map of south africa and south africa map and information page

Description

After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants.

The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule.

Facts and Figures

Official Name Republic of South Africa

Population 44,187,637

Capital City Pretoria (1.5 million)
Cape Town (3.2 million) is the legislative center, and Bloemfontein (350,000) is the judicial center.

Currency Rand

Currency Converter here

Flag here

Languages Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu - all (official)

National Day 27 April; Freedom Day

Religions Christian (68%), others

Latitude/Longitude 25° 73'S, 28° 22'E

Highest Point Njesuthi (11,181 ft.) (3,408 m)

Land Area 1,221,040 sq km (471,443 sq miles)

Land Divisions 9 provinces; including Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape and Western Cape

All maps, graphics and original descriptions created by Graphic Maps, a d/b/a of the Woolwine-Moen Group, unless otherwise noted and/or directly linked to the source, and use of same for any application whatsoever (with the exception of outline maps) requires written permission.

We make no copyright claim on any statistical data on this page, nor on any non-original graphics, and/or pictures not produced by us. Certain statistical data is gathered from the CIA World Factbook, as well as numerous public domain reference materials.

Every effort is made to be as accurate as possible when disseminating information on any worldwide destination. We are not responsible for unintentional data entry errors or omissions. If you would like to submit an addition, change or correction, or suggest a new link, please forward it to our map department and we will give it our immediate attention.

Maps

LARGE (color) map here

South Africa Outline Map here

South Africa CIA version here

South Africa Maps at UT here

African Continent (printable) here

African Continent here

African Outline Map here

Suggested Links

South Africa (Complete) information on the (GDP) overall economy, imports and exports, resources, government, population, military, transportation and more here

South Africa.com here

South Africa Embassy (U.S.) here

South Africa Tourism here

Cape Town Hotels, Tours and Travel Information

Climate Summers in South Africa are known to be quite hot, especially in the southern coastal areas, while inland in the higher elevations, temperatures do moderate. Winters are generally mild countrywide, with some snow in the hills and mountains.

Like its neighbors, South Africa seasons are the reverse of the Northern Hemisphere: Spring is September - October, Summer is November - March, Fall is April - May, and Winter is June - August.