Overview of South Africa - 1260 Words

South Africa as the name sounds is located at the south side of Africa (CIA). It is about the size of Columbia (CIA). A country that rest between two great oceans, South Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean. Being partially surrounded; West, East and South, by water. It is regarded as the 25th largest nation in the world with a population of 48.6 million people (CIA). The average temperature for the country is warm, in the winter it’s dry and sunny, and in the summer it’s wet, rainy. The country is a diversified society that comprises of various cultures and demographics. Demographics: South Africa has a lot of history as to how they came to be. They were first discovered by a Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias in 1487, the Dutch East Indian†¦show more content†¦South Africa joined the international economy because of other countries high demands for its diamonds and gold as well as its needs for more agricultural foods (Byrnes, pg. 175). The country exported $93.48 billion (CIA world fact book) and imported $102.6 billion (CIA world fact book) worth of resources. South Africa uses the Rand (R) as its currency. In the past â€Å"the rand was pegged to major foreign currencies† (Byrnes, pg. 242), it depreciated due to the country’s foreign debt. The rand has yet to recover from its fall (Byrnes, pg. 242). As of yesterday, January 26, 2013, one rand is equivalent to $.09 cents (google search). In the past mining and agriculture played a major part in the nations GDP. The country had a Gross domestic product based on its purchasing power parity of $576.1 billion. Its GDP per capital was $11,300 with a high unemployment of 25.1%. The country had a poverty level of 31%. The country imported more goods than was exported mainly because, it needed machinery’s for its mines. The countries major exporting partners where; â€Å"China 11.8%, US 8.3%, Japan 6 %,†( CIA world fact book). The country’s major importing countries were â€Å"China 14.4%, Germany 10.1%, Saudi Arabia 7.7%, US 7.4%,† (CIA world fact book). The country produces its own electricity, in the past it depended on other countries (CIA). South Africa has the most advance technologies, transportation on railroads, ships and aviation’s. South Africa has takenShow MoreRelatedSouth Africa a Development and Economic Overview2383 Words   |  10 PagesSouth Africa A Development and Economic Overview Introduction I chose South Africa as the topic for this research paper. I have always wanted to visit South Africa but have never had the opportunity to travel there. My involvement in international development has given me an interest in this country, as it has many ties to the developing world and the history of developing countries through colonialism. 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