South Africa has eleven official names, one in each of the country’s 12 official languages apart from South African Sign Language. This number is surpassed only by India.
The languages are Afrikaans, English, Tsonga, Venda, the Sotho-Tswana languages (Sepedi, Sotho, and Tswana), and the Nguni languages (Ndebele, Zulu, siSwati, and Xhosa).
The 11 official names of South Africa are listed in the table below:
| Language | Long Form | Short Form |
|---|---|---|
| English | Republic of South Africa | South Africa |
| Zulu | iRiphabhuliki yaseNingizimu Afrika | iNingizimu Afrika |
| Xhosa | iRiphabliki yomZantsi Afrika | uMzantsi Afrika |
| Afrikaans | Republiek van Suid-Afrika | Suid-Afrika |
| Sepedi | Repabliki ya Afrika-Borwa | Afrika Borwa |
| Tswana | Rephaboliki ya Aforika Borwa | Aforika Borwa |
| Sotho | Rephaboliki ya Afrika Borwa | Afrika Borwa |
| Tsonga | Riphabliki ra Afrika Dzonga | Afrika-Dzonga |
| siSwati | iRiphabhulikhi yeNingizimu Afrika | iNingizimu Afrika |
| Venda | Riphabuḽiki ya Afurika Tshipembe | Afurika Tshipembe |
| Ndebele | iRiphabliki yeSewula Afrika | iSewula Afrika |
There is one former official name that is listed in the table below:
| Language | Long Form | Short Form | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch | Republiek van Zuid-Afrika | Zuid-Afrika | 1961 – 1983 |
Please note: The country code of South Africa, ZA, is an abbreviation of this former official name, Zuid-Afrika.
