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NAVIGATION
Republic of South Africa
Iriphabhuliki Igizimu Africa (Zulu)
Republiek van Suid-Afrika (Afrikaans)
former: Union of South Africa
COMMUNICATIONS
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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more than 5 million (2001) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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7.06 million (2001) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa
domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean) |
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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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Radios:
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17 million (2001) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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6 million (2000) |
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Internet country code:
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.za |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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150 (2001) |
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Internet users:
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3.068 million (2002) |
TRANSPORTATION
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Railways:
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total: 22,298 km
narrow gauge: 21,984 km 1.065-m gauge (10,436 km electrified); 314 km 0.610-m gauge note: includes a 2,228 km commuter rail system (2002) |
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Highways:
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total: 358,596 km
paved: 59,753 km (including 1,927 km of expressways) unpaved: 298,843 km (1996) |
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Waterways:
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NA |
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Pipelines:
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crude oil 931 km; petroleum products 1,748 km; natural gas 322 km |
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Ports and harbors:
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Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 30,235 GRT/35,904 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 3, Netherlands 1 (2002 est.) ships by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 2 |
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Airports:
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727 (2002) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 143
over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 50 914 to 1,523 m: 67 under 914 m: 11 (2002) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 584
1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 298 under 914 m: 252 (2002) |
MILITARY
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Military branches:
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South African National Defense Force (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services), South African Police Service |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18 years of age (2003 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age 15-49: 11,865,280 (2003 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age 15-49: 7,211,075 (2003 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males: 471,578 (2003 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$1.746 billion (FY02) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.7% (FY02) |
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Military - note:
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with the end of Apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete |
TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES
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Disputes - international:
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managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River |
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Illicit drugs:
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transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and possibly cocaine; cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana; attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region |