Background After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule. The People | Population | 43,997,828 | | Age structure | 0-14 years: 29.1% (male 6,447,623/female 6,370,909)
15-64 years: 65.5% (male 14,040,210/female 14,761,179)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 917,227/female 1,460,680) (2007 est.) | | Life expectancy at birth | total population: 42.45 years
male: 43.21 years
female: 41.66 years (2007 est.) | Population growth rate | -0.46% (2007 est.) | | Ethnic groups | Black African 79%, White 9.6%, Colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census) | | Religions | 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) | | Population below poverty line | 50% (2000 est.) | | People living with HIV/AIDS | 5.3 million (2003 est.) | | HIV/AIDS - deaths | 370,000 (2003 est.) | | Mobile phones in use | 33.96 million (2005) | | Internet users | 5.1 million (2005) |
Data (Background & The People) provided by The World Factbook |