falls annually, with an average of 150 mm in March and only 40 mm in July. In summer there is very warm wet weather with an average maximum temperature of 28°C and an average minimum of 21°C in January. Winters are mild and pleasant with an average maximum temperature of 22°C and an average minimum of 13°C in July.
The Transvaal Low Weld receives a high amount of precipitation in summer, up to 2030 mm in some places. Winters are dry and sunny. High temperatures prevail throughout the year.
Vegetation. Much of the Central Plateau is short grass steppe, or grassy veld. However, vast areas of this once fertile steppe have been disturbed by severe overgrazing for more than a century, as well as severe erosion caused by ill-conceived crop cultivation. The subsequent degradation of agriculture in this area was accompanied by the penetration of economically low-value plants into the grassy weld.
In the semi-desert Northern Cape, a type of vegetation commonly referred to as "karu" is widespread. It is characterized by a sparse, low grass cover, as well as low shrubs and numerous succulent plants. It is usually believed that this area used to have a denser vegetation cover, mainly from cereals, and its current state is due to pasture digression.
A shrubland of sparse trees and abundant grass, known as the bushveld, occupies the northwestern part of the Central Plateau and continues eastward in a crescent-shaped area across the Transvaal Low Weld into northern KwaZulu-Natal. The main components of the bushveld are shrubby and woody forms of acacias, giant baobabs and mopanes. Much of the arid Northwest Province is covered in thorny shrubs (mostly various types of acacias), grasses, and solitary trees. This area is known as the Kalahari bushveld.
The general aridity of Namaqualand predetermines the development of desert types of vegetation, but due to frequent fogs, numerous succulents are common here, especially mesembryanthemums.
The Cape is dominated by a shrubby vegetation known as fynbos or machia, which is very similar to the maquis of southern France and the chaparral of southern California. This area has a complex floristic composition with a wide variety of species. Most of the plants are well adapted to survive the long, hot, dry summers. These plants have hard, leathery leaves and resinous sap. Cereals and bulbous plants are also common. Numerous callas grow in the wild.
In its natural state, the southern and southeastern coastal regions were covered with dense subtropical forests. The main tree species were legcarps, used in the construction and furniture industries, bubbly okotea, also used for making furniture, and multi-purpose ironwood. With the advent of black pastoralists and black and white farmers over the past two centuries, almost all forests have been cut down or burned for arable land. However, the remains of indigenous forests have been preserved in some places on steep slopes, and especially near Knysna. Plantations of acacia, pine and eucalyptus (consisting of introduced species) were planted in places. At low altitudes, thickets of shrubs have now been preserved, which are severely affected by overgrazing. At high altitudes, grass stands of tall grasses are common. Dense forests of low-growing trees (less than 9 m high) extend directly near the coast, in addition, palm trees, bananas, obovate mimosops, and mangrove trees stand out in the drying zone at the mouths of the rivers.
Soils. There are three large soil regions: Vostochny, east of 26° E; Coastal, coinciding with the Cape and South Coastal regions noted above; and the Western Region, west of 26°E. The eastern region has a humid warm climate with heavy summer rains. In the soils, signs of laterites are clearly expressed: lack of soluble salts, especially calcium, due to leaching; low humus content; the concentration of iron and aluminum oxides and, in general, the clay structure. Exceptions to this general rule are some of the fertile black soils of the northern Transvaal, the less leached soils of the Transvaal Low Weld, and the podzolic soils developed under locally waterlogged conditions in the Drakensberg Mountains and coastal strip of KwaZulu-Natal.
The Cape and Southern coastal regions have rather infertile acidic soils, mainly on shales and sandstones. However, the bottoms of some large valleys are lined with fertile loams, which form some of the most fertile soils in the country.
Most of the plateau west of 26° E differs semiarid and arid climate. Similar conditions are common further south, in the Karoo, and further west, along the coast. The soils of these arid regions are similar to desert soils in other areas: there are many soluble salts and little humus, cementation of the upper horizons is observed - where calcium carbonate precipitates during evaporation.
Fauna. Before the advent of Europeans, the fauna of the territory of South Africa was fabulously rich. However, over the past two centuries of intensified hunting, the diversity of the animal world has become very poor. Some species were knocked out, and most of the large animals moved to the mountainous and desert regions of the northern Transvaal, in particular to the territory of the Kruger National Park.
Previously, elephants lived throughout the country, excluding Namaqualand; now the miserable remnants of their herds live only in the forest of Knysna and the scrublands of the Addo National Park in the southeast of the country (near Port Elizabeth), although large populations can be found in the Kruger National Park. White rhinos, once numerous in the interior of the country, are now represented by only a few individuals in one of the KwaZulu-Natal reserves. Lions, widely distributed in the past, can only be found in the Kruger National Park and along the border with Botswana. A huge number of antelopes and zebras once grazed on the graslands of the Central Plateau, and today tiny herds of antelopes are found only along the border with Botswana and in the eastern part of the northern Transvaal, and zebras have almost disappeared. The Kalahari-Gemsbok National Park in the Northern Cape provides refuge to a number of animals, including the springbok antelope, cheetah and hyena. Baboons, hyenas, jackals, wild dogs and several small felines are still abundant in the rugged highlands, and monkeys inhabit the forests of KwaZulu-Natal. Leopards, once numerous, were threatened with extinction by the mid-1970s.
On the islands off the west coast, washed by cold waters, penguins are found. Parrots and hornbills are found along the entire warm east coast. Ostriches were common and of great commercial importance half a century ago; they have now moved into the sparsely populated hinterland.
Numerous reptiles. Crocodiles are found in the coastal rivers of northern KwaZulu-Natal, and there are many venomous snakes including African vipers, cobras, tree snakes and mambas.
POPULATION
According to the 1996 census, 40.6 million people lived in South Africa: Africans - 77%, whites - 11%, mestizos (descendants of mixed marriages of Europeans and Africans, the so-called "colored") - 9%, immigrants from Asia, in mostly Indians, - ca. 3%.
The main ethnic groups of the black population are Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Tswana, Suto, Venda, Ndebele, Pedi and Tsonga. About 59% of whites speak Afrikaans, 39% speak English. Afrikaners are the descendants of the Dutch, French Protestants (Huguenots) and German settlers who began to settle South Africa from 1652. After Great Britain took possession of the Cape Colony in 1820, the influx of settlers from England intensified. The ancestors of the colored people were the indigenous inhabitants of southern Africa - the Hottentots (Koykoin) and the Bushmen (San), as well as Malay slaves from the Netherlands East Indies and the first European settlers. The Asian population is mainly the descendants of Asians recruited to work on the sugar plantations of Natal, mainly Indians, who began to arrive in South Africa from 1860, as well as merchants, mainly from Bombay, who appeared there later. South Africa has 11 official languages.
demographic statistics. Old birth, death and vital statistics did not take into account Africans, who made up more than three-quarters of the country's population, and therefore cannot be considered reliable. The white minority government and some statistical organizations published separate data for whites, people of color, and Asians. The most objective are the results of the 1996 census, when the population of villages and temporary settlements was taken into account for the first time.
Africans. During the period 1948-1991, the African population of South Africa was subjected to systematic oppression and repression by the ruling minority. Many Africans retained their ethnic identity. This is especially true of the Zulu people, whose ruler retains significant influence. Tensions between some ethnic groups of the African population and political rivalry on the eve of the elections held in April 1994 resulted in numerous armed clashes. After the formation of a new government, passions subsided somewhat, but tensions in interethnic relations remain.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, about half of the African population lived in ten bantustans, which were created by the white minority government to deprive Africans of South African citizenship. Each bantustan was inhabited by one or more ethnic groups, headed by a leader, whose candidacy was approved by the South African government. The white minority government has recognized four Bantustans (Bophutthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei and Venda) as independent states, but none of them has received international recognition. Economically, the bantustans were underdeveloped and intended to regulate the influx of black workers into the white-controlled South African economy. When the country became a multi-racial democracy in 1994, all Bantustans were eliminated. According to 1996 data, the African population prevailed in seven out of nine provinces, and in four it was over 90%.
During apartheid, many Africans could only live separately from whites, in special townships - townships. Africans who worked as domestic servants for whites, in gold and diamond mines, and in the steel industry, were otkhodniks, their families remained in the villages. In the mining industry, they worked on a contract basis and lived in special compounds near the place of work.
The forced migration of first black men, and then women to look for work in "white" areas and large cities, had a detrimental effect not only on the traditional way of life, but also on family relationships. The population of the Bantustans was predominantly women, children and the elderly, as most of the men between the ages of 16 and 60 worked to provide for their families or save money for a wedding. A significant part of the funds needed to ensure the subsistence minimum for the inhabitants of the bantustans came from otkhodniks.
From the moment the Union of South Africa was created in 1910 until 1994, the white population was the politically dominant group and still holds a dominant position in the economy. The white population of South Africa consists of two main groups.
Afrikaners, also known as Boers (Dutch for "peasants"), outnumber whites everywhere except in parts of KwaZulu-Natal. Most of them are in the provinces of Gauteng and the Western Cape. In 1991, most Afrikaners lived in cities. The profitability of Boer farms was declining, especially in the 1920s, and many Boers were forced to move permanently to the cities. With unemployment rising in the 1930s, the government and unions of whites reserved jobs for them in certain sectors of the economy.
Afrikaners form a tightly knit community. Almost all of them are followers of the Dutch Reformed Church, which until 1990, when apartheid was anathematized, justified the idea of white supremacy and the practice of racial discrimination. Afrikaners speak Afrikaans, which is based on the Dutch language.
Anglo-Africans. Compared to Afrikaners, the English-speaking white population lives more compactly. In parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, Anglo-Africans are engaged in agriculture, but most of them live in cities. In addition to a small (100 thousand people), but influential Jewish community, English-speaking whites belong to the Anglican, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches. Some Anglo-Africans remain attached to the UK, but most consider South Africa their homeland. This group of the white population includes all recent settlers who do not speak Dutch.
Asian population. Asians are intermediate between blacks and whites. Most Asians live in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and in the suburbs of Johannesburg. Part of the Asian population still works on the sugar plantations in KwaZulu-Natal or in the factories and institutions of Durban, the province's main seaport, while the other part is prosperous merchants and owners of large real estate. Under the Stratification Act, which was repealed in 1991, many property owners were not allowed to live in their own homes. The first campaigns of civil disobedience were carried out with the aim of improving the situation of the Asian population of the country. The South African Indian Congress and the Natal Indian Congress have worked closely with the African National Congress for a long time.
Cities and urban areas. Africans make up the majority of the population in many major cities and urban areas. Prior to 1994, urban blacks were not counted in censuses or included in statistical reports because the white minority government considered them to be residents of bantustans, and not of the urban areas where they actually lived. Black or colored townships located on the outskirts of large cities, even if they were larger in area and population than the city itself, were often not included in the list of settlements. According to the 1991 census and other sources, which contain reliable data on the size of the urban African population, the largest cities in South Africa are (in thousand people): Cape Town - 854.6 (with suburbs 1.9 million), Durban - 715.7 (1 .74 million), Johannesburg - 712.5 (4 million), Soweto - 596.6, Pretoria - 525.6 (1.1 million), Port Elizabeth - 303.3 (810), Umlazi - 299 ,3, Idhaiy - 257.0, Mdantsane - 242.8, Dipmedow - 241.1, Likoa - 217.6, Tembisa - 209.2, Catlehong - 201.8, Evaton - 201.0, Rudepoort-Mareburg - 162 .6, Kwamashu - 156.7, Pietermaritzburg - 156.5 (265), Mamelodi - 154.8, Dayviton - 151.7, Soshanguwe - 146.3, Germiston - 134.0, Bloemfontein - 126.9 (280, 0), Alexandra - 124.6, Boksburg - 119.9, Carltonville - 118.7 (175.0), Bochabelo 117.9, Benoni - 113.5, Kempton Park - 106.6, East London - 102 .3 (365.0) and Ntuzuma - 102.3.
See below
SOUTH AFRICA. GOVERNMENT AND POLICY
SOUTH AFRICA. ECONOMY
SOUTH AFRICA. EDUCATION AND CULTURE
SOUTH AFRICA. STORY
SOUTH AFRICA. HISTORY since 1949
LITERATURE
Morett F. Equatorial, Eastern and Southern Africa. M., 1951 Moiseeva G.M. Republic of South Africa: economic and geographical characteristics. M., 1966 Davidson A.B. South Africa. Formation of protest forces, 1870-1924. M., 1972 Vyatkina R.R. Creation of the Union of South Africa (1902-1910). M., 1976 Gorodnov V.P. Black residents of the "white" city. Life and struggle of the African ghetto. M., 1983
Collier Encyclopedia. - Open society. 2000 .
Synonyms:Republic of South Africa(South Africa) (Afrikaans Republiek van Suid-Afrika; English Republic of South Africa) is a state located in the southern part of the African continent. In the north it borders on Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, in the northeast on Mozambique and Swaziland. Inside the territory of South Africa is the state-enclave of Lesotho.
South Africa is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa and has the largest proportion of white, Indian and mixed populations on the continent. The country has rich mineral resources, and is also the most economically developed on the continent and has a relatively strong global position.
The most important point in the history and politics of South Africa was the racial conflict between the black majority and the white minority. It reached its climax after the apartheid regime (from Afrikaans apartheid) was established in 1948, which lasted until the 1990s. The initiator of the introduction of discriminatory laws was the National Party. This policy led to a long and bloody struggle in which black activists such as Steve Biko, Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela played a leading role. Later they were joined by many whites and coloreds (descendants of the mixed population) as well as South Africans of Indian origin. Pressure from the international community also played a certain role in the collapse of apartheid. As a result, the change of the political system took place relatively peacefully: South Africa is one of the few countries in Africa (and, more broadly, of the entire Third World) where there has never been a coup d'état.
The "New South Africa" is often referred to as the "Rainbow Country", a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu (and endorsed by Nelson Mandela) as a metaphor for a new, multicultural and multiethnic society that transcends divisions dating back to the apartheid era.
South Africa is a country that developed nuclear weapons and subsequently abandoned them voluntarily.
Geography
South Africa is located at the southern tip of Africa. The length of the coastline is 2,798 km. With an area of 1,219,090 km², South Africa is the 24th largest country in the world (after Mali). The highest point in South Africa is Mount Njesuti in the Dragon Mountains.
South Africa has a variety of climatic zones, from the dry Namib Desert to the subtropics in the east near the border with Mozambique and the coast of the Indian Ocean. To the east, the terrain rises rapidly, forming the Drakensberg Mountains and descending into a large inland plateau called the veld.
The interior of South Africa is a vast, relatively flat, and sparsely populated area known as the Karoo, which dries up as it approaches the Namib Desert. On the contrary, the east coast is perfectly humidified and has a climate close to tropical. In the extreme southwest of the country, the climate is extremely similar to the Mediterranean, with rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The famous fynbos biome is located there. It is here that South African wine is mainly produced. The region is also known for its constant winds throughout the year. This wind in the area of the Cape of Good Hope is so strong that it caused a lot of inconvenience to sailors and led to shipwrecks. Further east, the rainfall is more even, so the region is better stocked with vegetation. It is known as the "Way of the Gardens".
The Free State area is a particularly flat area located in the very center of a high plateau. North of the Waal river, the veld is better moistened and not exposed to too high temperatures. Johannesburg, located in the center of the veld at an altitude of 1740 meters, receives 760 mm of precipitation per year. In these places, winters are cold, although snow rarely falls.
To the north of Johannesburg, the high plateau of the veld passes into the bushveld, a region of dry mixed forests that lies relatively low above sea level. To the east of the high veld, a low veld descends to the Indian Ocean, which is characterized by high temperatures; In this region, intensive agriculture is carried out. From the southeast, the veld is bounded by the high Drakensberg Mountains, where you can even practice skiing. It is often believed that the coldest place in the country is Sutherland in the west of the Roggeveld Range, where winter temperatures can reach as low as -15°, but in fact the lowest temperatures are witnessed in Beffelsfontein (Eastern Cape) -18.6°. The highest temperatures are found inland: in the Kalahari near Upington, a temperature of 51.7 °C was recorded in 1948.
Official names
Due to the fact that South Africa has 11 official languages (the third country in terms of the number of languages after India and Bolivia), South Africa has 11 official names:
- Republiek van Suid-Afrika (Afrikaans)
- Republic of South Africa (English)
- IRiphabliki yeSewula Afrika (Southern Ndebele)
- IRiphabliki yaseMzantsi Afrika (spit)
- IRiphabliki yaseNingizimu Afrika (Zulu)
- Rephaboliki ya Afrika-Borwa (Northern Sotho)
- Rephaboliki ya Afrika Borwa (Sesotho)
- Rephaboliki ya Aforika Borwa (Tswana)
- IRiphabhulihi yeNingizimu Afrika (Swazi)
- Riphabuḽiki ya Afurika Tshipembe (Vendian)
- Riphabliki ra Afrika Dzonga (tsonga)
Story
Man appeared on the territory of the country in ancient times (as evidenced by finds in caves near Sterkfontein, Kromdray and Makapanskhat); however, there is very little reliable information about the early history of this region. Before the arrival of the Bantu tribes (they reached the Limpopo River in the north of the country in the middle of the 1st millennium AD), this territory was inhabited by nomadic pastoral tribes of the Khoi (Hottentots) and Bushmen (San) gatherers. Bantu farmers moved southwest, destroying or assimilating the local population. Archaeological evidence of their presence in the current province of KwaZulu-Natal dates back to around 1050. By the time the Europeans arrived, the area of the Cape of Good Hope was inhabited by the Khoi, and the Bantu (Xhosa tribes) had already reached the banks of the Great Fish River.
The first written record of a permanent European settlement dates from April 6, 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck, on behalf of the Dutch East India Company, founded a settlement on the "Cape of Storms", later called "Good Hope" (now Cape Town). In the 17th and 18th centuries, colonists from the Netherlands arrived in South Africa, as well as French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution in their homeland, and settlers from Germany. In the 1770s the colonists encountered a scythe advancing from the northeast. A series of clashes followed, known as the border ("Kaffir") wars and caused mainly by the claims of white settlers to the lands of Africans. Slaves from other Dutch possessions, in particular from Indonesia and Madagascar, were also brought to the Cape Colony. Many slaves, as well as the autochthonous population of the Cape region, mixed with the white colonists. Their descendants are called "Cape Coloreds" and now make up 50% of the population in the Western Cape.
British colonization
Great Britain first gained dominance over the Cape Colony in 1795, during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War: then the Netherlands fell under the rule of Napoleon, and the British, fearing that the French would gain control of this strategically important region, sent an army under the command of General James Henry to Kapstad Craig to seize the colony on behalf of Stadtholder William V. The governor of Kapstad received no instructions, however, agreed to submit to the British. In 1803, the Peace of Amiens was concluded, under the terms of which the Batavian Republic (that is, the Netherlands, as they became known after the French conquest) left the Cape colony behind. After the renewal of the war in 1805, the British again decided to capture the colony, and as a result of the battle on the slopes of Table Mountain in 1806, British troops under the command of David Byrd entered the fort of Kapstad.
The British consolidated their presence on the eastern frontier of the Cape Colony by fighting the Xhos by building forts along the banks of the Great Fish River. To strengthen its power in these places, the British crown encouraged the arrival of settlers from the metropolis.
In 1806, under pressure from various forces within the country, the British Parliament banned slavery, and in 1833 this provision was extended to the colonies. Constant skirmishes at the borders, the abolition of slavery and other disagreements with the British forced many peasants of Dutch origin (called Boers, from the Dutch boer peasant) to go on the so-called Great Trek deep into the continent, to the high plateau-veld. There they encountered the Ndebele chiefdom led by Mzilikazi, a former associate of Chaka, who fled west during the so-called Mfekane, a migration of peoples caused by internecine wars in Southeast Africa (modern KwaZulu-Natal). In the end, the Boers founded their states in the continental part of South Africa, the Orange Republic and the Transvaal.
Boer Wars
The discovery of rich deposits of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) on the Witwatersrand led to the economic growth of the colony and an increase in the outflow of capital to Europe, a sharp increase in immigration to the Boer republics and a deterioration in the situation of the natives. These events, provoked and encouraged by the British government, eventually led to a conflict between the British and the Boers. In 1880-1881, the first Anglo-Boer War took place, during which the Boers managed to defend their independence largely due to the disinterest of Great Britain in drawing it into a protracted colonial war, since the territories of the Orange Republic and the Transvaal were not of significant strategic interest at that time. despite the discovery by that time of a diamond deposit in the Kimberley region. The "gold rush" in the rand (area of Johannesburg) began after the first Boer War. It is also impossible not to note the small number of British colonial troops at that time. Thus, the annexation of the Transvaal by Great Britain in 1877, which was the direct cause of the war, was carried out by an English detachment of only 25 people without firing a shot. At the same time, the British established themselves in Natal and Zululand, winning the war with the Zulus. In 1899-1902, the second Anglo-Boer War took place, in which the Boers, despite initial successes, still lost to the better trained and equipped British, who had an overwhelming numerical advantage. After the defeat of their semi-regulars, the Boers under Christian De Wet turned to guerrilla tactics, which the British fought by setting up a network of blockhouses and also rounding up Boer women and children in concentration camps. Under the terms of the treaty at Vereniching, the British agreed to pay the three-million-dollar debt of the Boer governments. In addition, blacks were still denied the right to vote (except in the Cape Colony).
The war was reflected in the famous works of world literature - in the novel by L. Boussenard "Captain Break Head", where the Boers were presented as victims of the violent colonization policy of Great Britain, and in the historical work of A. Conan Doyle "War in South Africa", who is more advocating British policy (despite the author's efforts to be impartial, the book was used by the British government for propaganda purposes).
Creation of the Union of South Africa
After four years of negotiations, on May 31, 1910, the Union of South Africa was formed, which included the British Cape Colony, Natal, the Orange River Colony and the Transvaal. It became a dominion of the British Empire. In 1914, South Africa entered the First World War. In 1934, the United Party was formed, which united the South African Party (pro-British) and the National Party (Boer). It collapsed in 1939 over disagreements over whether South Africa should follow Britain into World War II—the right-wing National Party sympathized with the Third Reich and advocated drastic racial segregation.
Independence of South Africa
In 1961, the Union of South Africa became an independent republic (Republic of South Africa) that emerged from the British-led Commonwealth. The exit was also due to the non-acceptance of the policy of apartheid in South Africa by other members of the Commonwealth (South Africa's membership in the Commonwealth was restored in June 1994).
Apartheid and its aftermath
In 1948, the National Party won the general election and passed some very strict laws restricting the rights of the black population: the ultimate goal of this policy was to create a "South Africa for whites", while blacks were supposed to be completely deprived of South African citizenship. During apartheid, blacks were effectively deprived of some or all of the following rights:
- The right to citizenship of South Africa (in most cases this has become a privilege)
- The right to vote and be elected
- The right to freedom of movement (Negroes were forbidden to go outside after sunset, and also to appear in "white" areas without special permission from the authorities, that is, in fact, they were forbidden to visit large cities, since they were in "white" areas)
- The right to mixed marriages
- The right to medical care (this right was not formally taken away from them, but they were forbidden to use medicine "for whites", while medicine "for blacks" was completely undeveloped, and in some areas was completely absent)
- The right to cultural and entertainment leisure (the main cinemas and other entertainment facilities were in "white" areas)
- The right to education (the main educational institutions were in "white" areas)
- The right to be hired (employers were formally granted the right to use racial discrimination in hiring)
Despite the end of apartheid, millions of black South Africans still live in poverty. This is due to the fact that due to historical reasons for the level of education, social responsibility and labor productivity, the majority of indigenous black Africans at the current stage are objectively unable to meet the standards of a developed post-industrial society. The level of street crime is extremely high, including the percentage of serious crimes, however, the authorities refuse to give in to the wishes of society and introduce the death penalty. True, the social housing program has yielded certain results, improving the living conditions of many citizens, which has led to an increase in tax collection.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the problem of illegal migration also became very acute in South Africa. After the abolition of apartheid and a significant weakening of control at external borders, a flow of illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique and other countries of East Africa poured into the country. In total, in South Africa (at the beginning of 2008), according to various experts, there are from 3 to 5 million illegal migrants. The massive influx of foreigners causes dissatisfaction among the citizens of South Africa. Claims against migrants are mainly that they take away jobs from the citizens of the country, agreeing to work for lower wages, and also commit various crimes.
In May 2008, mass protests by South Africans against migrants took place in Johannesburg and Durban. Groups of the local population armed with clubs, stones and knives beat and killed migrants. During the week of riots in Johannesburg alone, more than 20 people were killed, thousands fled their homes. Migrants were forced to take refuge from angry local residents in police stations, mosques and churches. The local police actually completely lost control over the situation and were forced to turn to the president of the country with a request to involve the army to restore order. On May 22, 2008, South African President Thabo Mbeki authorized the use of troops to quell unrest in the country. For the first time since the abolition of apartheid, the South African army was used against citizens of their own state.
Population
In terms of population, the Republic of South Africa is in 25th place in the world - 49.1 million people live in the country (July 2010 estimate).
Over the past two decades, the country's population has remained almost unchanged (slight decline), due to high HIV infection, as well as a decrease in the number of whites.
The average life expectancy is 50 years for men, 48 years for women.
Ethno-racial composition (according to the 2001 census):
- black - 79%
- whites - 9.6%
- colored (mostly mulattoes) - 8.9%
- Indians and Asians - 2.5%
The religious composition of the population is quite variegated - there is no absolute religious majority in the country, and adherents of various religions and worldviews live: adherents of the Zionist churches (10%), Pentecostals (7.5%), Catholics (6.5%), Methodists (6.8 %), Dutch Reformed (6.7%), Anglicans (3.8%), other Christians (36%), Muslims (1.3%), adherents of other religions (2.3%), undecided (1.4 %), atheists (15.1%). (Data from 2001).
Demography
One of the central problems is the massive spread of HIV infection (mainly among the black population), in which South Africa ranks first in the world (according to UN data published in 2003 and 2007), while in terms of infection rate South Africa is on fourth place (after Swaziland, Botswana and Lesotho). In total, about 5.7 million people are infected with HIV, which is 18.1% of the adult population of the country (in 2007). Because of AIDS, the death rate in the Republic of South Africa has long exceeded the birth rate (in 2010, the population decline was −0.05%, with an average fertility of 2.33 births per woman).
The number of whites in the country is gradually decreasing due to their emigration to North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand - in 1985-2005, about 0.9 million whites left South Africa, mostly under the age of 40 and their children. The proportion of the black population of South Africa is growing due to the influx of black emigrants from Zimbabwe.
Standard of living
The average income of the population is approaching the lower limit of the world average income. However, in general, the economic situation of society is extremely unstable. The apartheid regime that reigned here for a long time and the previous colonialism were reflected in the social and property stratification of society. About 15% of the population lives in the best conditions, while about 50% (mostly blacks) live in abject poverty, which may well be compared with the situation of the inhabitants of the poorest countries in the world. Not all residents have electricity and water supply, and poor sanitation in many settlements contributes to the spread of various diseases. Such sharp contrasts lead to tension in the social environment. South Africa has a fairly high crime rate. It is mainly present in poor areas. The average life expectancy in the country is only 49 years (2008), but it has increased significantly since 2000, when it was 43 years. An unusual fact is that women have a shorter life expectancy than men.
State structure
Now South Africa is a unitary state. The territory of the country is divided into 9 provinces.
Until 1994, South Africa was a federation and was divided into 4 provinces: Cape, Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal. This division reflected well the colonial past of South Africa.
In addition, from 1951 to 1994, so-called bantustans existed in South Africa - autonomies reserved for the residence of certain nationalities. Outside the bantustans, the rights of the black population were significantly limited. Four of them received “independence” (in connection with this, their residents were deprived of South African citizenship), which, however, was not recognized by any state except South Africa:
- Bophuthatswana (Tswana) - "independence" since December 6, 1977
- Transkei (spit) - "independence" since October 26, 1976
- Ciskei (spit) - "independence" since December 4, 1981
- Venda (venda) - "independence" since September 13, 1979
Pretoria is officially considered the "main" capital of South Africa, since the country's government is located there. The other two branches of government are located in the other two largest cities: Parliament - in Cape Town, the Supreme Court - in Bloemfontein. They are also considered capitals. This is due to the fact that initially South Africa was a confederate state, and in this regard, during the formation of the Union of South Africa (from the British possessions with the capital in Cape Town, the Orange Free State with the capital in Bloemfontein and the Republic of South Africa (Transvaal) with the capital in Pretoria) authorities were evenly distributed among the capitals of the states included in it.
It is sometimes claimed that Pretoria was renamed Tshwane. This is incorrect: Tshwane is the name of a city municipality, an administrative division that is one level below the province (in this case, we are talking about the province of Gauteng). The municipality of Tshwane includes the cities of Pretoria, Centurion (formerly Verwoerdburg), Soshanguwe and a number of smaller areas.
Political regime
South Africa is a parliamentary republic. The president in almost all his decisions on most issues must rely on the support of parliament. A South African citizen over 30 years old can become a presidential candidate.
South Africa has a bicameral parliament, consisting of the National Council of Provinces (upper house - 90 members) and the National Assembly (400 members). Members of the lower house are elected by proportional voting system: half of the deputies go on national lists, half - on provincial ones. Each province, regardless of population, sends ten members to the National Council of Provinces. Elections are held every five years. The government is formed in the lower house, and the leader of the party that received the majority in it becomes president (now this post is occupied by Jacob Zuma). South Africa's current ruling party is the African National Congress, which received 65.9% of the vote in the 2009 general election and 66.3% of the vote in the 2006 municipal election. Its main rival is the Democratic Alliance party (16.7% in 2009; 14.8% in 2006). The leader of the Democratic Alliance is Helen Zille. The New National Party, the successor to the apartheid National Party, declined rapidly after 1994 and merged with the ANC on April 9, 2005. Also represented in Parliament are the Freedom Party-Inkata (4.6%), representing mainly Zulu voters, and the People's Congress (7.4%).
Right
The legal system of South Africa has absorbed elements of three legal families distinguished today at once: Romano-Germanic, Anglo-Saxon and traditional. In general, modern South Africa is dominated by Romano-Germanic law, that is, there is the rule of law over all legal decisions and a clear division of law into private and public. The country has a constitution adopted in 1996. It protects and guarantees all internationally recognized human rights. But the law of South Africa has not always been humane and tolerant. For a long time, discrimination against the black population, called "apartheid", found its reinforcement in it. As a result of the fall of the political foundation of apartheid and subsequent long processes in the 1990s, the legal system of South Africa was completely overhauled, and all discrimination based on race was excluded from it. In 1994, the Constitutional Court was established in the country.
Criminal law
The Republic of South Africa is one of the few countries where English-style criminal law operates. It is not codified. The judicial system consists of the following instances: the Supreme Court of Appeal, high courts and magistrates' courts. The Supreme Court of Appeal is the main court in South Africa for criminal matters. It is located in Bloemfontein, the "judicial capital" of the country. Under the apartheid regime, there were separate local courts for the black population ("courts of chiefs"), in which judges were also predominantly black. At the same time, in the general judiciary, the vast majority of judges were white. Particularly cruel punishments were provided for opponents of the political regime - up to and including the death penalty. It was allowed to detain people for 5 days without trial or investigation. After the fall of apartheid, many norms were revised. In 1994, the Internal Security Act was abolished, and in 1995, the death penalty. Until now, physical punishment of minors is officially applied - in the form of flogging. With a revision of the legal system in the 90s, homosexual marriage was legalized in the country, making it the only country of its kind in Africa.
Economy and national economy
South Africa is the most developed on the African continent and at the same time the only country that is not classified as a Third World. GDP for 2008 amounted to 491 billion dollars (26th in the world). GDP growth was at the level of 5%, in 2008 - 3%. The country is still not among the developed countries of the world, despite the fact that its market is actively expanding. In terms of purchasing power parity, it ranks 78th in the world according to the IMF (Russia 53rd), according to the World Bank 65th, according to the CIA 85th. It has a huge stock of natural resources. Telecommunications, electric power industry, financial sphere are widely developed.
Currency: South African rand, equal to 100 cents. There are coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cents, 1, 2, 5 rand, banknotes - 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 rand.
Main import items: oil, foodstuffs, chemical products; exports: diamonds, gold, platinum, machinery, vehicles, equipment. Imports ($91 billion in 2008) exceed exports ($86 billion in 2008).
It is a member of the international organization of ACT countries.
Work force
Of the 49 million people in South Africa, only 18 million are able to work. Unemployed - 23% (in 2008).
65% of the working population is employed in the service sector, 26% in industry, 9% in agriculture (in 2008).
Extractive industry
South Africa owes its rapid development to a large extent to the wealth of natural resources. About 52% of exports come from the mining industry. Manganese, platinum group metals, gold, chromites, aluminoglucates, vanadium and zirconium are widely mined. Coal mining is very developed - in terms of the use of coal for the production of electricity, South Africa ranks 3rd in the world (due to the lack of oil, about 80% of South Africa's energy resources are based on the use of coal). In addition, the country has concentrated reserves of diamonds, asbestos, nickel, lead, uranium and other important minerals.
Agriculture
Since most of the country has an arid climate, only 15% of its area is suitable for agriculture. However, it can be said that, unlike most other countries in Africa, where soil erosion occurs, this 15% is used wisely - advanced agrotechnical achievements of South Africa and the leading countries of the world are used to protect soils and efficient agriculture. This led to surprising results: South Africa fully meets domestic food needs, and is also one of the leading (and by some parameters, the leading) suppliers of agricultural products - the country exports about 140 types of fruits.
Winemaking
In South Africa, there are three zones for winemaking. The Northwest (Northern Cape) and East Coast (KwaZulu-Natal) are not considered to be the best wine sources, as they have a very hot and arid climate. But the South-West of South Africa (Western Cape) has a wonderful climate for winemaking.
animal husbandry
Meat and dairy production is concentrated in the north and east of the Free State province, in the hinterland of Hoteng province and in the southern part of Mpumalanga province. Meat breeds are common in the Northern and Eastern Cape. The arid areas of the Northern and Eastern Capes, the Free State and Mpumalanga account for areas of sheep breeding. Astrakhan sheep skins are supplied to the world market.
Goats are bred in large numbers, mainly - 75% - Angora, whose wool is highly valued in the West (up to 50% of the world's mohair production is in South Africa). The other most common breed is the Boer goat, which is bred for meat. In terms of goat wool shearing (92 thousand tons per year), South Africa ranks 4th in the world.
Compared to predominantly extensive sub-sectors such as cattle and sheep raising, poultry and hog raising are more intensive and prevalent on farms near the major cities of Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.
In recent years - mainly in the province of the Free State - ostrich breeding has been actively developing. The export from South Africa of meat, skin and feathers of this bird is gradually increasing.
Fishing
In terms of fish catch (about 1 million tons per year), South Africa occupies a leading position in Africa. The main fishery objects are sardines, herring, hake, anchovies, sea bass, mackerel, cod, Cape salmon, mackerel, monkfish. In addition, shrimp, lobsters, tuna, lobsters, oysters, octopuses, sharks, whose fins are in demand in Southeast Asia, as well as the Cape seal are caught. Fishing is carried out mainly off the western coast of South Africa, washed by the Benguela Ocean Current, in a fishing zone 200 nautical miles wide. About 40% of the catch falls on freshwater fish caught in the rivers Elands, Limpopo and others, as well as by breeding in artificial reservoirs.
Forestry
The main zone is the southern part of the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Natural forests occupy 180,000 hectares, that is, only 0.14% of the country's territory. Most of the commercial wood comes from forest plantations, which cover only 1% of the territory of South Africa. Approximately half of the forest plantations are planted with pine, 40% with eucalyptus and 10% with mimosa. Yellow and ebony, Cape laurel, assegai and camassi are also grown. Trees reach marketable condition in an average of 20 years - in contrast to trees growing in the Northern Hemisphere, where this process lasts from 80 to 100 years. The annual volume of wood entering the market is 17 million cubic meters. More than 240 woodworking and timber industry enterprises operate in South Africa.
Agriculture accounts for 35-40% of all exports and accounts for 5% of South Africa's GDP.
Economic policy of the state
It is generally recognized that the main political course of the state is aimed at stabilizing the economy. According to the statistics of The Heritage Foundation, the republic is in 57th position in the world in terms of economic freedom. South Africa has a relatively high income tax (up to 40% depending on income level).
culture
South African culture is traditionally diverse. First of all, it is a combination of two cultures: traditional and modern.
Many indigenous peoples contributed to it, such as the Bantu, Bushmen and Hottengots. The protea flower is the national symbol of South Africa.
Sport
The South African Grand Prix was repeatedly held in South Africa: in the period 1934-1939 with the participation of the world's leading racers of the pre-war period, and from 1962 to 1993 already as part of the Formula 1 World Championship. World-class racing was held at the East London and Kyalami circuits. South African Jody Scheckter in 1979, speaking for the Ferrari team, became the first and only Formula 1 world champion originally from Africa. And his compatriot Desiree Wilson, driving Williams in 1980, became the first and only woman in history to win a Formula One race. True, the stage held at the Brands Hatch track was held as part of the British Formula 1 Championship.
Rugby and football are very popular sports in the country. So, in 2007, the South African national rugby union team (Springbox) became a two-time World Cup winner, beating England in the final with a score of 15:6 [source].
In 2010, South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup.
Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus
Belarusian State University
Faculty of International Relations
Department of International Tourism
Course work
in the discipline "Socio-economic geography of foreign countries"
"Socio-economic situation of the Republic of South Africa"
1st year student
Department of Customs
Safonenko N. A.
Supervisor:
Senior Lecturer of the Department of International Tourism
Poleshchuk N.I.
Minsk
2010
Content
Introduction……………………..……………………………. .............................. ....3
Chapter 1. General characteristics, characteristics of the resources and population of South Africa
1.1 “Business card”……………………….………………………………………..4
1.2 Form of the State……………………………………………………………..5
1.3 Economic and geographical position of the country ..........................................................6
1.4 Economic assessment of natural conditions and resources…………………. 6
1.5 Population geography……………………………………………………… . 8
Chapter 2. Economic characteristics of South Africa
2.1 General characteristics of the economic complex of the country……..……..1 2
2.2 Geography of means of communication and transport…… ………………………... 17
2.3 Foreign economic relations of the country…………………………………… 18
Conclusion …………..……………………………………………….………22
References…………………………………………………………...24
Appendix………................. ............................. ..................................................................25
Introduction
The Republic of South Africa is a state located at the southern tip of the African continent. In the north it borders on Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, in the northeast on Mozambique and Swaziland. The state of Lesotho is completely surrounded by the territory of South Africa. South Africa is one of the most developed countries on the African continent. The country has rich mineral resources, and is also the most economically developed on the continent and has a relatively strong global position. Thanks to the mining of diamonds and gold, the South African economy is flourishing, and infrastructure and services are at a fairly high level. Today, South Africa is one of the most promising markets among all third world countries. South Africa is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa, and has the largest proportion of white, Indian and mixed populations on the continent. The object of study of the course work is the regional economy of South Africa. The relevance of the work lies in the fact that South Africa can become an important partner for many countries in the future. The Republic of South Africa is currently an actively developing country with a high economic potential, since after the abolition of apartheid, the international community removed barriers, and in South Africa, for a long time isolated from the world community, a flow of investments and technologies began to flow. The purpose of the work: to determine the place of South Africa in the global economy. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks: - give a natural and economic assessment of natural conditions and resources; - to study the socio-economic situation of the population; - assess the economic complex of the country; - to characterize the non-manufacturing sphere of South Africa; - to analyze the foreign economic relations of South Africa.
- General characteristics, characteristics of resources and population of South Africa
Basic information about South Africa
The Republic of South Africa (SAR) is the most highly developed state in Africa. South Africa belongs to the type of countries of resettlement capitalism, the distinguishing feature of which is the transfer to new, colonized lands of the forms of economic organization that have developed in the metropolis.
Geographic coordinates: 29° 00'S sh., 24 ° 00' in. d.;
area: 1,219,090 km ?. Includes the Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island);
land borders: 4750 km;
the length of borders with neighboring states: with Botswana 1,840 km, with Lesotho 909 km, with Mozambique 491 km, with Namibia 855 km, with Swaziland 430 km, with Zimbabwe 225 km;
coastline: 2798 km (in the west of South Africa it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, in the south and east by the Indian Ocean);
maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean - 0 m; Mount Njesuthi -3,408 m;
capital: Pretoria. Note: Cape Town is the center of the legislative power, Bloemfontein is the center of the judiciary. The population of Pretoria - 1.8 million people, Cape Town - 3.5 million people, Bloemfontein - 500 thousand people;
population: about 47 million people;
population density: 37 people. per km?;
In terms of HDI, South Africa ranks 110th in the world and is a country with a medium level of human development.
1.2 Shape of the state
According to the Constitution of the country, adopted by the Parliament on May 8, 1996, South Africa is a unitary republic with elements of federalism. The 9 provinces that make up the country (KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, Gdateng, Free State, Orange Northern Province and North Western Province) are endowed with extensive powers, including legislative autonomy. Legislative power at the national level is vested in a bicameral Parliament, consisting of the National Council of Provinces (upper house, 90 people elected by 10 from each provincial legislature) and the National Assembly (lower house, 400 people elected on the basis of proportional representation). Joint sessions of both chambers of Parliament form the Constitutional Assembly. The term of office of the National Assembly is 5 years. The head of state and government (executive power), as well as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the President. He is elected by the National Assembly from among its members for a term of 5 years. No one can be President more than 2 times. The current president of South Africa is Jacob Zuma. The highest court is the Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice. The Supreme Court consists of the Court of Appeal, provincial and local courts. Each district and district within the province has a magistrate's court with clear jurisdiction in criminal and civil matters. Each of the nine provinces has its own legislature with between 30 and 100 members, depending on population. They are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation. The provincial legislature has the power to draft a provincial constitution, which must comply with the basic principles of the country's constitution, and to elect a prime minister, the head of government. The African National Congress of South Africa is the country's leading party. Other parties: National Party, Conservative Party, Democratic Party, South African Communist Party, etc. South Africa is a member of the UN (since 1945), OAU (since 1994).
1.3 Economic and geographical position of the country
South Africa occupies a middle position between developing and developed countries, it is rich in resources, has a well-developed legal system, financial, communications, energy and transport sectors, a stock exchange, which is among the ten largest in the world, and a modern infrastructure that ensures efficient exchange of goods between the main centers of the region. However, economic growth was not enough to eliminate unemployment of 28% of the working-age population and the menacing economic problems inherited from the apartheid era, especially poverty and the lack of economic opportunities for the poor. In early 2000, President MBEKI pledged to stimulate economic growth and encourage foreign investment by easing the restrictions imposed by labor laws that also prevent government spending from being cut.
Relative to other countries of Black Africa, South Africa occupies a leading position in economic development. It accounts for 40% of GDP, half of the generated electricity and 95% of the exported finished products of the African continent.
The government is pursuing a policy of actively attracting foreign investment. Since 2000, a program of privatization of state property has been implemented, measures are being taken to reduce government spending, since at the moment they exceed revenues. More than half of government revenue comes from income tax and corporate income tax. 34% of government revenue comes from value added tax and excises.
1.4 Economic assessment of natural conditions and resources
Industry Development Resources
The strong position of South Africa in the world market is determined primarily by the richness of its subsoil. The mining industry plays an important role in the industrial structure of South Africa. This most important industry is distinguished by the extraction of uranium, coal, platinum group metals, diamonds, iron ore, manganese, vanadium, chromites, but gold remains the most strategically important product for South Africa. ? all miners are employed precisely in gold mining. South Africa is the world's largest gold producer, accounting for about 30% of the country's exports.
Gold is mainly mined in the Orange province. In many states, and there are about 50 of them, gold is mined along with uranium. In the second half of the 20th century, when the price of gold was high, South Africa mined up to 1,000 tons of precious metal per year, but by the beginning of the 21st century, following the fall in prices, gold mining also seriously decreased.
South Africa is also one of the world's largest producers and exporters of natural diamonds. More than 10% of diamonds in the world market are mined in South Africa. The Republic of South Africa ranks 7th in the world in terms of coal reserves. Low-grade coals are processed into liquid fuel, which compensates for the lack of own oil in South Africa. Coal is exported to 36 countries of the world.
The main forestry zone is the southern part of the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Natural forests occupy 180,000 hectares, that is, only 0.14% of the country's territory. Most of the commercial wood comes from forest plantations, which cover only 1% of the territory of South Africa. Approximately half of the forest "plantations" are planted with pine, 40% with eucalyptus and 10% with mimosa. Yellow and ebony, Cape laurel, assegai and camassi are also grown. Trees reach marketable condition in an average of 20 years - in contrast to trees growing in the Northern Hemisphere, where this process lasts from 80 to 100 years. The annual volume of wood entering the market is 17 million cubic meters. More than 240 woodworking and timber industry enterprises operate in South Africa.
The inland waters of the country are scarce, and the problem of water resources is very acute. The total flow of all rivers is 52 billion m?, that is, about the same as the Rhine carries in the Rotterdam region. Of great economic importance is the Orange River with its tributary Vaal, which crosses the most important economic regions. Underground sources are widely used, as well as sea water is desalinated.
Conditions for agricultural activities
Agricultural productivity in South Africa is low by world standards. This is partly due to primitive methods of cultivating the land. Other factors are soil erosion and insufficient rainfall. Only 12-15% of the land is cultivated in the country, only 10% of them are highly fertile, but even fertile lands are subject to sudden floods and washout of the fertile layer. Soil erosion has reached its greatest extent in the former bantustans. In agricultural areas, droughts are not uncommon, the main reason for unstable harvests in some years. Most of the Central Plateau is short grass steppe, or grassy veld. However, vast areas of this once fertile steppe have been disturbed by severe overgrazing for more than a century, as well as severe erosion caused by ill-conceived crop cultivation. The subsequent degradation of agriculture in this area was accompanied by the penetration of economically low-value plants into the grassy weld.
Recreational resources
The favorable climate of South Africa, its magnificent sea beaches and recreation areas are of great interest to tourists. This country also attracts many attractions, including: the National Park, the House-Museum of the first president of the country, Paulus Kruger, the beautiful zoo - in Pretoria, Fort Fredericks (1799), the aquarium - in Port Elizabeth, the castle built by the Dutch (1665 g.), the Old Town Hall (1755), the Reformed Church in Cape Town (1669), etc. Every year, about 7 million tourists visit South Africa. Until the early 90s, when the country was ruled by a white minority regime, only the most desperate adventurers dared to visit it. But with the weakening of the apartheid system, the flow of foreign visitors began to grow rapidly. The traditional hospitality of the local population and accommodation that meets international standards, with its relative cheapness, are very attractive to tourists. Foreign capital actively contributes to the rapid expansion of the tourism industry.
1.5 Population geography
Formation of the modern population. Its racial, ethnic and national composition.
The most numerous race is blacks (79%). The indigenous people of South Africa are the Bushmen and the Huttentots. They inhabited the territory of South Africa long before the appearance of other peoples there. The largest South African nation today is the Zulu, or Zulus (10 million people). Also large in number are the Xoza (7.2 million people), northern and southern Sothos (6 million people), Tsavana (3 million people), Tsonga (1.8 million people), Swazi (1. 2 million people), Ndebele (0.6 million people), Venda (0.9 million people).
The second largest group of peoples inhabiting South Africa are whites (about 4.6 million people - 9.1% of the population). They live mainly in large cities. There are two main groups of the white population of South Africa - Afrikaners and Anglophones. Afrikaners are descendants of Dutch settlers. The Afrikaner language is Afrikaans. Anglophones are Africans of British origin. The language is South African English. A significant number of descendants of other nationalities live in South Africa: 600 thousand Portuguese, 80 thousand Greeks, 60 thousand Italians, 7 thousand French. The Jewish community is 120 thousand people.
The third largest group of South Africans - mulattos and mestizos - "colored" (4 million people). Most of them are descendants of slaves brought to South Africa over many centuries ..
A special group is made up of Indians (about 1 million people) - the descendants of Indians who arrived in 1860 to work on sugar canes. Most of them still live in KwaZulu Natal. They are mainly engaged in trade.
South Africa has 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebe, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhoza, Zulu.
The most common religion is Christianity (77% of the population), predominantly Protestantism. 19.8% of the population are adherents of traditional cults. 3.2% are adherents of such religions as Hinduism, Islam, Judaism.
Vital movement of the population
The total population of South Africa is 44 million people. Population estimates should take into account the high mortality rate, especially among newborns, and low life expectancy. The birth rate in 2007 was 17.9‰ and the death rate was 22.4‰. The average life expectancy is about 48 years. However, for the white population, this figure is much higher. Child mortality: 6 cases per 100 newborns.
Sex and age composition of the population
The age structure of the population: up to 14 years old - 29.1%, from 15 to 64 people - 65.5%, over 65 years old - 5.4% (2007 data).
Sex ratio. The number of male population under 1 year old is related to the number of female population of the same age as 102 to 100. In other words, the number of male and female births is approximately equal. At the age of up to 15 years, the ratio changes slightly: there are 101 girls for every 100 boys. In the age period from 15 to 64, the number of men decreases: for every 100 women, there are 93 men.
Migrations
The Republic of South Africa, as the richest country on the continent, has long been a center of attraction for migrants, mainly from Mozambique, Angola and other neighboring countries. The main number of migrants was employed in the coal mining industry. After the South African policy of reducing dependence on labor migrants, the share of foreign workers in the total number of all workers employed in the coal industry decreased from 77% to 40% in the period from 1970 to 1980. In recent years, the influx of unregistered labor migrants from neighboring states has increased. In the past, due to immigration, there was an increase in the European and Asian population in South Africa, but since the 1960s. outside inflows have declined. In the 1990s the positive balance of migrations was 5-6 thousand people per year. Migrants from poorer countries are valuable to employers in that they accept lower wages than local workers. Farmers willingly hire foreigners to work on harvesting. Zambians are invited to the position of employees, who are well trained in economic specialties in their country. At the moment, the number of illegal migrants in South Africa, according to various estimates, ranges from 2 to 8 million people.
The current problem in South Africa is high unemployment among unskilled workers. From this it should be obvious that South Africa does not need unskilled personnel. In South Africa, there is an acute shortage of workers in such a profile as a radio technician, programmer, car mechanic, adjusters and assemblers of various equipment, people who can simply use a computer. However, many whites immigrate from the country due to the presence of crime. Official statistics do not provide information on racial composition. emigrants, but various studies suggest that whites leave South Africa only slightly more readily than blacks. Most African countries will find it difficult to attract specialists from abroad. But South Africa, with its developed economy, undoubtedly has a much better chance in the international labor market.
Urbanization and rural areas
The process of industrialization entailed a rapid increase in the urban population in the post-war years. Mining centers are growing, both the old ones - the cities of the Witwatersrand and the new ones: Phalaborwa, Saishen, Priska, etc. They owe their rapid growth to a large extent to the immigration of the African and "colored" population. A significant number of Africans living in cities and industrial centers are temporary residents who, when they lose their ability to work or the end of their contract, return to where they came from.
South Africa is dominated by small towns with a population of 2,000 to 10,000 people. According to the existing legislation, cities here are considered to be all settlements that have local city self-government in one form or another. Among the main shortcomings of the current urban development in South Africa are the low building density, the predominance of free-standing buildings and the presence of large land reserves between them. According to statistics, at the moment 51% of the population lives in cities and 49% in rural areas. In agriculture, about 1.4 million black laborers are hired annually by white farmers, whose working day lasts 12-17 hours a day, and wages do not provide a living wage.
Labor resources and employment of the population
According to the 2006 census, the unemployment rate in South Africa was 34%. Most of the unemployed were in the provinces of the Northern Cape and Northern (over 45%), the least - in the Western Cape (18%). Unemployment rates vary widely across racial groups. The black unemployment rate was 52.4% for women and 34.1% for men, with an average of 42.5%. In comparison, unemployment rates among other racial groups ranged from 4.2% for white men to 24.1% for women of color. Of the almost 44 million inhabitants of South Africa, more than 15 million are self-employed. Its number increases annually by approximately 2.5%. Since 1973, the number of jobs has been steadily declining. The number of people employed in the mining industry and retail trade is rapidly declining. Some growth in the number of jobs occurs in the manufacturing industry and the trade in vehicles.
Conclusion:
The Republic of South Africa occupies a middle position between developing and developed countries. Not the most favorable conditions for agriculture are compensated by the richness of the subsoil. South Africa can be called a multi-ethnic state, since quite a lot of nationalities live on its territory. Regarding the age structure of the population, it can be said that the death rate exceeds the birth rate. Thus, the population is aging. More than a third of the working-age population is unemployed, which indicates a low standard of living.
2. Economic characteristics of South Africa
- General characteristics of the economic complex of the country
Recently, one can observe an improvement in the position of South Africa in the field of finance. In 2000, the South African budget deficit was 8.6% of GDP, and in 2004 it was only 3.3%, which is a good achievement even by the standards of the world's leading countries. The economy is also characterized by an extremely low level of public debt - about 6% of GDP, low defense spending - about 3.5% of GDP, and at the same time growing spending on education (6.5% of GDP) and healthcare (3.3% of GDP). If the positive balance of South Africa in foreign trade operations was about 4.2 billion dollars in 2000, then in 2004 it was already 6.7 billion dollars. duty-free access to the US market and other developed countries. The absence of quotas for the import of textile and industrial equipment contributed to the re-equipment of South African enterprises. The flow of foreign investment to South Africa has increased. The United States is the largest foreign investor in the South African economy.
The GDP of South Africa in 2008 amounted to 506.1 billion US dollars. The share of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in GDP is 3%, industry - 30% (manufacturing - 20%), services - 67%.
Rice. 1. GDP of South Africa. 2008
The volume of GDP per capita is about 10,000 thousand dollars a year. For comparison, the largest per capita GDP is $81,000 (Liechtenstein) and the smallest is less than $200 (Zimbabwe). In Belarus, GDP per capita is over $12,000 per year.
The structure of the economic complex
When characterizing the sectoral structure of the economy, its division into three sectors is widely used: primary, secondary and tertiary. The primary sector of the economy includes industries related to the use of natural conditions and resources: agriculture and forestry, fishing, and extractive industries. The secondary sector covers all sectors of the manufacturing industry and construction. The tertiary sector includes service industries.
Of the 47 million people in South Africa, only 18 million are able to work. Unemployed - 23% (in 2008). 65% of the working population is employed in the service sector, 26% in industry, 9% in agriculture (in 2008).
Agriculture.Despite the relatively unfavorable conditions for agriculture, South Africa almost completely satisfies its needs for agricultural products. This industry plays a significant role in South Africa's export trade. Agriculture is represented by two sharply different sectors: large high-commodity farms (more than 1000 hectares in size), plantations owned by Europeans, and primitive African farms in bantustans. The African sector accounts for only 1/10 of the harvest of grain and livestock.
Cultivated land makes up about 10% of the territory of South Africa and is located mainly in the coastal regions of the country. Most of these lands need artificial irrigation. In crop production, the main crops grown are corn (9.9 million tons) and wheat (2.5 million tons). Corn, along with sorghum, is the main food crop for Africans. Wheat is grown only on white farms. In terms of wheat harvest, South Africa occupies a leading position in Africa. Peanuts (100 thousand tons), sunflower (600 thousand tons), cotton and tobacco are also grown in significant volumes. South Africa is also a major producer of sugar cane (about 20 million tons per year). Vegetable growing, horticulture and viticulture are quite well developed. Floriculture is important. Using air transport, South Africa delivers flowers to European markets.
In the structure of animal husbandry, the central place belongs to extensive pasture sheep breeding. In terms of the number of sheep, South Africa ranks 1st in Africa and 8th in the world. More than 75% of wool is exported (4th place in the world). The goat population in South Africa is represented mainly by the Angora breed, and the country produces 40 to 45% of the world's wool.
Meat and dairy farming is typical of the Transvaal and the Orange province, and suburban dairy farming has also developed here. The number of cattle - 12 million, pigs - about 1.5 million.
Industrial plantations give 16.5 million m? forests, which fully meets the country's needs for wood and lumber.
Fishing is especially active along the west coast (more than 90% of the catch), 80% of the products are exported in canned or frozen form. The total catch is about 0.5 tons per year. In addition to fish, shrimp, lobsters, lobsters, oysters, and octopuses are also caught.
Industry . The manufacturing industry in South Africa has a diversified structure. The leading industries are ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering, the textile industry, brewing and winemaking, as well as a diverse food industry, but only a small part of the products of South African enterprises is sold outside of South Africa. South Africa also occupies a prominent place among the exporters of various types of weapons.
The branch of ferrous metallurgy uses its own resources and fuel and is represented by plants in Pretoria, Newcastle, etc. Various modern technologies have been introduced into production. It manufactures metal rods and reinforcement, reinforced plates and corrugated steel, shaped steel and chain ropes, high-quality special alloys, high-carbon steel and precision casting. The largest company in the industry is the Iron and Steel Corporation. It supplies its products to all continents. Its production capacity is over 5 million tons of steel per year.
etc.................
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
MUNICIPAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
MIDDLE SCHOOL #12
ESSAY
BY GEORGAPHY
SOUTH AFRICA
Performed:
student 11 "D" class
Kondratieva Elena
Supervisor:
Senior Lecturer
Department of socio-economic
geography TVGU
Averyanova T.V.
Tver - 2005
Introduction3
Chapter 1."Features of the geographical location of South Africa" 5
1.1. Physical and geographical position.5
6
7
1.4. Political structure8
Chapter 2"Natural resource potential of South Africa" 16
2.1. natural conditions.16
2.2. Natural resources.17
Chapter 3"Population and workforce of South Africa" 24
3.1. Population, dynamics.24
3.2. population reproduction.24
3.3. Migrations.24
3.4. The composition of the population.25
3.5. Structure of employment of the population.29
3.6. Urbanization, large cities, urban agglomerations.29
3.7. Peculiarities of population distribution, density indicators.30
Chapter 4"General characteristics of the economy of South Africa" 31
4.1. Features of the development of the economy.31
4.2. General characteristics of the industry.32
4.3. Agriculture.37
4.4. Features of the development of transport.39
Chapter 5. "Territorial structure of the economy of South Africa" 43
Chapter 6"The Economy of the Republic of South Africa" 47
Chapter 7"Economic relations between Russia and South Africa" 54
Conclusion56
Applications 58
Literature 61
Introduction
Even in perestroika times, at the end of the 80s, in Moscow they looked at the Republic of South Africa as the most profitable business partner on the African continent. However, since then, both in our country (after the collapse of the USSR) and in them (the African National Congress came to power in South Africa) there have been radical political changes, bilateral business ties (after a relatively short boom in 1992-1993) began to decline sharply and are now in a state of “slow development”.
Shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow, however, tried to "cut through" a window into the business of South Africa, going into close political cooperation with the government of the white minority of De Klerk and completely abandoning its former ally - the ANC.
In those days, only in the period 1991-1992, more than 50 Soviet and later Russian delegations, which included not only government officials, but also private entrepreneurs, paid official visits to South Africa. Then, already in Russian times, the Republic of South Africa in the documents of both the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations of Russia was defined as a country with which business cooperation is "key" in Africa. The Russian diamond mining company Almazy Sakha-Rossii, Komdragmet, the Moscow Engine Plant (supplying aircraft engines from Russia to South Africa), and enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex were especially active in trying to establish business ties with South Africa. At that time, contacts also seemed promising in the field of supplies and joint production of weapons: the South Africans expressed a desire to acquire certain types of weapons in Russia not only through government agencies, but also directly from manufacturing plants (Nizhny Novgorod, Perm).
But in South Africa, the 1994 elections broke out, and after the black majority government headed by the leader of the ANC, Nelson Mandela, came to power, cooperation between the Republic of South Africa and Russia began to curtail, which somehow was not very customary for us to spread.
First of all, the South African leadership, for the most part consisting of leaders of the ANC (more than 60% of them visited and studied in the USSR several times), had a very negative attitude towards the then Russian political establishment. Pretoria did not forget the statements of former Russian Foreign Minister Andrey Kozyrev in 1992, who "diplomatically" called the ANC a "terrorist organization." Nelson Mandela also remembered Moscow's overtures to the white government in 1991-1993, when yesterday's "comrades in the class struggle from the ANC" were refused to be received in high Kremlin offices, citing their employment. I'm not talking about the passages of our, also now former president, at a meeting with Mandela about the fact that "we defeated communism in Russia." He probably "forgot" that the main ally of the ANC is the local Communist Party, and many former functionaries of the international department of the Central Committee of the CPSU, especially those who were responsible for relations with the ANC in difficult times, are still well received in South Africa, lectures are organized for them , wonderful vacation, etc.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela is a decent person, and in his visit to Russia (which, by the way, was postponed and postponed many times), he mainly wanted to thank not so much Russia as the former USSR for the help during the years of the ANC's struggle against apartheid. one
I think the Russian authorities are well aware of the situation in which they have to conduct business, thereby paying for the political short-sightedness of our former officials, who seriously undermined the previously very promising base in relations between Moscow and Pretoria.
Despite the fact that, as one of the South African ministers recently put it, “we (i.e., South Africa) are not up to you now, and you (i.e., Russia) are not up to us,” there are areas of cooperation in which with mutual desire and work, success can be achieved.
For example, business contacts between the Russian and South African military-industrial complex (MIC) continue to be promising and, most importantly, mutually beneficial. A similar situation is developing with the attraction of our investments in South Africa, and theirs - in Russia.
In the late 1980s, senior officials of the then Soviet Council of Ministers spoke of the need to attract "free" South African financial resources to our country. Since then, all the "banking cooperation" of Russians before the crisis of 1998, which after it was limited to holding a seminar on investments in Russia in South Africa, arranged for the "business vacation" of Russian bankers (with a visit to the city of a thousand casinos Sun City and the Comoros) on who came ... two representatives of the local Foreign Ministry and not a single South African banker or businessman.
The prospects for bilateral trade are not very encouraging either - practically the entire trade turnover between Russia and South Africa in 1999 was earned exclusively on export-import operations and small commercial transactions.
South African private capital is also extremely cautious in relation to Russia (although it is less ideological in relation to Moscow than the political leadership of South Africa). According to representatives of South African business, over the past few years, local entrepreneurs have become convinced that the main purpose of their Russian colleagues' trips to South Africa is not a long-term business, but a popular variant of "official vacation", i.e. arrival in an exotic country for visiting a casino, a safari, yachting and the like.
In principle, Russian entrepreneurs, too, seem to be quite disappointed in the business prospects of South Africa. "There is no quick money to be made there, there is no great desire to work on a long-term basis, and there are no free funds either." Other markets for risky Russian businessmen today seem to be much more profitable and predictable than the little-studied South African.
And yet, the development of business ties between Russia and South Africa has a future - and in the near future it is not for "ideologized projects" and mutual insults, but for competent entrepreneurs and pragmatic politicians, both in Russia and in South Africa.
Chapter 1.
"Features of the geographical location of South Africa"
Physical and geographical position.
The Republic of South Africa (SAR) is located south of 22°S, in the tropical and subtropical latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. The territory of South Africa is 4.2% of the area of the continent (1,223,410 sq. km). In the west, the country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic, and in the south and east - by the Indian Ocean. The coastline is 2798 km . The highest point in South Africa is Mt. Njesuti (Njesuthi) -3408 m
This location of the country predetermines the presence of various natural landscapes. According to the device, it resembles a giant amphitheater. Its highest ranks are formed in the east and south by a ledge of the Drakensberg and Cape Mountains. To the north, the surface drops in steps - a plateau to a vast arena - the Kalahari and the valley of the Limpopo River.
The relief of South Africa is characterized by the predominance of high-altitude flat plateaus, about half of the territory has a height of 1000 to 1600 m, more ¾ located above 600 m above sea level, only a narrow strip of coastal lowlands in the west, south and east has a height of up to 500 m. In general terms, the relief is determined by the internal elevated plateaus and coastal plains of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Almost all of South Africa is located within the southern margin of the African Platform, the basement of which consists of folds of Precambrian rocks (metamorphic shales, gneisses, etc.) and clastic rocks penetrated and metamorphosed by intrusions of the so-called ancient granites. In the coastal regions of the country, the base rocks often come to the surface, in the central regions they are covered with a thick layer of younger rocks.
north of the middle reaches of the river. Orange, within the southern margin of the vast trough of the African platform, are the Kalahari plains (800-900 m), covered with a thick cloak of Cenozoic sands and sandstones.
At present, almost everywhere the surface of the Kalahari is occupied by grassy vegetation and shrubs; the typical desert landscape can be found only in the most arid southwestern part, along the borders with Namibia.
The West Coast presents a sharp contrast. To the north, beyond the Ulifants River, the Namib Desert begins. There are few bays and convenient bays on the coast; it is distinguished by a slightly indented, as if leveled, coastline. The coast, composed mainly of slates and quartzites, has a rocky character, rising 7-20 m above sea level. Its stern, impregnable appearance scared away European sailors for a long time.
The coastline in the southwest and south of South Africa up to Cape Recife is more indented. A number of convenient natural bays and bays of the southern coast were appreciated by medieval navigators. These are Saldanha Bay (with the port of the same name), Dining Bay (with the port of Cape Town), False Bay (with the port of Simons Town), Mossel Bay and Algoa Bay. Narrow, rocky Cape Agulhas in front of Mossel Bay is the southernmost point of Africa. In the east, in the shallow bay of Natal, one of the largest ports on the mainland, Durban, is located. To the north of it stretches a low-lying accumulative coast. 2
1.2. Economic and geographical position.
From a geographical point of view, the geographical position of South Africa is advantageous, because the subsoil of this region is rich in diamonds, gold, platinum, uranium, iron and manganese ores, chromites, non-ferrous metal ores, coal, asbestos.
South Africa is the only highly developed state in Africa that belongs to the type of countries of resettlement capitalism.
South Africa is a country located in the south of the African continent, 5 times larger than Great Britain, 2 times larger than France and equal in territory to Germany, France and Italy combined. In the north, South Africa borders on Botswana, Zimbabwe, in the northwest - on Namibia, and in the northeast on Mozambique and Swaziland. The Kingdom of Lesotho is located on the territory of South Africa as an enclave. Off the coast of South Africa, there is a sea route connecting Europe with the oil-rich countries of the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
The Republic of South Africa is an economic giant on the scale of the African continent. The country has a large agricultural sector and exports 142 species of vegetables and fruits to 40 countries. The service sector brings 51% of national income, and industry - 31%. However, South Africa has become a modern prosperous state thanks to the mining sector: 52% of export earnings come from natural resources.
South Africa is a state with an established market economy, a favorable investment climate, and a reasonable tax policy. This is a country with excellently organized transport and communication services; it is renowned for the clarity and reliability of its banking and insurance business. South Africa has a highly skilled workforce and a large market for relatively cheap labor.
South Africa is one of the top 25 exporters in the world. South African exports in 1997 amounted to $31.3 billion. Incomes from foreign trade reach 50% of GDP, while the volume of exports exceeds the volume of imports.
The main trading partners of South Africa are: Germany - 16%, Great Britain - 12%, USA - 11%, as well as Japan, France, Italy and Canada, and the turnover of foreign trade with these countries is increasing.
1.3. geopolitical position.
South Africa is one of the founding states of the UN. Until 1961 - a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. In the same year, South Africa joined the Organization of African Unity and the Southern African Development Community.
From the early 1960s until 1994, the role of South Africa in the activities of the UN was very limited, since most UN members sharply condemned the policy of apartheid and the maintenance of South African control over Namibia until 1990, contrary to UN resolutions.
In 1963, the UN Security Council called for an arms embargo on South Africa, and in 1977 adopted a special resolution obliging all UN members to comply with this embargo. In 1974, the UN General Assembly decided to temporarily suspend South Africa's membership in the UN.
In relations with other countries of the subregion in the late 70s-80s, especially with the "front-line" states, the policy of South Africa combined political pressure with the threat of armed aggression, destabilization of the internal situation in neighboring countries, and economic blackmail. The foreign policy of the Government of Pretoria in the subregion, aimed at creating a "buffer zone" at the borders of South Africa, has also drawn the small countries of the region into the sphere of influence. Thus, as an additional instrument of control over the situation in Lesotho, South Africa used the Lesotho Liberation Army, which was in opposition to the government, and whose contingents were deployed on the territory of South Africa. South Africa has repeatedly carried out sabotage and terrorist actions against Swaziland and Lesotho in order to capture ANC and PAK activists. The economic destabilization in the region had a negative impact on the situation in Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, and Malawi. In 1986-1987 Along with waging an undeclared war against Angola, South Africa carried out aggressive actions against Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.
South Africa's relations with non-African countries focused on two main areas. One of them is the development of cooperation with states whose political and economic interests did not interfere with maintaining ties with South Africa. These included primarily Israel, Chile, Paraguay, Taiwan, and South Korea. The most important place in this group of countries was assigned to Israel. Since the late 1960s, South Africa has increasingly used its ties with this state to overcome its growing isolation in the world community, especially with regard to the supply of weapons and advanced technologies.
The second, extremely important area of South Africa's foreign policy was relations with the leading Western powers, primarily with the United States of America, Great Britain, Germany, France, and Japan, which were its main trade and economic partners. South Africa, which is the most important source of gold and strategic raw materials for the world market, was of paramount importance for the West.
With the growth of the South African conflict, relations between the West and the "third world" became more complicated. Open defense of the system of racial inequality that existed in South Africa became increasingly difficult for the West, including as a result of a broad international campaign against apartheid, which involved many social movements and non-governmental organizations in North America and Western Europe.
In an effort to weaken the apartheid regime, in the mid-1980s, domestic opposition to the racist regime and its supporters in Western democracies called for the UN to impose tough economic sanctions against South Africa, including such measures as restricting trade ties and withdrawing investment funds. A number of intergovernmental organizations have joined the sanctions, including the European Community and the Commonwealth of Nations. The EU countries, Canada and the US imposed these sanctions, despite the stubborn resistance of some political forces, in particular, the Republican Party in the US and the Conservative Party in the UK.
Economic sanctions had a strong psychological impact on South Africa's white rulers and contributed to the country's gradual transition to a multi-racial democratic society in the early 1990s. As this transition progressed in 1992-1994, the sanctions were gradually lifted.
Since 1994, due to objective conditions, South Africa has become the leading political and economic regional power in southern Africa. South Africa supported the holding of ceasefire negotiations in Angola, Mozambique and Congo.
One of the main and new directions of South Africa's foreign policy in the early 1990s was the establishment of official contacts with the Soviet Union, and later with Russia and other CIS members. Throughout South Africa's history, the anti-communist course has been a characteristic feature of its foreign policy.
For its part, the Soviet Union, breaking off consular relations with South Africa in the 1950s, invariably pursued a policy of condemning the apartheid regime, provided political and military-political assistance to the forces of national liberation in southern Africa, and actively supported anti-racist and anti-colonial tendencies in world politics.
In February 1991, an agreement was signed between the USSR and South Africa on the creation in Moscow and Pretoria, at the Austrian embassies, of sections of interests of the two countries. On February 28, 1992, Russia and South Africa established diplomatic relations between themselves. 3 The establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and South Africa was actively promoted by the Russia-South Africa Society, which develops business, scientific and cultural relations at the non-governmental level. Despite the difficulties in both countries, relations between them have entered a stage characterized by a desire for cooperation on an equal and mutually beneficial basis, as evidenced by the signing in October 1993 of an agreement on trade and economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Africa.
In 1994, South Africa again became a full member of the United Nations.
1.4. Political structure
Flag of South Africa
The flag of South Africa, introduced in 1994, is a flag with red and blue horizontal stripes and a black equilateral triangle at the hoist.
They are separated from each other by wide green stripes in the form of the Latin letter "Y", superimposed by a fork to the shaft and delimited from the black triangle by thin yellow stripes, and from the red and blue stripes by thin white stripes.
The new coat of arms of South Africa. Official description.
The role of the new coat of arms of South Africa
The new coat of arms replaces the old one, which has been the coat of arms of South Africa since 1910. The replacement of the old coat of arms with the new one reflects the government's desire to emphasize the democratic transformations in the country and rethink the old understanding of patriotism.
Appearance of the new coat of arms.
The new emblem of South Africa is a series of elements enclosed in two separate circles, located one above the other.
The first element is the Motto, in a green semicircle. The circle is closed by two symmetrically arranged pairs of elephant tusks directed upwards. Inside the circle formed by the tusks are two symmetrical ears of wheat, which in turn form a golden shield in the center of the circle.
The shape of the shield resembles a drum. It depicts two human figures from the cave paintings of the Khoisan tribe.
These figures are facing each other, hands joined in greeting. Above the shield, a spear and a scepter are located crosswise, forming a single whole.
Directly above the base circle is the visual center of the coat of arms, the proteus. Protea petals have a triangular shape, which resembles the products of African folk craftsmen. The secretary bird is located above the protea, and the flower forms its breast. The wings of the bird are spread and raised in a stately gesture. Feathers crown her regal and all-seeing head.
Between the wings of the bird are the rays of the rising sun, closing the upper circle. The upper and lower circles intersect, forming an inextricable and endless line.
Symbolism of the new coat of arms
Motto "!ke e: /xarra //ke" , written in the Khoisan language of the people, literally means: "various people unite". On the one hand, it symbolizes the unity of human thoughts and actions. On the other hand, he calls on all the people to unite on the basis of a sense of belonging to one nation and national pride - Unity in difference.
ears of corn - Being an emblem of fertility, they symbolize the process of birth, growth and healthy development. They are a reminder that people should not experience hunger and symbolize the agricultural use of the land.
human figures the shield reproduces images on the Linton Stone, a world-famous example of South African rock art, now in the South African Museum in Cape Town.
Khoisan, the most ancient inhabitants of our country, symbolize our common belonging to the South African nation. The people depicted on the shield greet each other, which implies unity.
flight of the secretary bird symbolizes the natural relationship between growth and speed. This is the king of birds, as the lion is the king of beasts. The strong legs of this bird, represented on the coat of arms with a scepter and a spear, serve it when hunting snakes, which symbolizes the protection of the country from enemies. The secretary bird is the messenger of heaven, bringing their blessing to earth. In this sense, it is a symbol of Divine majesty. Her raised wings - the emblem of the growing power of the nation - take our people under their protection. The color of the secretary bird is gold, which symbolizes its connection with the sun and higher power.
The sun - the emblem of radiance, splendor and the highest principles of energy - symbolizes rebirth, the ability to think, knowledge, justice and willpower. The sun is a symbol of the source of life, light and the indissoluble unity of all mankind.
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