I. Geographical location of South Africa
Located in the southern hemisphere, known as the "Rainbow Country", it is located at the southernmost tip of the African continent with a land area of 12 19090 square kilometers. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, south and west, and borders Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland on land. It faces Australia across the Indian Ocean to the east and Brazil and Argentina across the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
South Africa has three capitals: the administrative capital (seat of the central government) is tshwane, the legislative capital (seat of parliament) is Cape Town, and the judicial capital (seat of the Supreme Court) is bloemfontein.
Two. natural environment
Regional position
South Africa is located at the southernmost tip of the African continent, with latitude from 22 to 35 south latitude and longitude from17 to 33 east longitude. Bordering Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland in the north and surrounded by Lesotho in the middle, it is the largest country in China. The east, south and west are surrounded by Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. The Cape of Good Hope route at its southwest end has always been one of the busiest sea passages in the world, and it is known as the "western sea lifeline".
topography
South Africa is located at the southernmost tip of the African Plateau. The marginal areas in the south, east and west are coastal lowlands, and the north is surrounded by mountains. The inland area in the north belongs to kalahari desert, which is mostly shrub grassland or arid desert. The elevation of this area is about 650 to 1250 meters. The surrounding highlands are over1200m above sea level. The highest point in South Africa is Mount Tapana, with steep cliffs in the east, with an altitude of 3,482 meters. To the east, Longshan Mountain runs through it.
Climatic characteristics
Most of South Africa is located in the subtropical high zone and belongs to the savanna climate. October to February is summer, and June to August is winter. The Drakensberg Mountains block the moist airflow in the Indian Ocean, so the drier it gets to the west, the more obvious the continental climate becomes. There is little rain in autumn and winter, and the yellow precipitation in grassland is mainly concentrated in summer, and the annual precipitation drops from 1000mm from east to west to 60 mm. The annual precipitation in the eastern coast is 1200mm, and it is humid and rainy in summer, belonging to subtropical monsoon climate. The southern coast and the windward slope of the Drakens Mountains have precipitation all year round, with high humidity and a maritime climate. In the southwest corner of Agus, the southwest wind blows in winter, bringing 400 ~ 600 mm of rainfall, accounting for 4/5 of the annual rainfall, belonging to the Mediterranean climate. The average annual precipitation in China is 464 mm, far below the world average of 857 mm.
The temperature in South Africa is relatively lower than other countries in the southern hemisphere with the same latitude, but the annual average temperature is still above zero, generally at 12 ~ 23 degrees Celsius. The temperature difference is not big. However, the disparity of height difference caused the vertical change of temperature. In addition, the Benguela cold current flowing through the western coast and the Mozambique warm current flowing through the eastern coast form the longitude difference of temperature. In winter, the temperature in the inland plateau is low. Although there is no regular snow, frost is very common.
The annual average sunshine hours are 7.5 ~ 9.5 hours, especially in April and May, so it is known as "the country of the sun".
Hydrological distribution
There are two main rivers in South Africa: one is the Orange River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean from east to west, with a total length of 2 160 km. It is one of the largest rivers in Africa, with a drainage area of about 950,000 square kilometers. The other is limpopo river, which mainly flows through the border between Botswana and Zimbabwe and flows into the Indian Ocean through Mozambique, with a total length of 1680 km and a drainage area of 385,000 square kilometers.
Most of the other smaller rivers originating from the inland plateau flow into the Indian Ocean through the "Great Cliff", and a few flow westward into the Atlantic Ocean. It mainly includes Vaal and Tugela in Kwa/Na province, Sundays and Great Fish in eastern cape, Olifants in West Cape Province, Letaba in North Province and Caledon River in East Free State Province.
Three. natural resource
South Africa is rich in mineral resources and is one of the top five countries in the world. There are more than 70 kinds of proven reserves and exploitable minerals. The reserves of platinum group metals, fluorite and chromium rank first in the world, gold, vanadium, manganese and zirconium rank second, titanium ranks fourth, phosphate rock, uranium, lead and antimony rank fifth, coal and zinc rank eighth and copper ranks ninth. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Mines of South Africa, the proven mineral reserves in 20 1 1 year are: 6,000 tons of gold (1 1.8% of the world's total reserves, the same below), 63,000 tons of platinum group metals (95.5%) and manganese/kloc-0. Chromium is 365.438+100 million tons (85%), uranium is 295,000 tons (5.5%), coal is 3010.56 million tons (3.5%), titanium is 710.3 million tons (65.438+0.3%), and zirconium is 65.438+0.3%. Phosphate is 654.38+0.5 billion tons (265.438+0%), antimony is 265.438+0.2%, lead is 300,000 tons (265.438+0%), zinc is 654.38+0.4 million tons (3.3%), and copper is used. [ 1]
Groundwater is the only reliable annual water supply source in many parts of South Africa, with an annual groundwater volume of 2.2 billion cubic meters.
Four. economy
South Africa is the second largest economy in Africa, with the highest living standard per capita, the most perfect industrial system in Africa and the world's first deep mining technology. Minerals are the main source of South Africa's economy.
South Africa is a middle-income developing country and one of the most developed countries in Africa. Natural resources are very rich. The financial and legal systems are relatively perfect, and the infrastructure such as communication, transportation and energy is good. Mining, manufacturing, agriculture and service industries are all developed, which are the four pillars of the economy. Deep well mining and other technologies are in the leading position in the world. However, the development of various departments and regions of the national economy is unbalanced, and the characteristics of urban and rural, black and white dual economy are obvious. From the early 1980s to the early 1990s, affected by international sanctions, the economy declined. The new South African government has formulated the "Reconstruction and Development Plan", which emphasizes improving the social and economic status of blacks. The "Growth, Employment and Redistribution Plan" was launched on 1996, aiming at achieving economic growth, increasing employment and gradually changing the unreasonable distribution situation by promoting privatization, reducing fiscal deficit, increasing the flexibility of the labor market, promoting exports, relaxing foreign exchange controls, and encouraging the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. In 2006, the "South Africa Accelerated and Enjoy Growth Initiative" was implemented, the government's intervention in the economy was intensified, and measures such as strengthening infrastructure construction, implementing the strategy of giving priority to industrial development, and strengthening education and human resources training were taken to promote employment and reduce poverty. From 65438 to 0994-2004, the economy grew at an average annual rate of 3%, and in 2005-2007 it exceeded 5%.
industry
Manufacturing, construction, energy and mining are the four major sectors of South Africa's industry. The manufacturing industry has complete categories and advanced technology. The main products are steel, metal products, chemicals, transportation equipment, machinery manufacturing, food processing, textiles, clothing and so on. Iron and steel industry is the pillar of South Africa's manufacturing industry, with six iron and steel conglomerates and 130 steel enterprises. In recent years, uncompetitive industries such as textiles and clothing have shrunk, and emerging export industries such as automobile manufacturing have developed rapidly.
The construction industry has developed rapidly. 1994- 1999, the south African government raised 125 billion rand to build low-rent housing to alleviate the housing problem of black urban residents. In recent years, due to South Africa's accelerated implementation of the 20 10 World Cup stadium construction and real estate development fever, the construction industry has developed rapidly, but the problems such as outdated equipment and lack of skilled workers are more prominent. The South African government is implementing the infrastructure development plan, and the construction industry is facing a good opportunity for further development.
agriculture
The main crops are: corn, wheat, sugarcane, barley and so on. The export volume of sucrose ranks among the top in the world. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries account for 5% of GDP, and their role in the national economy is decreasing. Agriculture provides 13% formal employment opportunities. 30% of non-gold export income comes from agricultural products or agricultural products processing. In normal years, food can be exported except for self-sufficiency. The main crop is corn. The quality of canned food, cigarettes, wine, coffee and drinks meets international standards, and wine enjoys a high reputation in the world. Forest coverage accounts for 6% of the total land area.
Animal husbandry is relatively developed, mainly concentrated in two-thirds of the western territory. Livestock mainly include cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. The main poultry are ostriches and broilers. The main products are eggs, beef, fresh milk, dairy products, mutton, pork and wool. 85% of the required meat is self-sufficient, and 15% is imported from neighboring countries such as Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Australia, New Zealand and some European countries. Sheep wool production is considerable, making it the fourth largest exporter of sheep wool in the world.
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