:South Africa Economy
Exchange rates:
rand (R) per US$1 - 2.7814 (January 1992), 2.7563 (1991), 2.5863 (1990),
2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
:South Africa Communications
Railroads:
20,638 km route distance total; 35,079 km of 1.067-meter gauge trackage
(counts double and multiple tracking as single track); 314 km of 610 mm
gauge
Highways:
188,309 km total; 54,013 km paved, 134,296 km crushed stone, gravel, or
improved earth
Pipelines:
crude oil 931 km, petroleum products 1,748 km, natural gas 322 km
Ports:
Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richard's Bay, Saldanha, Mosselbaai,
Walvis Bay
Merchant marine:
5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 213,708 GRT/201,043 DWT; includes 4
container, 1 vehicle carrier
Civil air:
90 major transport aircraft
Airports:
901 total, 732 usable; 132 with permanent-surface runways; 5 with runways
over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 224 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest capacity
in Africa; it consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables,
radio relay links, fiber optic cable, and radiocommunication stations; key
centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth,
and Pretoria; over 4,500,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 14 AM, 286 FM,
67 TV; 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
:South Africa Defense Forces
Branches:
South African Defense Force (SADF; including Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical
Services), South African Police (SAP)
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 10,051,202; 6,133,484 fit for military service; 420,275 reach
military age (18) annually; obligation for service in Citizen Force or
Commandos begins at 18; volunteers for service in permanent force must be
17; national service obligation is one year; figures include the so-called
homelands not recognized by the US
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $3.5 billion, about 3% of GDP (FY92)
:South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Geography
Total area:
4,066 km2
Land area:
4,066 km2; includes Shag and Clerke Rocks, South Georgia, Bird Island, South
Sandwich Islands
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
undetermined
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina
Climate:
variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year, interspersed with
periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
Terrain:
most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and
mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered
mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some
active volcanoes
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and
woodland 0%; other 100%; largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some
sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen
Environment:
reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on South Georgia; weather
conditions generally make it difficult to approach the South Sandwich
Islands; the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism
Note:
the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good
anchorage
:South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands People
Population:
no permanent population; there is a small military garrison on South
Georgia, and the British Antarctic Survey has a biological station on Bird
Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited