South Africa, the southernmost country on the African continent, is renowned for its varied topography, great natural beauty, and cultural diversity. Its remoteness, lying thousands of miles from major African cities and more than 6,000 miles from most of Europe, North America, and eastern Asia, has historically shaped its unique identity.
South Africa's coastline stretches more than 2,850 kilometers (1,770 miles) from the desert border with Namibia on the Atlantic coast, southwards around the tip of Africa, and then northeast to the border with Mozambique on the Indian coast.
The total land area is 1,220,813 km2 (471,359 sq mi). All together it makes South Africa the 26th largest country in the world. The total circumference of South Africa is approximately 6,320 km.
South Africa has nine provinces and three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial). Johannesburg is South Africa's most populous city.
The kingdom of Lesotho is an enclave within South African territory. Interestingly, South Africa has another country within its borders. Nestled in the Drakensberg is the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho. Much of South Africa's water comes from the snowcapped peaks of this tiny, landlocked nation.
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South Africa is bordered by Namibia to the northwest, by Botswana and Zimbabwe to the north, and by Mozambique and Swaziland to the northeast and east. South Africa’s coastlines border the Indian Ocean to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest.
The country possesses two small subantarctic islands, Prince Edward and Marion, situated in the Indian Ocean about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) southeast of Cape Town. The former South African possession of Walvis Bay, on the Atlantic coast some 400 miles (600 km) north of the Orange River, became part of Namibia in 1994.
The region of the African continent south of the Congo and Tanzania is named Southern Africa. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa includes both type B and type C climates. The Tropic of Capricorn runs straight through the middle of the region, indicating that the southern portion is outside the tropics.
The Orange, Vaal and Limpopo are the three main rivers in South Africa.
There are no true natural inland lakes of any significance in South Africa. However, Fundudzi is situated in the Soutpansberg mountains in the far north-east of the Limpopo province. The Orange, Vaal and Limpopo are the three main rivers in South Africa. The Orange, Vaal and Limpopo are the three main rivers in South Africa.
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Most of South Africa's landscape is made up of high, flat areas called plateaus. These lands are covered with rolling grasslands, called highveld, and tree-dotted plains called bushveld.
Like much of the African continent south of the Sahara, South Africa's landscape is dominated by a high Central Plateau surrounded by coastal lowlands. This plateau is rimmed by the Great Escarpment which extends northwards to about 10° south of the Equator.
In South Africa the plateau is at its highest in the east where its edge varies in altitude between 2,000 m and 3,300 m. This edge of the plateau, as the land drops sharply to the coastal plain, forms a very high, steep escarpment known as the Drakensberg Mountains.
Panorama of the Giant's Castle region of the Drakensberg, the highest section of the Great Escarpment.
To the east, south, and west of the plateau lands is a mountainous region called the Great Escarpment. The eastern range, called the Drakensberg, or Dragon's Mountain, is filled with jagged peaks, some more than 11,400 feet (3,475 meters) high.
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The portion of the Great Escarpment that could be designated a "mountain" is where it forms the international border between KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. The Lesotho Highlands form a localized high spot on the Central Plateau.
The central plateau (apart from the Lesotho Highlands) forms a largely flat, tilted surface which is highest in the east, sloping gently downwards to the west (at about 1,000 m above sea level). The downward slope to the south is less pronounced (the southern and south-western edges of the plateau are at about 1600 to 1900 m above sea level).
The coastal plain, which varies in width from about 60 km in the north-west to over 250 km in the north-east, generally slopes gently downwards from the foot of the escarpment to the coast.
South Africa's coastline is remarkably smooth, with very few natural harbors. The reason is that Southern Africa has been continuously uplifted for the past 180 million years, and especially so during the past 20 million years. The present coastline was therefore once part of the underwater continental shelf, which contains very few deep ravines or gorges.
Islands Near South Africa
The islands of Africa can be subdivided into Indian Ocean Islands and Atlantic Ocean Islands. The largest number of islands of Africa are found in the Indian Ocean, with the sovereign island nations of Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar located off the southeastern seaboard of Africa being the most notable.
There are four sovereign island nations located in the Indian Ocean: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. These countries have interrelated histories and populations over hundreds of years of interaction.
In the Atlantic seaboard, the largest islands are Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa and Sao Tome and Principe off the southwestern seaboard. In the Atlantic Ocean, the island of Bioko and other smaller islands of Equatorial Guinea are also notable.
All of the islands of Africa, except for Madagascar, are classified as small islands under the UNESCO classification system for all islands under 2,000 square kilometres (770 sq mi).
Location of Madagascar in relation to the African continent.
Madagascar is located to the east of the continent, in the Indian Ocean. Madagascar is the world’s fourth-largest island and is similar in area to France. Surrounding Madagascar are the independent island states of the Seychelles, Comoros, and Mauritius. Madagascar is included in this lesson on Southern Africa but does not share its cultural geography or biodiversity.
South Africa possesses two small subantarctic islands, Prince Edward and Marion, situated in the Indian Ocean about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) southeast of Cape Town.
Marion Island
Marion Island, one of the two Prince Edward Islands in the southern Indian Ocean, is a sub-Antarctic island of volcanic origin, 115 square miles (298 square km) in area. In 1947 South Africa proclaimed sovereignty of the islands and established a meteorological station on Marion Island in 1948. The islands are otherwise uninhabited.
The coastline, exposed and rugged, has steep cliffs rising 500 feet (150 metres) high. The climate is cool (mean annual temperature, 40 °F [4.4 °C]) and stormy, with prevailing westerly winds that bring heavy rain (100 inches [2,500 mm] annually) and snow.
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island lies 12 miles (19 km) to the northeast of Marion Island.
Tristan da Cunha
Located about midway between Cape Town, South Africa, and Buenos Aires, Argentina lies what is often referred to as the world's most remote inhabited island; Tristan da Cunha.
Tristan da Cunha is the primary island of the Tristan da Cunha island group, consisting of six islands at approximately 37°15' South, 12°30' West. The other five islands in the Tristan da Cunha group are uninhabited, save for a manned meteorological station on the southernmost island of Gough. In addition to Gough, located 230 miles SSE of Tristan da Cunha, the chain includes Inaccessible at 20 miles (32 km) WSW, Nightingale 12 miles (19 km) SE, and Middle and Stoltenhoff islands, both just off the coast of Nightingale. The total area for all six islands amounts to a mere 52 mi2 (135 km2).
The circular island of Tristan da Cunha is approximately 6 miles (10 km) wide with a total area of 38 mi2 (98 km2) and a coastline of 21 miles. The island group lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and was created by volcanic activity.
Today, just under 300 people call Tristan da Cunha home. They live in the settlement known as Edinburgh that lies on the flat plain on the north side of the island.
The first inhabitant of Tristan da Cunha was American Jonathan Lambert of Salem, Massachusetts who arrived in 1810 and renamed them the Islands of Refreshment. In 1816 the United Kingdom claimed and began to settle the islands.
In 1963, almost all of the evacuees returned since the island was safe. Since the 1960s, the population swelled to 296 in 1987. Today, Tristan da Cunha includes a school, hospital, post office, museum, and a crayfish canning factory.
The self-supporting residents fish, raise livestock, make handicrafts, and grow potatoes. The island is visited annually by RMS St. Helena and more regularly by fishing vessels. Species not found anywhere else in the world inhabit the island chain.
Queen Mary's Peak is shrouded by clouds most of the year and snow covers its peak in the winter.
South Africa's diverse geography and surrounding islands offer a rich tapestry of landscapes, wildlife, and cultural heritage. From the towering Drakensberg Mountains to the remote islands of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, this region continues to captivate and inspire.
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