FACTBOX-Key facts on S.African President Thabo Mbeki

(Reuters) - President Thabo Mbeki made a state of the nation speech to South Africa's parliament on Friday.

Here are some key facts on Mbeki:

EARLY LIFE:

* Born in June 1942 in the agricultural village of Idutywa in southeastern Transkei region, he has been a long-time member of the ANC and was son of one of the party's first leaders.

* At 14, he joined the ANC Youth League and, at 19, he was ordered by the ANC to leave the country and accelerate his education in preparation for a leading role in later life.

* He earned a master's degree in economics at Sussex University in Britain and underwent military training in the Soviet Union, a backer of the ANC's armed campaign against apartheid.

* PRESIDENT MBEKI:

* Mbeki lost the leadership of the ruling ANC party to Jacob Zuma in December. Mbeki has denied he is a lame duck president.

* First elected in 1999 to succeed anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela as South Africa's second black president, Mbeki emerged as a cerebral leader committed to delivering on the promises of a young democracy. He was re-elected for a second term in April 2004.