<Tr> <Th> ISO 3166 code </Th> <Td> ZA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Internet TLD </Th> <Td>. za </Td> </Tr> <P> South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa . It is bounded on the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) of coastline of Southern Africa stretching along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; on the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and on the east and northeast by Mozambique and Swaziland; and surrounds the kingdom of Lesotho . South Africa is the largest country in Southern Africa and the 25th - largest country in the world by land area and, with close to 56 million people, is the world's 24th-most populous nation . It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere . About 80 percent of South Africans are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different African languages, nine of which have official status . The remaining population consists of Africa's largest communities of European (white), Asian (Indian), and multiracial (coloured) ancestry . </P> <P> South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a wide variety of cultures, languages, and religions . Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the constitution's recognition of 11 official languages, which is among the highest number of any country in the world . Two of these languages are of European origin: Afrikaans developed from Dutch and serves as the first language of most white and coloured South Africans; English reflects the legacy of British colonialism, and is commonly used in public and commercial life, though it is fourth - ranked as a spoken first language . The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup d'état, and regular elections have been held for almost a century . However, the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994 . During the 20th century, the black majority sought to recover its rights from the dominant white minority, with this struggle playing a large role in the country's recent history and politics . The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous racial segregation . After a long and sometimes violent struggle by the African National Congress and other anti-apartheid activists both inside and outside the country, the repeal of discriminatory laws began in 1990 . </P>

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