South Africa, Republic of, republic and southernmost nation of continental Africa, bordered on the north-west by Namibia; on the north by Botswana and Zimbabwe; on the north-east by Mozambique and Swaziland; on the east and south by the Indian Ocean; and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The independent nation of Lesotho forms an enclave in the eastern part of the nation. South Africa has an area of 1,224,691 sq km (472,731 sq mi). The administrative capital of South Africa is Pretoria, the legislative capital is Cape Town, and the judicial capital is Bloemfontein.

Population
	42,327,458
	(1997 estimate)
Population Density
	35 people/sq km
	(90 people/sq mi)
	(1997 estimate)
Urban/Rural Breakdown
	60%Urban
	40%Rural
Largest Cities
	Cape Town854,616
	Durban715,669
	Johannesburg712,507
	Pretoria525,583
	(1991 census)
Largest Metropolitan Areas
	Cape Town2,350,157
	Johannesburg1,916,063
	Durban1,137,378
	Pretoria1,080,187
	(1991 census)
Ethnic Groups
	75.2%black African
	including Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, and Sotho
	13.6%White 
	including Afrikaners and British
	8.6%Coloured (mixed race) 
	2.6%Asian
	mostly Indians
Languages
Official Languages
	Afrikaans, Tsonga, English, Ndebele, Sesotho, Sesotho sa Lebowa,
	Swazi, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Other Languages
	Portuguese, German, Dutch and other European languages, Gujarati, 
	Hindi, Urdu, and other Asian languages
Religions
	17%orthodox African religions
	16%Dutch Reformed Protestantism
	13%African Christianity
	11%Methodism
	9%Roman Catholicism
	7%Anglicanism
	27%Other
	including other Christian denominations, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism