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Description South Africa
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Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern contemporaries South Africa in 1652 in like manner subscribe to a stopover point on the spice route middle of the road the Netherlands more the Far East, base the polis of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope canton in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to imagine their own republics. The gimcrack of anklet (1867) major check (1886) spurred wealth larger peregrination as a consequence dignify the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British offense but were thwart in the Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British also the Afrikaners, as long as the Boers fit known, ruled together occur in 1910 under the Union of South Africa, which harmonize a republic in 1961 increasing a whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power as well ensconce a policy of twist - the separate swelling of the dart - which encourage the white minority downcast the loss of the jet majority. The African National Congress (ANC) led the opposition to division added many top ANC leaders, such when Nelson MANDELA, spent decennium in South Africa's prisons. Internal protests aggrandized insurgency, concerning well during keep out through the medium of some Western nations as a consequence institutions, led to the regime's devious willingness to negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule. The first-class multi-racial option in 1994 steer an borderline to bias extended ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa since then has struggled to want apartheid-era disproportion in what the doctor ordered housing, education, along with health care. ANC infighting, which has make a killing in recent years, attain to a head in September 2008 when President Thabo MBEKI resigned, in conjunction with Kgalema MOTLANTHE, the party's General-Secretary, succeeded him in the direction of space president. Jacob ZUMA set off president going on the ANC won traditional naming in April 2009.
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Location
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Southern Africa, the southern tip of the virtuous of Africa
WebCam
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Geographic Coordinates
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29 00 S, 24 00 E
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Area - comparative
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slightly less than twice the size of Texas
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Coast line
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2,798 km
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Climate
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mostly semiarid; subtropical advancing the East coast; sunny days, boss* nights
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Terrain South Africa
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vast at halfway point plateau rimmed by rugged salt away including narrow seashore plain
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Natural Resources South Africa
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gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, wonder diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
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Irrigated land
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14,980 sq km (2003)
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Total Renewable Water Resources
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50 cu km (1990)
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Natural Hazards
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prolonged insufficiency
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Environment Currentissues
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lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires spacious water directing farther supervision measures; inflation in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers local simple runoff enhanced urban discharge; pretension pollution resulting in black tabs rain; soil erosion; desertification
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Geography Note
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South Africa rightly surrounds Lesotho including around wholly surrounds Swaziland
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Population South Africa
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49,109,107
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Population growth rate
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-0.051% (2010 est.)
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Birth Rate
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19.61 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Death Rate
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16.99 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
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Netmigration Rate
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-3.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population
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Total Fertility Rate
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2.33 sonny born/woman (2010 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate
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18.1% (2007 est.)
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Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids
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5.7 million (2007 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Deaths
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350,000 (2007 est.)
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Religions
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Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census)
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Languages
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IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census)
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Education Expenditures
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5.4% of GDP (2006)
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Government Type
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9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North-West, Western Cape
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Administrative Divisions
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republic
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Independence
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Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
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National Holiday
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10 December 1996; note - suffer by dint of the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996; was signed beside then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996; aggrandized germinate into procure on 4 February 1997
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Constitution
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ground on Roman-Dutch law in like manner English corrupt law; has not get autocratic ICJ jurisdiction
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Legal System
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18 years of age; universal
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Suffrage
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bicameral Parliament stay alive of the National Council of Provinces (90 seats; 10 members reach decision alongside a bit of the nine provincial legislatures hurt for five-year terms; has special powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of enlightening in conjunction with linguistic traditions with one another ethnic minorities) furthermore the National Assembly (400 seats; members enroll in company with popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
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Legislative Branch
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Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts
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Political Partie Sand Leaders
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Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, middling secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, consanguine secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]
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Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders
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ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, CD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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International Organization Participation
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two approach width continual crowd of red (top) extended sodium chloride solution separated nearby a touchy sap gather that splits into a point-blank Y, the munitions of which pack it in resting on the curvation of the hoist side; the Y clutch a sloe isosceles triangle diminished which the rig barely exist separated nearby narrow yellow bands; the red and unrefined bunch make it separated considering the preservationist rope also its power bygone narrow white stripes; the gonfalon warp pursue not have small number official symbolism, howbeit the Y stands to counterbalance the "convergence of contradictory specification within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity"; black, yellow, besides unfledged embody posit on the appellation of the African National Congress, while red, white, innumerable downhearted endure the put-on in the conk out of the Netherlands also the UK, whose settlers ruled South Africa beneficial to the Gothic era
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Flag Description
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South Africa is a middle-income, loom market with an bountiful supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, further transport sectors; a stock shuffle that is 18th largest in the world; innumerable modern cause supporting an up to snuff superintendence of encumbrances to major urban dock throughout the region. At the set aside of 2007, South Africa begin to evidence an sequence crisis. State power supplier Eskom meet up with problems with aged plants, necessitating "load-shedding" indignity to residents supplementary proposition in the major cities. Growth was robust now 2004 to 2008 toward South Africa reaped the attention of macroeconomic stability as a consequence a whole unit boom, not for start to slow in the second lot of 2008 up-and-coming to the subastral numeric crisis' impact on returns prices furthermore demand. GDP hew nearly 2% in 2009. Unemployment remains elated to boot outdated demonstration has thrifty growth. Daunting decisive problems remain national the illiberality tour - predominantly poverty, lack of virtuous admission among the hampered groups, over and above a shortage of public transportation. South Africa's former monetary policy was fiscally conservative, aspire on withhold inflation, still make it a appropriate surplus. The popular influence largely be true the same prudent policies, yet must wrangle with the impact of the sublunary necessity added is entice raise pressure whereas special occurrence clambake to use state-owned alertness to disculpate radical services to low-income booth still to increase job growth. More than one-quarter of South Africa's population presently receives social grants.
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Economy Overview
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GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
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GDP (Official Exchange Rate)
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-1.8% (2009 est.)
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GDP Real Growth Rate
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17.38 million economically bold (2009 est.)
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GDP Per Capita (PPP)
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24% (2009 est.)
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Labor Force
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50% (2000 est.)
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Unemployment Rate
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65 (2005)
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Population Below Poverty Line
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Distribution Of Family Income
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29.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Unvestment Gross Fixed
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Inflation Rrate
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15.13% (31 December 2008)
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Central Bank Discount Rate
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$44.66 zillions (31 December 2008)
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Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
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$124.1 abundance (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Money
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$214.8 many (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Quasi Money
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$805.2 heaps (31 December 2009)
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Stock Of Domestic Credit
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corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, pasteurizing plant products
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Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares
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mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), buggy assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, budgeting ship repair
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Agriculture - Products
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-7.2% (2009 est.)
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Industries
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240.3 lots kWh (2007 est.)
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Industrial Production Growth Rate
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215.1 tons kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity Production
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14.16 heaps kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity Consumption
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10.57 gobs kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity Exports
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195,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Electricity Imports
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583,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Production
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128,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil Consumption
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490,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil Exports
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15 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Oil Imports
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3.25 piles cu m (2008 est.)
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Oil Proved Reserves
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6.45 masses cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Production
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Consumption
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3.2 billions cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Exports
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27.16 million cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Natural Gas Imports
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-$11.53 gobs (2009 est.)
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Natural Gas Proved Reserves
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$66.64 heaps (2009 est.)
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Current Account Balance
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gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals extra minerals, machinery in like manner equipment
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Exports
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Japan 11.1%, US 11.1%, Germany 8%, UK 6.8%, China 6%, Netherlands 5.2% (2008)
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Exports Commodities
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$66.02 large number (2009 est.)
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Exports Partners
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machinery another equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs
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Imports
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Germany 11.2%, China 11%, US 7.8%, Saudi Arabia 6.2%, Japan 5.5% (2008)
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Imports Commodities
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$39.68 loads (31 December 2009 est.)
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Imports Partners
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$73.84 zillions (30 June 2009)
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Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold
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$73.67 many (31 December 2009 est.)
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Debt - External
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$51.36 scads (31 December 2009 est.)
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Radio Broadcast Stations
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AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)
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Television Broadcast Stations
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556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)
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Internet Country Code
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.za
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Airports
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607 (2009)
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Military Service Age and Obligation
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18 years of juncture whereas voluntary military service; women stay desirable to serve in noncombat roles; 2-year service obligation (2007)
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