Part 688

Agriculture: corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; cattle, poultry, sheep, wool, milk, beef

Illicit drugs: transshipment center for heroin and cocaine; cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana

Exports: $27.9 billion (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: gold 27%, other minerals and metals 20%-25%, food 5%, chemicals 3% (1994) partners: Italy, Japan, US, Germany, UK, other EU countries, Hong Kong

Imports: $27 billion (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: machinery 32%, transport equipment 15%, chemicals 11%, oil, textiles, scientific instruments (1994) partners: Germany, US, Japan, UK, Italy

External debt: $22 billion (1995 est.)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA note: current aid pledges include US $600 million over three years ending in 1996; UK $150 million over three years; Australia $21 million over three years; Japan $1.3 billion over two years ending in 1996; EU $833 million over five years

Currency: 1 rand (R) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: rand (R) per US$1 - 3.6417 (January 1996), 3.6266 (1995), 3.5490 (1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992), 2.7563 (1991)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Transportation --------------

Railways: total: 21,431 km narrow gauge: 20,995 km 1.067-m gauge (9,087 km electrified); 436 km 0.610-m gauge (1995)

Highways: total: 182,329 km paved: 55,428 km (including 2,040 km of expressways) unpaved: 126,901 km (1991 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 931 km; petroleum products 1,748 km; natural gas 322 km

Ports: Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mosselbaai, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha

Merchant marine: total: 4 container ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 211,276 GRT/198,602 DWT (1995 est.)

Airports: total: 667 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 10 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 4 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 44 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 75 with paved runways under 914 m: 221 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 33 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 280 (1995 est.)

Communications --------------

Telephones: 5,206,235 (1993 est.)

Telephone system: the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest capacity in Africa domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, and radiotelephone communication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria international: 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 286, shortwave 0

Radios: 12.1 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 67 (1987 est.)

Televisions: 3.45 million (1990 est.)

Defense -------

Branches: South African National Defense Force (SANDF; includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services), South African Police Service (SAPS)

Manpower availability: males age 15-49: 10,686,976 males fit for military service: 6,502,265 males reach military age (18) annually: 424,854 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $2.9 billion, 2.2% of GDP (FY95/96)

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