Map of South Africa
South Africa is a country in Africa with its capital at Bloemfontein, home to about 64.75 million people across 1.22M km². The interactive map below plots 72 cities and towns, 16 rivers, 4 lakes, 6 mountain summits and 8 ports recorded for South Africa in YearMaps.
- Population
- 64.75 million
- Area
- 1.22M km²
- Capital
- Bloemfontein
- Continent
- Africa
Interactive Map of South Africa
Centred on Bloemfontein at 26.1681° S, 28.0281° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. The country consists of nine provinces, and is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 miles) of coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini. South Africa also encloses Lesotho. Covering an area of 1,221,037 square kilometres (471,445 square miles), the country has a population of over 63 million people, making it the sixth-most populated country in Africa, and 24th-most in the world. Pretoria is the administrative capital, while Cape Town, as the seat of Parliament, is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is regarded as the judicial capital. The largest and most populous city is Johannesburg, followed by Cape Town and Durban.
Archaeological findings suggest that various hominid species existed in South Africa about 2.5 million years ago, and modern humans inhabited the region over 100,000 years ago. The first known people were the indigenous Khoisan, and Bantu-speaking peoples, who migrated in waves, from west and central Africa to the region 2,000 to 1,000 years ago. In the north, the Kingdom of Mapungubwe formed in the 13th century, and the Venda Kingdom in the 17th century. In 1652, the Dutch established the first European settlement at Table Bay, Dutch Cape Colony. Its invasion in 1795, and the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806 led to British occupation. The Mfecane, a period of significant upheaval, led to the formation of various African kingdoms, including the Zulu Kingdom. The region was further colonised, and the Mineral Revolution saw a shift towards industrialisation and urbanisation. Following the Second Boer War, the Union of South Africa was created in 1910 after the amalgamation of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange River colonies, becoming a republic after the 1961 referendum. The multi-racial Cape Qualified Franchise in the Cape was gradually eroded, and the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994.
The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous racial segregation. After a struggle by the African National Congress and other anti-apartheid activists, both inside and outside the country, the repeal of discriminatory laws began in the mid-1980s.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: South Africa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of South Africa
Some of the earliest human remains in the fossil record were found in South Africa. By about A.D. 500, Bantu-speaking groups began settling into what is now northeastern South Africa, displacing Khoisan-speaking groups to the southwest. Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of present-day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many settlers of Dutch descent -- known then as "Boers," or farmers, but later called Afrikaners -- trekked north to found their own republics, Transvaal and Orange Free State. In the 1820s, several decades of wars began as the Zulus expanded their territory, moving out of what is today southeastern South Africa and clashing with other indigenous peoples and the growing European settlements. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred mass immigration, predominantly from Europe. The Zulu kingdom's territory was incorporated into the British Empire after the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879, and the Afrikaner republics were incorporated after their defeat in the Second South African War (1899-1902). Beginning in 1910, the British and the Afrikaners ruled together under the Union of South Africa, which left the British Commonwealth to become a fully self-governing republic in 1961 after a Whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid -– billed as "separate development" of the races -- which favored the White minority and suppressed the Black majority and other non-White groups. The African National Congress (ANC) led the resistance to apartheid, and many top ANC leaders such as Nelson MANDELA spent decades in South Africa's prisons. Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts from some Western nations and institutions, led to the regime's eventual willingness to unban the ANC and negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa has since struggled to address apartheid-era imbalances in wealth, housing, education, and health care under successive administrations. President Cyril RAMAPHOSA, who was reelected as the ANC leader in 2022, has made some progress in reigning in corruption.
- Location
- Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa.
- Climate
- Mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights.
- Terrain
- Vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain.
- Highest point
- Ntheledi (Mafadi) 3,450 m.
- Lowest point
- Atlantic/Indian Oceans 0 m.
- Coastline
- 2,798 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 5,244 km; border countries: Botswana 1,969 km; Lesotho 1,106 km; Mozambique 496 km; Namibia 1,005 km; Eswatini 438 km; Zimbabwe 230 km.
- Major rivers
- Orange (shared with Lesotho [s], and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 km; Limpoporivier (Limpopo) river source (shared with Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 1,800 km; Vaal [s] - 1,210 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth.
- Natural resources
- Gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 79.4% (2023 est.); arable land: 9.9% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 0.3% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 69.2% (2023 est.); forest: 18.7% (2023 est.); other: 1.9% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Prolonged droughts volcanism: the volcano that formed Marion Island in the Prince Edward Islands is South Africa's only active volcano.
- Geographic note
- Note 1: South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Eswatini note 2: sometimes mistaken for the southernmost point of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope is more accurately described as the southwestern-most point of the African continent; Cape Agulhas, the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, is the southernmost point of the African continent.
- Languages
- IsiZulu or Zulu (official) 25.3%, isiXhosa or Xhosa (official) 14.8%, Afrikaans (official) 12.2%, Sepedi or Pedi (official) 10.1%, Setswana or Tswana (official) 9.1%, English (official) 8.1%, Sesotho or Sotho (official) 7.9%, Xitsonga or Tsonga (official) 3.6%, siSwati or Swati (official) 2.8%, Tshivenda or Venda (official) 2.5%, isiNdebele or Ndebele (official) 1.6%, other (includes South African sign language (official) and Khoi or Khoisan or Khoe languages) 2% (2018 est.)
- Religions
- Christian 86%, ancestral, tribal, animist, or other traditional African religions 5.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other 1.5%, nothing in particular 5.2% (2015 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Black African 80.9%, Colored 8.8%, White 7.8%, Indian/Asian 2.6% (2021 est.)
- Economy
- Upper-middle-income, largest southern African economy; Government of National Unity facing slow growth, fiscal gaps, and structural challenges; high income inequality, unemployment, and poverty; reforms to address electricity generation, transport, and logistics; leading producer and exporter of critical minerals.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
South Africa in Numbers
- Population
- 64.75 million
- GDP
- US$427.2 billion
- GDP per person
- US$6,598
- Life expectancy
- 66.3 years
- Population growth
- 1.15% a year
- Population density
- 53 per km²
- Urban population
- 63.8%
- Surface area
- 1,219,602 km²
- Forest cover
- 18.8%
- Arable land
- 9.9%
- Access to electricity
- 90.2%
- Internet users
- 78.4%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
South Africa in Depth
History
South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological and human-fossil sites in the world. Archaeologists have recovered extensive fossil remains from a series of caves in Gauteng known as the Cradle of Humankind, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sites include Sterkfontein, one of the richest sites for hominin fossils in the world, as well as Swartkrans, Gondolin Cave, Kromdraai, Cooper's Cave and Malapa. The first hominin fossil discovered in Africa, the Taung Child, was found near Taung in 1924. Other hominin remains have come from the sites of Makapansgat in Limpopo; Cornelia and Florisbad in the Free State; Border Cave in KwaZulu-Natal; Klasies River Caves in the Eastern Cape; and Pinnacle Point, Elandsfontein and Die Kelders Cave in the Western Cape.
Geography
South Africa is in southern Africa, with a coastline that stretches more than 2,500 km (1,553 mi) and along two oceans—the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. At 1,219,912 km2 (471,011 sq mi) in area, South Africa is the 24th-largest country in the world. Excluding the Prince Edward Islands, the country lies between latitudes 22° and 35°S, and longitudes 16° and 33°E. The interior of South Africa consists of a large, and in most places almost flat, plateau with an altitude of between 1,000 m (3,300 ft) and 2,100 m (6,900 ft). It is highest in the east and slopes gently downwards towards the west and north, and slightly to the south and south-west. This plateau is surrounded by the Great Escarpment whose eastern, and highest, stretch is known as the Drakensberg.
Economy
South Africa has a mixed economy characterised by a large services sector, diversified industrial base and abundant natural resources. It is the largest economy in Africa and is widely recognised as the continent's most industrialised, technologically advanced and diversified nation. As of 2026, South Africa has a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) exceeding US$450 billion, making it the world's 39th-largest economy and one of the highest GDPs per capita in sub-Saharan Africa. The South African rand (ZAR) is Africa's most traded currency, while the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is the continent's largest stock exchange and ranks among the world's 20 largest by market capitalization. South Africa is the only African member of the G20 and is also a member of BRICS.
Demographics
South Africa is a nation of about 62 million (as of 2022) people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions. The last census was held in 2022, with estimates produced on an annual basis. According to the United Nations World Population Prospects, South Africa's total population was 55.3 million in 2015, compared to only 13.6 million in 1950.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: South Africa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
South Africa: Key Facts
| Currency | rand |
|---|---|
| Official languages | English, Afrikaans, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sesotho |
| Head of state | Cyril Ramaphosa |
| Head of government | Cyril Ramaphosa |
| Form of government | parliamentary republic, representative democracy |
| Calling code | +27 |
| Internet domain | .za |
| Highest point | Mafadi |
| Lowest point | Indian Ocean |
| Established | 31 May 1910 |
Facts from Wikidata Q258 (CC0).
History of South Africa: Empires and States
The atlas records 9 polities whose mapped territory included part of South Africa, from Dutch Cape Colony in 1653 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch Cape Colony | 1653–1795 CE | A large part |
| Dutch Republic | 1653–1795 CE | A large part |
| British Cape Colony | 1796–1884 CE | Most |
| The British Empire | 1796–1931 CE | Most |
| Natalia Republic | 1840–1910 CE | A small part |
| Free Orange State | 1856–1899 CE | A small part |
| South African Republic | 1856–1899 CE | A large part |
| British Africa | 1885–1931 CE | Most |
| South Africa | 1932–2024 CE | Most |
Historical Maps of South Africa
South Africa on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting South Africa
South Africa is rich in culture, fauna, flora and history. Africa's southernmost country is a large country with widely varying landscapes, 12 official languages, and an equally diverse population and is often known as the "Rainbow Nation".
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: South Africa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in South Africa
72 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 3.44 million | Gauteng | National capital |
| 2 | Cape Town | 3.21 million | Western Cape | National capital |
| 3 | Benoni | 2.99 million | Gauteng | Populated place |
| 4 | Durban | 2.73 million | KwaZulu-Natal | Populated place |
| 5 | Pretoria | 1.34 million | Gauteng | National capital |
| 6 | Vereeniging | 1.07 million | Gauteng | Populated place |
| 7 | Port Elizabeth | 1.02 million | Eastern Cape | Populated place |
| 8 | Pietermaritzburg | 750,845 | KwaZulu-Natal | Admin-1 capital |
| 9 | Bloemfontein | 463,064 | Orange Free State | National capital |
| 10 | Welkom | 431,944 | Orange Free State | Populated place |
| 11 | Mbombela | 348,138 | Mpumalanga | Admin-1 capital |
| 12 | East London | 338,627 | Eastern Cape | Populated place |
| 13 | Thohoyandou | 269,707 | Limpopo | Populated place |
| 14 | Springs | 236,083 | Gauteng | Populated place |
| 15 | Uitenhage | 228,912 | Eastern Cape | Populated place |
| 16 | Polokwane | 220,045 | Limpopo | Admin-1 capital |
| 17 | Paarl | 187,865 | Western Cape | Populated place |
| 18 | Klerksdorp | 178,921 | North West | Populated place |
| 19 | George | 174,582 | Western Cape | Populated place |
| 20 | Rustenburg | 165,976 | North West | Populated place |
| 21 | Kimberley | 165,264 | Northern Cape | Admin-1 capital |
| 22 | Bhisho | 160,997 | Eastern Cape | Admin-1 capital |
| 23 | Middelburg | 154,706 | Mpumalanga | Populated place |
| 24 | Vryheid | 150,012 | KwaZulu-Natal | Populated place |
| 25 | Umtata | 137,772 | Eastern Cape | Populated place |
The other 47 (population, region, role)
- Worcester · 127,597 · Western Cape · Populated place
- Potchefstroom · 123,669 · North West · Populated place
- Brits · 122,497 · North West · Populated place
- Queenstown · 105,309 · Eastern Cape · Populated place
- Mmabatho · 104,428 · North West · Admin-1 capital
- Kroonstad · 103,992 · Orange Free State · Populated place
- Bethal · 101,919 · Mpumalanga · Populated place
- Grahamstown · 91,548 · Eastern Cape · Populated place
- Bethlehem · 83,654 · Orange Free State · Populated place
- Oudtshoorn · 76,708 · Western Cape · Populated place
- Standerton · 74,021 · Mpumalanga · Populated place
- Upington · 71,373 · Northern Cape · Populated place
- Saldanha · 68,284 · Western Cape · Populated place
- Tzaneen · 67,245 · Limpopo · Populated place
- Knysna · 63,106 · Western Cape · Populated place
- Graaff Reinet · 62,896 · Eastern Cape · Populated place
- Port Shepstone · 52,793 · KwaZulu-Natal · Populated place
- Vryburg · 49,588 · North West · Populated place
- Ladysmith · 47,375 · KwaZulu-Natal · Populated place
- Beaufort West · 44,737 · Western Cape · Populated place
- Aliwal North · 44,436 · Eastern Cape · Populated place
- Volksrust · 43,378 · Mpumalanga · Populated place
- Lebowakgomo · 33,308 · Limpopo · Populated place
- Cradock · 32,898 · Eastern Cape · Populated place
- De Aar · 32,318 · Northern Cape · Populated place
- Qacha's Nek · 25,573 · Eastern Cape · Admin-1 capital
- Hermanus · 25,153 · Western Cape · Populated place
- Ulundi · 20,753 · KwaZulu-Natal · Populated place
- Komatipoort · 20,508 · Mpumalanga · Populated place
- Musina · 20,191 · Limpopo · Populated place
- Middelburg · 18,164 · Eastern Cape · Populated place
- Port Alfred · 17,959 · Eastern Cape · Populated place
- Bloemhof · 17,122 · North West · Populated place
- Mossel Bay · 16,743 · Western Cape · Populated place
- Bredasdorp · 14,936 · Western Cape · Populated place
- Swellendam · 13,674 · Western Cape · Populated place
- Colesberg · 12,423 · Northern Cape · Populated place
- Brandfort · 12,091 · Orange Free State · Populated place
- Prieska · 11,236 · Northern Cape · Populated place
- Springbok · 10,438 · Northern Cape · Populated place
- Kuruman · 10,006 · Northern Cape · Populated place
- Port St. Johns · 5,939 · Eastern Cape · Populated place
- Carnarvon · 5,785 · Northern Cape · Populated place
- Poffader · 4,220 · Northern Cape · Populated place
- Vanhynsdorp · 3,331 · Western Cape · Populated place
- Alexander Bay · 1,500 · Northern Cape · Populated place
- Ubomba · 564 · KwaZulu-Natal · Populated place
Highest Mountains in South Africa
6 mountains recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mafadi | 3,451 m | 11,322 ft | Africa |
| 2 | Kompasberg | 2,504 m | 8,215 ft | Africa |
| 3 | Die Berg | 2,331 m | 7,648 ft | Africa |
| 4 | Seweweekspoort Pk | 2,325 m | 7,628 ft | Africa |
| 5 | Emlembe | 1,862 m | 6,109 ft | Africa |
| 6 | Bokkeveldberg | 843 m | 2,766 ft | Africa |
Largest Lakes in South Africa
4 lakes recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bloemhof Dam | 431 km² | Reservoir |
| 2 | Vaal Dam | 414 km² | Reservoir |
| 3 | Gariep Dam | 322 km² | Reservoir |
| 4 | Vanderkloof Dam | 166 km² | Reservoir |
Vaal Dam
Reservoir · 414 km²
Vaal Dam is an artificial reservoir in South Africa, with a mapped surface area of about 414 km². It exists because of a dam rather than natural drainage.
The Vaal Dam in South Africa was constructed in 1938 and lies 77 km south of OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg. The lake behind the dam wall has a surface area of about 320 square kilometres (120 sq mi) and is 47 meters deep. The Vaal Dam lies on the Vaal River, which is one of South Africa's strongest-flowing rivers. Other rivers flowing into the dam are the Wilge River, Molspruit and Grootspruit. It has over 800 kilometres (500 mi) of shoreline and is South Africa's second biggest dam by area and the fourth largest by volume.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Vaal Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Surface area
- 414 km²
- Area rank
- #343 of 756 indexed
- Type
- Reservoir
- Country
- South Africa
- Coordinates
- -26.8734°, 28.1594°
Among the 756 water bodies with a mapped extent in YearMaps, Vaal Dam ranks #343 by surface area, after Lac Chavigny (415 km²) and ahead of Colville Lake (413 km²). Areas are computed from the mapped outline and are approximate.
- Settlements on the shore:
- Vereeniging (32 km), Springs (72 km), Johannesburg (80 km)
- Other water nearby:
- Lake Xau (77 km²), Lake Kariba (4,724 km²)
More about Vaal Dam
History
The construction of Vaal Dam started during the depression of the early thirties and the dam was completed in 1938 with a wall height of 54.2 metres (178 ft) above lowest foundation and a full supply capacity of 994,000,000 cubic metres (3.51×1010 cu ft). The dam is a concrete gravity structure with an earthfill section on the right flank. It was built as a joint venture by Rand Water and the Department of Irrigation (now known as the Department of Water Affairs).
The dam was subsequently raised in the early fifties to a height of 60.3 metres (198 ft) which increased the capacity to 2,188,000,000 cubic metres (7.73×1010 cu ft). A second raising took place in 1985 when the wall was raised by a further 3.05 metres (10.0 ft) to 63.4 metres (208 ft) above lowest foundation.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Vaal Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Vaal Dam: Key Facts
| Surface elevation | 1,486 m |
|---|---|
| Drainage system | Orange River basin |
Facts from Wikidata Q978936 (CC0).
Rivers in South Africa
16 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.
Ports in South Africa
8 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simonstown | 42.1 m | Very Small | East & Southern Africa | medium vessels |
| 2 | Mossel Bay | 42.1 m | Small | East & Southern Africa | medium vessels |
| 3 | Durban | 34.7 m | Major | East & Southern Africa | medium vessels |
| 4 | Port Elizabeth | 34.7 m | Minor | East & Southern Africa | medium vessels |
| 5 | East London | 34.7 m | Small | East & Southern Africa | medium vessels |
| 6 | Cape Town | 23.8 m | Major | East & Southern Africa | large vessels |
| 7 | Richards Bay | 16.5 m | Minor | East & Southern Africa | medium vessels |
| 8 | Saldanha Bay | 5.5 m | Minor | East & Southern Africa | large vessels |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Africa
11 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cradle of Humankind | 1999 | Cultural | (iii) (vi) |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 1999 | Natural | (vii) (ix) (x) |
| 3 | Robben Island | 1999 | Cultural | (iii) (vi) |
| 4 | Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape | 2003 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) |
| 5 | Cape Floristic Kingdom | 2004 | Natural | (ix) (x) |
| 6 | Vredefort crater | 2005 | Natural | (viii) |
| 7 | Richtersveld | 2007 | Cultural | (iv) (v) |
| 8 | Khomani Cultural Landscape | 2017 | Cultural | (v) (vi) |
| 9 | Makhonjwa Mountains | 2018 | Natural | (viii) |
| 10 | Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites | 2024 | Cultural | (vi) |
Largest Islands of South Africa
1 island recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.
| # | Name | Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prince Edward Islands | 1,093 km² | Island group |
Prince Edward Islands
Island group · 1,093 km²
Prince Edward Islands is an island group in Seven seas (open ocean) (Southern Indian Ocean), covering an estimated 1,093 km².
The Prince Edward Islands are two small uninhabited subantarctic volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean that are administered by South Africa. They are named Marion Island (named after Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, 1724–1772) and Prince Edward Island (named after Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, 1767–1820).
The islands in the group have been declared Special Nature Reserves under the South African Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, No. 57 of 2003, and activities on the islands are therefore restricted to research and conservation management. Further protection was granted when the area was declared a marine protected area in 2013. The only human inhabitants of the islands are the staff of a meteorological and biological research station run by the South African National Antarctic Programme on Marion Island.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Prince Edward Islands (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Feature class
- Island group
- Mapped extent
- 1,093 km²
- Size rank
- #289 of 445 islands
- Region
- Seven seas (open ocean)
- Subregion
- Southern Indian Ocean
- Coordinates
- -46.8297°, 37.7599°
- Summits:
- Kompasberg (2,504 m), Thabana Ntlenyana (3,482 m), Mafadi (3,451 m)
- Ranges:
- Drakensberg (Africa), Lebombo Mountains (Africa)
- Settlements:
- East London (1,754 km), Port Elizabeth (1,758 km), Grahamstown (1,779 km)
More about Prince Edward Islands
Geography and geology
The island group is about 955 nmi (1,769 km; 1,099 mi) south-east of Port Elizabeth in mainland South Africa. At 46 degrees latitude, it is just over halfway between the equator and the South Pole. Marion Island (46°54′45″S 37°44′37″E), the larger of the two, is 25.03 km (15.55 mi) long and 16.65 km (10.35 mi) wide with an area of 297 km2 (115 sq mi) and a coastline of some 72 km (45 mi), most of which is high cliffs. The highest point on Marion Island is Mascarin Peak (formerly State President Swart Peak), reaching 1,242 m (4,075 ft) above sea level. The topography of Marion Island includes many hillocks and small lakes, and boggy lowland terrain with little vegetation.
History
Barent Barentszoon Lam of the Dutch East India Company reached the islands on 4 March 1663 on the ship Maerseveen. They were named Dina (Prince Edward) and Maerseveen (Marion), but the islands were erroneously recorded to be at 41° South, and neither were found again by subsequent Dutch sailors.
In January 1772, the French frigate Le Mascarin, captained by Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, visited the islands and spent five days trying to land, thinking they had found Antarctica (then not yet proven to exist). Marion named the islands Terre de l'Espérance (Marion) and Ile de la Caverne (Prince Edward). After failing to land, Le Mascarin continued eastward, discovering the Crozet Islands and landing at New Zealand, where Marion du Fresne and some of his crew were killed by local Māori.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Prince Edward Islands (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Prince Edward Islands: Key Facts
| Area | 335 km² |
|---|---|
| Population | 0 (2023) |
| Highest point | Mascarin Peak |
| Surrounded by | Indian Ocean |
Facts from Wikidata Q46623 (CC0).
Visiting Prince Edward Islands
Prince Edward Islands redirects here. For Canada's smallest province, see Prince Edward Island
Marion Island and Prince Edward Island (sometimes collectively called the Prince Edward Islands, even though Marion is the larger and more visited island) are two Subantarctic islands, south and territory of South Africa.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Marion Island (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of South Africa
8 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Africa | 29.41M km² | Continent | Africa |
| 2 | Kalahari Desert | 763,095 km² | Desert | Africa |
| 3 | Drakensberg | 296,305 km² | Range/mtn | Africa |
| 4 | Northern Karroo | 184,886 km² | Plateau | Africa |
| 5 | Great Karroo | 80,525 km² | Plateau | Africa |
| 6 | Witwatersrand | 48,856 km² | Range/mtn | Africa |
| 7 | Lebombo Mountains | 17,406 km² | Range/mtn | Africa |
| 8 | Wild Coast | 13,117 km² | Coast | Africa |
States and Provinces of South Africa
9 first-level divisions with their own map.
Countries Bordering South Africa
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Africa
South Africa: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of South Africa?
- The capital of South Africa is Bloemfontein.
- What is the population of South Africa?
- South Africa has a population of about 64.75 million, the #24 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is South Africa?
- South Africa covers 1.22M km², ranking #26 by area, with about 53 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is South Africa in?
- South Africa is in Africa.
- Which countries border South Africa?
- South Africa shares a land or maritime border with Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland.
- What is the largest city in South Africa?
- Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa, with a metropolitan population of about 3.44 million.
- What is the highest mountain in South Africa?
- The highest summit recorded for South Africa in YearMaps is Mafadi at 3,451 m (11,322 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.
- What is the largest lake in South Africa?
- The largest lake recorded in or bordering South Africa is Bloemhof Dam, at roughly 431 km².