Travel Information Centre
General Information
Maps
Distances
Size & Geography
Maps
Click here for detailed maps of South Africa.
Distances
Size & Geography
Population: 42,130,500 (1998).
Population density: 33.8 per sq km.
Geography:
South Africa has three major geographical regions, namely plateau, mountains and the
coastal belt. The high plateau has sharp escarpments which rise above the plains, or veld.
Despite two major river systems, the Limpopo and the Orange, most of the plateau lacks
surface water. Along the coastline are sandy beaches and rocky coves, and the vegetation
is shrublike. The mountainous regions which run along the coastline from the Cape of Good
Hope to the Limpopo Valley in the northeast of the country are split into the Drakensberg,
Nuweveldberg and Stormberg ranges.
South Africa is organised into nine regions or provinces.
General