In the former, whites and non-whites were segregated, with many black residents forced

out of their homes and denied citizenship. Since then, South Africa has flourished economically,

but still struggles from extreme xenophobia, high income inequality, and rising crime.

So how powerful is South Africa today?

Well, in terms of sheer size, South Africa is both the 25th largest and most populous

country in the world, with about 53 million residents spread across nearly half a million

square miles. That’s about as big and populous as two Texases, back to back. South Africa’s

large population is also one of the most diverse in the world, with no fewer than 11 official

languages recognized by the constitution. In fact, famed political activist, and ex-President

of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, called it the “Rainbow Nation”, to describe the

post-apartheid diversity. Despite it’s dark, and sometimes violent past, South Africa is

one of the only African countries to have avoided a violent government takeover. Since

the country’s formation in 1910, they’ve held regular elections, although for much

of their history, voting was limited to the white minority population.

Economically, South Africa is considered an upper-middle income economy. It is rapidly

industrializing, with the second largest GDP in Africa at $366 billion dollars a year.

It is also one of the world’s top mining countries, producing more than three quarter’s

of the world’s platinum, along with massive coal, gold, and diamond mines. However, Africa

also suffers from one of the highest levels of income inequality in the world. One in

four South Africans are unemployed and nearly half live in poverty.

In spite of these factors, South Africa’s military is rather robust. Ranked 32nd in

the world, they host nearly 90,000 active troops, with a defense budget of about four

and a half billion. But the most interesting aspect of South Africa’s military is their

relationship with nuclear weapons.

In the 1980s, South Africa developed half a dozen nuclear weapons. But in 1989, two

years before the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the South African government voluntarily

dismantled all of its nuclear weapons in an attempt to bring stability to the Southern

African region. It was the first nation to ever do so. They also lead the rest of Africa

in the creation of the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, an agreement throughout the continent

to prohibit research, development, and possession of nuclear weapons. These efforts helped establish

South Africa as a major player in the international community.

South Africa has made significant strides since the abolition of apartheid, but inequality

is still rampant. With attacks on foreigners on the rise, job scarcity, an HIV/AIDS epidemic,

and high crime, the country may need to modernize even more rapidly than they already have been.

So how powerful is South Africa? Well… they’re working on it.

South Africa has seen a recent rise in violence against immigrants and minorities in recent

years. To learn more about the issue, check out our video here.

In the country with 25% unemployment rate along with extreme high crime rate,

immigrants are an easy target for local frustration

One study found that among police officers, 87% believe that

many of the country undocumented immigrants were criminal despite no statistic supporting that accusation.

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