Names: conventional long form: Republic of South Africa conventional short form: South Africa former: Union of South Africa abbreviation: RSA

Capital City: Pretoria (administrative capital)

Population: 44,187,637 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)

GDP Per Capita: $13,000 (2006 est.)

Currency: rand (ZAR)

Languages: IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census)

Total Area: total: 1,219,912 sq km land: 1,219,912 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island) slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Region: Africa

Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair

Agriculture: corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products

Resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas

Labor Force: 16.09 million economically active (2006 est.)
agriculture: 30% industry: 25% services: 45% (1999 est.)

Exports: $59.15 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment

Imports: $61.53 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs

Overview: South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world; and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to lower South Africa's high unemployment rate, and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to increase job growth and household income.

_{CIA World Book}

In 2007 Missouri exported $49,398,468 in goods to South Africa. This ranks South Africa 26^th among the 223 international buyers of Missouri goods. Missouri exports to South Africa decreased from the previous year by $4,206,843 a change of -7.85%. State exports to South Africa have increased over the last 5 years by $30,450,285 a change of 160.70%. Missouri exports account for .37%. of all 2007 US exports to South Africa.