Geography

South Africa is located at the southern most region of Africa, with a long coastline that stretches more than 2,500 kilometres (1,550 mi) and across two oceans (the Atlantic and the Indian). At 1,219,912 sq km (470,979 sq mi), South Africa is the world's 25th-largest country (after Mali). It is comparable in size to Colombia, and is 5 times the size of the UK. Njesuthi in the Drakensberg at 3,408 m is the highest peak in South Africa.

South Africa also has one possession, the small sub-Antarctic archipelago of the Prince Edward Islands, consisting of Marion Island (290 sq km/112 sq mi) and Prince Edward Island (45 sq km /17.3 sq mi) (not to be confused with the Canadian province of the same name).

The Central Plateau

The Central Plateau has a large range of landscape. It is drained by two major rivers, the Orange and the Limpopo, and is made up of 10 smaller geographic regions. The altitude varies from 600 to 2,500 m and the rainfall varies from 20 to 120 cm annually. It is ringed in the east, south and west by the Great Escarpment.

In general, the Great Escarpment slowly loses altitude into the north-western areas of the Central Plateau. In the west it is very dry, merging with the Kalahari in the north-west. In the central areas the arid scrubland gives way to dry grasslands which become better watered further to the east. These grasslands extend north-eastward until they reach the Witwatersrand and Magaliesberg, which are the main watershed between the Orange and Limpopo Rivers. The Witwatersrand and Magaliesberg also form part of an area of low mountain ranges surrounding a basin called the Bushveld. To the north of that the semi-arid savannah loses altitude towards the Limpopo River valley.

The regions are outlined in more detail below.

1. Low Lying Regions

• Bushveld Basin
  • This region lies in an east/west orientation, on an area approximately 350 kilometres by 150 kilometres. It is surrounded by hills, some of which are: the Magaliesberg and Witwatersrand in the south, the Waterberg in the north and the Mpumalanga escarpment in the east.
  • It is famous for its open, tree covered grasslands and below ground the Bushveld igneous complex, which has some of the world's major chromium, vanadium and platinum deposits.
  • The altitude varies from 600 to 1,500 m with average precipitation varying between 400 to 800 mm annually.
  • The word Bushveld can be used in terms of Geography and Vegetation. Bushveld used in reference to vegetation occurs in a much larger area within Southern Africa.
• Cape Middleveld
  • The Cape Middleveld is the most westerly region in the interior plateau. Its northern and eastern border is the Orange River, to the west the Great Escarpment and to the south the Northern Karoo Plateau.
  • It is an open plain with low relief. There it very little rainfall and the summers are very hot.
  • The altitude varies between 300 and 900m.
  • The mean annual precipitation varies from 10 to 40 cm.
  • The minimum and maximum mean daily temperature varies from 12 to 32 ºC in summer and between 0 and 22ºC in winter.
• The Middle Limpopo Valley or Limpopo Plain
  • Bordered in the north by the Limpopo River and in the south by the Waterberg and Soutpansberg ranges.
  • Vegetation dominantly Bushveld in the west and Mopane veld in the east.
  • Mean annual rainfall 20 to 60 cm.
  • Temperatures range from 2-32ºC with mean annual temp between 18-22ºC.

2. Regions of Higher Elevation

• Cape or Ghaap Plateau
  • This region lies between Kimberley and Upington, north of the Orange River to the Kuruman Hills.
  • Summer days are very hot. In winter, the nights are very cold with frost but the days are warm and sunny.
  • It has Kalahari Thornveld and Kalahari Shrub Bushveld Vegetation.
  • The altitude varies between 1,000 and 1,750m.
  • The mean annual precipitation varies from 20 to 60 cm.
  • The minimum and maximum mean daily temperature varies from 14 to 32 ºC in summer and between 0 and 20ºC in winter.
• Free State Plateau
  • This region occupies the entire Free State Province apart from the highlands east of Bethlehem north to the Vaal Dam. Its northern border is the Vaal River. In the north and east it merges with the Highveld. Some sources regard the Free State Plateau and the Highveld as one area with the name The Highveld.
  • Mostly grassland plains with low hills. These hills increase to the south and south-east where they transform into the Northern Karoo Plateau and The Lesotho Highlands respectively. The altitude varies between 1,250 and 1,700 m.
• Highveld
  • The Highveld is made up of open rolling grasslands/grassveld with open hills. It has higher elevations in the north and east, where it has a mountainous/hilly border, the Magaliesberg and Witwatersrand in the north and the Mpumalanga escarpment in the east. It generally loses altitude to the west where the grassveld merges with the Kalahari shrub bushveld.
  • It occupies the eastern region of the Free State Province, southern Mpumalanga, central and southern Gauteng and the eastern parts of the North West Province south of the Magaliesberg.
  • The altitude varies between 1,250 and 1,750 m, with a mean annual temperature of between 14 and 18ºC. Winters are cold, though snow is rare and due to its high altitude it is saved from extreme summer temperatures.
  • It receives between 40 and 120 cm of rain annually. This is due to the east/west distribution of rainfall in South Africa, variations in relief, and annual variation in rainfall.
• Lesotho Highlands
  • This area lies within the borders of The Kingdom of Lesotho. Its eastern and southern borders are the Drakensberg or uKhahlamba Mountains, the highest part of the Great Escarpment.
  • This region is the highest in the central plateau and is dominated by high mountains with deeply incised valleys and open highlands, deeply incised, in the east.
  • The altitude varies from 1,400 to 2,700 m
  • The vegetation is a mix of alpine veld, mountain grassveld and isolated patches of afromontane forest in some valleys.
  • This region experiences severe frost in winter. Snow is not uncommon.
• Limpopo Highlands
  • This region lies in the Northern Province and runs east/west following the general curve of the Limpopo River for about 350 km. It is made up of, in the majority, the Waterberg in the west and central areas, then the Blouberg and lastly the Soutpansberg in the east. The Soutpansberg is also part of the most north eastern part of the great Escarpment.
  • The region is made up of low mountains, table lands and some high mountains. The altitude varies between 800 to 1,750 m. The Blouberg has a 300m north wall famous with rock climbers.
  • The vegetation is made up of arid mountain bushveld, Semi-deciduous Scrub Forests, Afromontane Grassland and isolated patches of Afrotemperate Mist-belt Forests.
  • It receives between 40 and 80 cm of precipitation a year. The temperature varies from 14 - 20 ºC.
• Northern Karoo Plateau / Upper Karoo
  • This region lies across the Southern parts of the Northern Cape Province and the northern parts of The Eastern Cape Province. Its southern border is The Great Escarpment. It runs from Calvinia in the west to the Lesotho border in the east which is about 700km.
  • The town Sutherland is located in the west of the Northern Karoo Plateau in the Roggeveld Mountains, with midwinter temperatures as low as -15 degrees and is thought to be the coldest inhabited place in South Africa.
  • This area is part of a much larger region called the Karoo which covers approximately 35% of South Africa.
  • The average annual rainfall is between 30 and 50 cm. The altitude varies from 1,200 to 1,750 m

Extreme Points

• Northernmost Point:
  • Beit Bridge, Limpopo Province (22°20'S)
• Southernmost Point:
  • Marion Island, Prince Edward Islands (46°54'S)
  • Cape Agulhas, Western Cape (34°51'S) (Mainland)
• Westernmost Point:
  • Alexander Bay, Northern Cape (16°31'E)
• Easternmost Point:
  • Prince Edward Island, Prince Edward Islands (38°02'E)
  • Kosi Bay, KwaZulu-Natal (32°50'E) (Mainland)