| Full name: | Republic of South Africa |
| Population: | 48.6 million (bbc.co.uk) |
| Capital: | Pretoria |
| Area: | 1.22million km2 |
| Major languages: | Tswana, Zulu, Xhosa, Sepedi, Sotho, Xitsonga, Swati, Ndebele, Venda, Afrikaans and English (all official) |
| Major religions: | Christianity, Islam and indigenous religions |
| Life expectancy: | Males 49 yrs; Females 50 yrs |
| Monetary unit: | The South African Rand |
| Main exports: | Gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery, equipment and cars |
| GNI per capita: | US$ 5, 390 |
| Government: | Democratically elected President Thabo Mbeki |
| Mining regime: | South Africa has the largest global reserves of chrome, gold, vanadium, manganese and platinum group metals. There are currently more than 600 mining companies operating in South Africa. The principal legislation governing mineral rights in South Africa was the Minerals Act, which was replaced by the Mining and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) in May 2004. The MPRDA contains certain transitional measures with regard to mineral rights, prospecting permits, and mining authorizations (old order rights) and vests custodianship of all minerals in the South African State. |
