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South Africa · Mountains

Highest Mountains in South Africa

Mafadi is the highest of the 6 mountains recorded for South Africa, at 3,451 m, ahead of Kompasberg at 2,504 m. The full list follows.

How this list is built: Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. It covers the mountains indexed in YearMaps, drawn from open geospatial data, and is not an exhaustive national register.

Mountains Listed
6
Top Ranked
3,451 m
Mafadi
Second
2,504 m
Kompasberg
Profiled Below
3
Photo, encyclopedia text and figures
Highest Mountains in South Africa
#NameElevation
1Mafadi3,451 m
2Kompasberg2,504 m
3Die Berg2,331 m
4Seweweekspoort Pk2,325 m
5Emlembe1,862 m
6Bokkeveldberg843 m

The Mountains of South Africa in Detail

The 3 mountains above that have an encyclopedia article, in the same order, each with its photograph, figures and the places around it.

Mafadi
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

Mafadi

Mountain · 3,451 m

Mafadi is a mountain rising to 3,451 metres (11,322 ft) in South Africa and Lesotho, in the Africa region. The summit stands on the border between them. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..

Maifadi is a peak on the border of South Africa and Lesotho. At a height of 3,446.1 metres (11,306 ft), it is the highest mountain in the nation of South Africa, but is lower than Thabana Ntlenyana, the highest peak in Lesotho which is, at 3,482 metres (11,424 ft), the highest point in Southern Africa.

By the Himalayan definition of a mountain, being a summit with at least 7% topographic prominence relative to height, Maifadi is not in fact a mountain summit, but rather a subsidiary summit of Makheka in Lesotho. By this definition, Champagne Castle is the highest mountain summit in South Africa, although Maifadi is unquestionably the highest point in South Africa.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Mafadi (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Elevation
3,451 m (11,322 ft)
Global rank
#181 of 641 indexed
Region
Africa (#18)
Countries
South Africa, Lesotho
Coordinates
-29.2000°, 29.3600°

Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Mafadi ranks #181 by elevation, below Obasta Tsukai (3,452 m) and above Cerro El Jabaln (3,440 m).

Ranges:
Drakensberg (Africa), Lebombo Mountains (Africa)
Neighbouring summits:
Emlembe (1,862 m), Kompasberg (2,504 m)
Settlements below:
Ladysmith (83 km), Pietermaritzburg (110 km), Qacha's Nek (120 km)

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Kompasberg
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

Kompasberg

Mountain · 2,504 m

Kompasberg is a mountain rising to 2,504 metres (8,215 ft) in South Africa, in the Africa region.

Compassberg (Afrikaans: Kompasberg), is a mountain peak of the Sneeuberge range in South Africa. It is located 55 km due north of Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape Province. At 2502 metres, it is the highest peak in South Africa outside the Stormberg-Drakensberg massif. It was named by Colonel Robert Jacob Gordon when he accompanied Governor Joachim van Plettenberg on a journey to the eastern frontier of the Cape Colony in 1778.

The mountain is composed of sediments of the Beaufort Series in the Karoo System, and extensively intruded by dolerite dikes and sills.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Compassberg (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Elevation
2,504 m (8,215 ft)
Global rank
#337 of 641 indexed
Region
Africa (#43)
Country
South Africa
Coordinates
-31.7695°, 24.5308°

Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Kompasberg ranks #337 by elevation, below Mount Taranaki (2,518 m) and above Torres del Paine (2,500 m).

Ranges:
Drakensberg (Africa), Witwatersrand (Africa)
Neighbouring summits:
Thabana Ntlenyana (3,482 m), Mafadi (3,451 m), Monalanong Hill (1,494 m)
Settlements below:
Graaff Reinet (59 km), Cradock (112 km), De Aar (134 km)

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More about Kompasberg

Kompasberg: Key Facts

Key facts about Kompasberg
Mountain rangeSneeuberge

Facts from Wikidata Q3643513 (CC0).

Emlembe
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

Emlembe

Mountain · 1,862 m

Emlembe is a mountain rising to 1,862 metres (6,109 ft) in Swaziland and South Africa, in the Africa region. The summit stands on the border between them. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..

Emlembe is the highest mountain in the African country of Eswatini. It is located in the east uKhahlamba (or Drakensberg) mountain range, on the border with South Africa. It is located in the South African province of Mpumalanga and the Swazi province of Hhohho.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Emlembe (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Elevation
1,862 m (6,109 ft)
Global rank
#440 of 641 indexed
Region
Africa (#67)
Countries
Swaziland, South Africa
Coordinates
-25.9198°, 31.1300°

Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Emlembe ranks #440 by elevation, below Yunwu Shan (1,867 m) and above Mauga Silisili (1,858 m).

Ranges:
Lebombo Mountains (Africa), Witwatersrand (Africa)
Neighbouring summits:
Mafadi (3,451 m), Kompasberg (2,504 m)
Settlements below:
Mbombela (52 km), Komatipoort (99 km), Middelburg (167 km)

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More on South Africa

Quick Answers

What is the highest mountain in South Africa?
Mafadi, at 3,451 m. Kompasberg is second at 2,504 m. Rankings cover the mountains indexed in YearMaps.
How many mountains are there in South Africa?
YearMaps lists 6 mountains for South Africa. This is the number mapped in the atlas, not an official national count.