South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is composed of nine provinces. The country's southern border has 2,798 kilometres of coastline along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean. It shares borders with Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe to the north, Mozambique and Eswatini to the east and northeast, and it encloses Lesotho.
In 1902, the Second Boer War ended with a British victory, though they suffered heavy casualties due to Boer attrition warfare. Scorched earth tactics and concentration camps contributed to the deaths of 27,000 Boer civilians due to disease and neglect.
In 1909, the South Africa Act granted nominal independence while creating the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910.
On 31 May 1910, the South Africa Act 1909 granted nominal independence creating the Union of South Africa.
After unification in 1910, South Africa had its own parliament which passed laws specific for South Africa, building on those previously passed for the individual member colonies.
In 1910, the Union of South Africa was created after the amalgamation of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange River colonies.
The first census in 1911 showed that whites made up 22% of the population.
In 1913, the Natives' Land Act severely restricted the ownership of land by blacks, limiting them to only 7% of the country's land.
In 1924, Raymond Dart identified the Taung Child, the first hominin fossil discovered in Africa, near Taung.
In 1930, Solomon Thekiso Plaatje's Mhudi, was written, one of the first novels written by a black author in an African language.
In 1931, the union became fully sovereign from the United Kingdom with the passage of the Statute of Westminster.
In 1934, the South African Party and National Party merged to form the United Party, seeking reconciliation between Afrikaners and English-speaking whites.
In 1939, the United Party split over the entry of the union into World War II as an ally of the United Kingdom, opposed by National Party followers.
By 1945, more than 4,900 species of fungi (including lichen-forming species) had been recorded in South Africa.
In 1948, Alan Paton published the novel Cry, the Beloved Country.
In 1948, an unofficial temperature of 51.7 °C (125.06 °F) was recorded in the Northern Cape Kalahari near Upington, though it was not recorded with standard equipment.
In 1948, the National Party imposed apartheid, institutionalising previous racial segregation.
In 1948, the National Party was elected to power and strengthened the racial segregation, classifying people into three races and creating rights and limitations for each, leading to apartheid.
According to the United Nations World Population Prospects, South Africa's total population was 13.6 million in 1950.
In 1955, the Freedom Charter was adopted by the Congress Alliance, demanding a non-racial society and an end to discrimination.
On 31 May 1961, the country became a republic following a referendum. Elizabeth II lost the title Queen of South Africa, and the last Governor-General, Charles Robberts Swart, became state president. South Africa withdrew from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1961.
Since 1961, the long formal name in English has been the "Republic of South Africa" and Republiek van Suid-Afrika in Afrikaans.
In December 1967, cardiac surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first human-to-human heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital.
In 1970, South Africa's gold production peaked at nearly 1,000 tonnes.
In 1974, the Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith was signed by Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Harry Schwarz, enshrining the principles of peaceful transition of power and equality for all.
In 1979, Jody Scheckter won the Formula One motor racing World Championship.
In 1979, the "Vela incident", a suspected nuclear test, occurred over the Atlantic, although South Africa officially denies any involvement.
By 1980, the percentage of whites in the population had declined to 16%.
In 1980, South Africa completed its first operational nuclear device as part of its weapons of mass destruction program.
In 1983, P. W. Botha's Constitution Act eliminated the office of prime minister and instated a "strong presidency".
In 1987, Nando's was founded in Johannesburg, specializing in flame-grilled peri-peri chicken.
From 1990 to 2010, water access increased from 66% to 79% in South Africa.
In 1990, South Africa completed its sixth operational nuclear device as part of its weapons of mass destruction program.
In 1990, the National Party government lifted the ban on the ANC and other political organizations, and Nelson Mandela was released from prison.
Estimates based on the 1991 census suggest just under half of South Africans could speak English.
In 1991, Nadine Gordimer became the first South African to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In 1991, South Africa voluntarily dismantled its nuclear arsenal and joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In 1992, with approval from the white electorate in a referendum, the government continued negotiations to end apartheid.
The fall is in large part attributable to the South African HIV/AIDS pandemic which saw South African life expectancy fall from a high point of 62 years in 1992 to a low of 53 in 2005, and the failure of the government to take steps to address the pandemic in its early years.
In January 1993, the official highest temperature of 48.8 °C (119.84 °F) was recorded at Vioolsdrif.
In 1993, F.W. de Klerk opened bilateral discussions with Nelson Mandela for a transition of policies and government.
On June 4, 1994, South Africa signed the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity.
In 1994, South Africa held its first universal elections, which the ANC won by an overwhelming majority. The country rejoined the Commonwealth of Nations and became a member of the Southern African Development Community.
In 1994, South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth of Nations after the end of apartheid.
In 1994, about 36% of South Africans had access to electricity.
In 1994, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was established as a volunteer military through the integration of the former South African Defence Force (SADF) and various liberation movement forces.
In 1994, the highest court, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, was based in Johannesburg.
In 1994, the vast majority of Black South Africans were enfranchised.
In 1994, universal elections took place, following which all racial groups have held political representation.
In post-apartheid ANC-governed South Africa, unemployment skyrocketed to over 30% since 1994 and income inequality increased.
More than 526,000 South Africans were murdered from 1994.
On November 2, 1995, South Africa became a party to the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity.
From 1995 to 2005, The United Nations Human Development Index fell before recovering its 1995 peak in 2013. The fall is in large part attributable to the South African HIV/AIDS pandemic
In 1995, South Africa won the Rugby World Cup for the first time, hosting the event.
Penny Heyns won Olympic Gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
In 1998, South Africa's national cricket team, the Proteas, won the inaugural edition of the ICC KnockOut Trophy. Also in 1998, South Africa's national blind cricket team won the Blind Cricket World Cup.
Since 1998, the South African government has settled 80,000 land claims from people who had been evicted from land by the previous government.
In 1999, a financial aid scheme was promulgated.
In 2001, Eskom was recognized as the world's best electricity company.
Per the 2001 census, the Christian category included Zion Christian (11.1%), Pentecostal (Charismatic) (8.2%), Catholic (7.1%), Methodist (6.8%), Dutch Reformed (6.7%), and Anglican (3.8%).
In 2002, Sydney Brenner won the Nobel Prize for his pioneering work in molecular biology.
J.M. Coetzee won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003.
The overall unemployment rate of black people worsened between 1994 and 2003 by official metrics but declined significantly using expanded definitions.
In 2004, South Africa started reforming its tertiary education system.
In 2004, the South African swimming team of Roland Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend, and Ryk Neethling won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Athens, breaking the world record in the 4×100 Freestyle Relay.
Since 2004, South Africa experienced a surge in popular protests, some of which were violent, leading to the country being described as the "most protest-rich country in the world".
In 2005, U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The fall is in large part attributable to the South African HIV/AIDS pandemic which saw South African life expectancy fall from a high point of 62 years in 1992 to a low of 53 in 2005, and the failure of the government to take steps to address the pandemic in its early years.
On June 7, 2006, South Africa's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan was received by the Rio Convention.
In 2006, South Africa became one of the first jurisdictions in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.
In 2006, the film Tsotsi won the Academy Award for Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards.
In 2006, the number of fungi species in South Africa was estimated at 200,000, not taking into account fungi associated with insects.
In a 2006 survey, the South African Migration Project concluded that South Africans are more opposed to immigration than any other national group.
On 16 March 2018, just over a month after President Jacob Zuma resigned from the presidency, National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams announced that Zuma would again face prosecution on 16 criminal charges – 12 charges of fraud, two of corruption, and one each of racketeering and money laundering, just as in the 2006 indictment.
According to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, South Africa's refugee and asylum seeker population numbered approximately 144,700 in 2007.
Eskom introduced rolling blackouts (load shedding) in 2007 to prevent grid collapse.
In 2007, South Africa hosted the World Twenty20 Championship.
In 2007, in response to international pressure, the South African government made efforts to fight AIDS.
Since 2007, South Africa has been undergoing an energy crisis, resulting in routine rolling electricity blackouts due to loadshedding.
A series of anti-immigrant riots occurred in South Africa beginning in May 2008.
In May 2008, riots in South Africa left over 60 people dead and drove over 100,000 people from their homes. The targets were mainly migrants and refugees, but a third of the victims were South African citizens.
A 2008 study revealed that HIV/AIDS infection is distinctly divided along racial lines: 13.6% of blacks are HIV-positive, whereas only 0.3% of whites have the virus.
According to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, South Africa's refugee and asylum seeker population numbered approximately 144,700 in 2007.
According to the South African Institute of Race Relations, the life expectancy in 2009 was 71 years for a white South African and 48 years for a black South African. The healthcare spending in the country is about 9% of GDP.
After the 2009 general elections, President Jacob Zuma appointed Aaron Motsoaledi as the health minister and committed his government to increasing funding for HIV treatment.
From 1990 to 2010, sanitation access increased from 71% to 79% in South Africa.
In 2010, Durban surfer Jordy Smith won the Billabong J-Bay Open, becoming the highest-ranked surfer in the world.
In 2011, South Africa published its first national climate change report.
In 2011, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that recent violence had not been as widespread as initially feared.
In 2012, Oscar Pistorius became the first double amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympic Games in London.
In August 2013, South Africa was ranked as the top African "Country of the Future" by fDi Intelligence.
From 1995 to 2005, The United Nations Human Development Index fell before recovering its 1995 peak in 2013. The fall is in large part attributable to the South African HIV/AIDS pandemic
In 2013, the coldest temperature on mainland South Africa was recorded in Buffelsfontein in the Eastern Cape, reaching −20.1 °C (−4.2 °F).
In 2014, approximately 56% of South Africans lived below the poverty line.
Statistics from the Department of Environmental Affairs show a record 1,215 rhinos were killed in 2014.
According to the 2015 UNAIDS medical report, South Africa has an estimated seven million people living with HIV, more than any other country in the world.
According to the United Nations World Population Prospects, South Africa's total population was 55.3 million in 2015.
As of 2015, the wealthiest 10% held 71% of national wealth, while the poorest 60% held just 7% in South Africa, illustrating high inequality.
By 2015, 1.4 million students in higher education have been aided by a financial aid scheme.
By 2015, South Africa had made significant progress in HIV treatment, with the widespread availability of antiretroviral drugs resulting in an increase in life expectancy.
In 2015, the Oliver Hermanus film The Endless River became the first South African film selected for the Venice Film Festival.
In 2016, South Africa published its second national climate change report.
Since 2016, Wayde van Niekerk has been the world record holder in the 400 metres.
From April 2017, South Africa experienced a period where an average of 57 murders were committed each day.
In 2017, South Africa reaffirmed its disarmament stance by signing the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
On 14 February 2018, Jacob Zuma resigned the presidency. On 15 February, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa became President of South Africa.
On 16 March 2018, Zuma would again face prosecution on 16 criminal charges.
Until March 2018, South Africa experienced a period where an average of 57 murders were committed each day.
In 2018, HIV prevalence among adults (15–49 years) was 20.4%, and 71,000 people died from an AIDS-related illness.
In 2018, the Zondo Commission was established to investigate allegations of corruption and state capture.
In early 2018, Cape Town faced a water crisis with the city's water supply predicted to run dry before the end of June. Water-saving measures were in effect, limiting citizens to 50 litres per day.
During 2019–2023, Eskom CEO André de Ruyter attempted to reform the utility but faced fierce internal resistance and assassination threats from criminal elements within the company.
In 2019, South Africa had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 4.94/10, ranking it 112th globally out of 172 countries.
In 2019, South Africa ratified the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
In 2019, the Port of Durban handled approximately 4.5 million TEUs, making it the largest and busiest container port in sub-Saharan Africa.
More than 526,000 South Africans were murdered until 2019.
A warrant was issued for Jacob Zuma's arrest in February 2020 after he failed to appear in court.
As part of its international commitments, South Africa has pledged to peak emissions between 2020 and 2025.
Since 2020, South Africa experienced a period of political and economic crisis.
In 2021, Jacob Zuma was found guilty of contempt of court and sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment, leading to protests and riots that resulted in 354 deaths.
Following André de Ruyter's resignation as Eskom CEO in December 2022, multiple coal-fired generating units were sabotaged.
In December 2022, the MTN Group reportedly reached around 290 million users.
According to the 2022 census, Christians accounted for 85.3% of the population, Muslims 1.6%, Hindus 1.1%, traditional African religions 7.8%, 3.1% had no religious affiliation, and 1.1% were "other".
According to the 2022 census, the three most spoken first languages are Zulu (24.4%), Xhosa (16.6%), and Afrikaans (10.6%). English is the fifth most common home language, spoken by 8.7% of South Africans.
As of 2022, South Africa's population is about 62 million. The last census was held in 2022.
In 2022, South Africa was ranked sixth out of 48 sub-Saharan African countries on the Ibrahim Index of African Governance.
In 2022, South Africa's women's team won the Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
In 2022, the Zondo Commission released its findings, documenting evidence of systemic corruption, fraud, racketeering, bribery, money laundering, and state capture at every level of government.
The 2022 census figures for racial groups were: Black African at 81%, Coloured at 8.2%, White at 7.3%, Indian or Asian at 2.7%, and Other/Unspecified at 0.5%.
In 2023, South African Sign Language was recognised as an official language.
In 2023, the ICC Women's T20 World Cup was hosted in South Africa and the women's team won silver.
In 2023, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) had a market capitalization of approximately US$1.36 trillion.
In the 2023 International SWAT Competition, the Special Task Force (STF) ranked 9th out of 55 international law enforcement teams.
By March 2024, interventions helped South Africa achieve a stable electricity supply for the first time in over a decade, with load shedding suspended.
In May 2024, the ANC lost its majority for the first time since the end of Apartheid, winning only 40% of the vote and 159 seats. The Democratic Alliance (DA) won 22% of the vote and 87 seats. uMkhonto weSizwe won 14.6% of the vote and 58 seats, while the Economic Freedom Fighters won 9.5% of the vote and 39 seats. The ANC formed a Government of National Unity with the DA and several smaller parties after the May 2024 election.
As of 2024, about 32% of the population is unemployed in South Africa.
By 2024, mobile subscriptions exceeded the population in South Africa, and internet usage reached over 72%.
In 2024, South Africa experienced a growth in tourism, with combined passenger arrivals increasing to 8.92 million people.
In 2024, South Africa was ranked 69th in the Global Innovation Index.
In 2024, the African National Congress's share of the national vote fell below 50% for the first time since the end of Apartheid. Despite this, it remained the single largest party in the South African Parliament. President Ramaphosa announced a national unity government and was reelected for a second term.
In 2024, the men's cricket team won silver at the ICC T20 World Cup.
As of May 2025, the tourism industry accounted for 3.3% of South Africa's GDP, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).
In August 2025, South Africa approved the construction of a new 4,000-MW nuclear power plant near Cape Town.
As of 2025, South Africa has 573 airports, the most in Africa and 13th globally. Cape Town International Airport was also ranked the best airport in the world by the AirHelp Score index in 2025.
As of 2025, South Africa has the largest railway network in Africa and the 9th-largest in the world, with a total track length of approximately 31,000 km.
As of 2025, South Africa spends approximately R57 billion (around US$3.25 billion), which amounts to roughly 0.8% of GDP, on defence.
As of 2025, approximately 94% of South Africans have access to electricity.
As of 2025, the SANDF consists of around 75,000 professional soldiers and operates under the authority of the President of South Africa.
As of 2025, the purchasing power parity (PPP) in South Africa of around US$16,000 ranks among the highest on the continent.
As part of its international commitments, South Africa has pledged to peak emissions between 2020 and 2025.
In 2025, South Africa was rated as the 4th best country in the world for tourism, and the best in the Africa and Indian Ocean region, by The Telegraph.
In 2025, the adult literacy rate in South Africa was 95%, the second-highest in Africa.
In 2025, the men's team won the 2023–2025 ICC World Test Championship, beating Australia in the final.
In early 2025, 1.8 million people were employed in South Africa's tourism sector.
South Africa's men's U-20 team also won the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
South Africa is exploring the development of future high-speed bullet trains, with the first line expected to launch in 2030.
By 2050, computer models project that parts of southern Africa will experience a temperature increase of about 1 °C (1.8 °F) along the coast to more than 4 °C (7.2 °F) in the hinterland, such as the Northern Cape, during late spring and summertime.
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