Facts about South Africa
South Africa stretches from the Cape’s winter-rainfall coast to the grasslands of the highveld and the subtropical east. Its nine provinces surround Lesotho, and its twelve official languages reflect a country shaped by many communities. The first democratic election in 1994 ended apartheid-era exclusion from national voting.
- Capital
- Pretoria
- Population
- 63.52 million (2026 estimate)
- Area
- 1,221,037 km²
- Currency
- South African rand (R)
- Official languages
- 12, including Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English
- Divisions
- 9 provinces
- Highest point
- Mafadi, 3,450 m
South Africa · 0 of 20 rounds passed
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The Atlantic borders the west coast and the Indian Ocean the east, with their conventional boundary at Cape Agulhas, Africa’s southernmost point. Much of the interior is a high plateau. The Drakensberg rises along its eastern edge, while the Karoo and Kalahari mark the country’s drier western landscapes. Lesotho is completely enclosed by South Africa. Eswatini also borders Mozambique.
Johannesburg and Pretoria lie in Gauteng, the smallest province by area and the largest by population. Cape Town is the seat of Parliament below Table Mountain. Durban is an important Indian Ocean port in KwaZulu-Natal. The maps connect these cities with their provinces and waters, from the Orange River in the west to the Limpopo on the northern border.
Geography of South Africa
South Africa is a high plateau ringed by mountains at the southern tip of Africa, with the Atlantic on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other.
- How big is South Africa?
- About 1.22 million km², roughly twice the size of France. It has about 2,800 kilometers of coastline.
- How do Lesotho and Eswatini border South Africa?
- Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa. Eswatini has borders with South Africa and Mozambique.
- Where do the two oceans meet?
- By convention at Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa, not at the Cape of Good Hope, as many people think.
- What is the highveld?
- The high grassland plateau of the interior, mostly 1,500 meters or more above sea level. Johannesburg stands on it at about 1,750 meters.
History of South Africa
From early humans and African kingdoms to Dutch and British rule, apartheid and the first democratic election in 1994.
- What is the Cradle of Humankind?
- A World Heritage site near Johannesburg whose limestone caves have yielded some of the oldest human ancestor fossils, including Mrs Ples and Little Foot.
- When did Europeans settle at the Cape?
- In 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck set up a supply station for the Dutch East India Company at what became Cape Town.
- What was apartheid?
- A system of racial segregation enforced by law from 1948 until the early 1990s. It decided where people could live, work, study and marry by race.
- What is Freedom Day?
- April 27 marks the first democratic national election in 1994, when adults of all races could vote. The new National Assembly subsequently elected Nelson Mandela president.
Languages of South Africa
Twelve official languages include South African Sign Language. IsiZulu is the most common spoken home language in the 2022 census.
- How many official languages does South Africa have?
- Twelve. South African Sign Language became the twelfth official language in 2023.
- What is the most spoken home language?
- IsiZulu was the most common home language in the 2022 census, followed by isiXhosa and Afrikaans. This describes language use, rather than ethnicity.
- Where does Afrikaans come from?
- It grew out of the Dutch spoken at the Cape from the 1600s, shaped by Malay, Portuguese and Khoekhoe speakers.
- What is a robot in South Africa?
- A traffic light. South Africans also say braai for a barbecue, bakkie for a pickup truck and now-now for soon, but not right away.
Culture of South Africa
South African culture mixes many peoples and languages. Music and sport are shared passions.
- What is ubuntu?
- A Nguni idea often summed up as I am because we are: a person is a person through other people. Desmond Tutu made it widely known.
- How many Rugby World Cups have the Springboks won?
- Four, in 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2023. These wins made South Africa the most successful team after the 2023 tournament.
- What is amapiano?
- A style of house music with deep log drum basslines that grew in the townships of Gauteng in the 2010s and spread worldwide.
- What is the vuvuzela?
- A long plastic horn blown at football matches. Its drone became the sound of the 2010 World Cup, the first held in Africa.
Economy of South Africa
South Africa has one of the largest economies in Africa, built on mining. Unemployment and inequality remain very high.
- What is South Africa’s currency?
- The rand, named after the Witwatersrand, the ridge where gold was found in 1886. The notes show Nelson Mandela and the Big Five.
- Which precious metal is South Africa a leading global producer of?
- Platinum. Much of the country’s platinum mining is concentrated in the Bushveld Complex north of Johannesburg.
- What is load shedding?
- Planned rolling power cuts by the state utility Eskom when it cannot meet demand. They were common for much of the 2010s and early 2020s.
- What is the JSE?
- The Johannesburg Stock Exchange, founded in 1887 during the gold rush. It is the largest stock exchange in Africa.
Politics of South Africa
South Africa has three traditional capitals, with the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg and the president elected by Parliament.
- What are South Africa’s three capitals?
- Pretoria is the executive capital. Cape Town is the legislative capital. Bloemfontein is traditionally called the judicial capital because it houses the Supreme Court of Appeal. The Constitutional Court sits in Johannesburg.
- How is the president chosen?
- By the National Assembly after each election, not directly by voters. The president is both head of state and head of government.
- What happened in the 2024 election?
- The ANC lost its majority for the first time since 1994 and formed a government of national unity with the Democratic Alliance and other parties.
- When did Nelson Mandela become president?
- In May 1994, after the first democratic election. He served one five-year term and stepped down in 1999.
Nature of South Africa
South Africa is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, from the Big Five of the Kruger to the fynbos of the Cape.
- What are the Big Five?
- Lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhinoceros, once the animals most dangerous to hunt on foot. All five live in the Kruger National Park.
- What is fynbos?
- The fine-leaved shrubland of the Cape Floral Region, the smallest of the world’s six floral kingdoms, with about 9,000 plant species.
- What is the national animal?
- The springbok, a gazelle that leaps straight up in bounds called pronking. The national rugby team is named after it.
- Where can you see penguins in South Africa?
- At Boulders Beach near Simon’s Town, where a colony of African penguins nests among the granite boulders.
Food of South Africa
South African food mixes African, Dutch, Malay and Indian traditions, and much of it is cooked over fire.
- What is a braai?
- A barbecue over wood or charcoal, as well as the gathering around it. Heritage Day on September 24 is often celebrated with a braai, although the holiday honours the country’s broader cultural heritage.
- What is bunny chow?
- A hollowed-out quarter or half loaf of white bread filled with curry, created by the Indian community of Durban.
- What is bobotie?
- A Cape Malay dish of spiced minced meat with dried fruit, baked under an egg topping and served with yellow rice.
- Where does rooibos come from?
- From Aspalathus linearis, grown in the Cederberg and neighbouring areas such as the Sandveld and Suid Bokkeveld. Rooibos means red bush in Afrikaans.
Landmarks of South Africa
South Africa’s landmarks range from Table Mountain and the Kruger to the places where the struggle against apartheid was fought.
- What is Table Mountain?
- The flat-topped mountain above Cape Town, more than 1,000 metres high. It was selected as one of the New7Wonders of Nature in 2011.
- What is Robben Island?
- An island in Table Bay used as a prison, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years behind bars. It is now a museum.
- What is special about Vilakazi Street?
- This street in Soweto is the only one in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners lived: Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
- How big is the Kruger National Park?
- Nearly 20,000 km², about the size of Wales or Israel. It stretches some 350 kilometers along the Mozambique border.
People of South Africa
Statistics South Africa estimated 63.52 million residents in mid-2026. Gauteng is the most populous province.
- Who called South Africa the rainbow nation?
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, after the 1994 election, to describe a country of many peoples living together.
- Which province has the most people?
- Gauteng, with about 16.30 million residents in the 2026 mid-year estimate. It contains Johannesburg and Pretoria and holds about a quarter of the country’s population.
- Who are the Coloured people of South Africa?
- Coloured is an established South African identity with diverse family histories and communities, especially in the Cape. It is also a census category. It should not be treated as a single ancestry or language.
- What is a township?
- A residential area shaped historically by racial segregation and apartheid. Today townships are varied living communities. Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, is a well-known example.