South Africa: Map & History
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa.
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South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. The country consists of nine provinces, and is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres of coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini. South Africa also encloses Lesotho. Covering an area of 1,221,037 square kilometres, the country has a population of over 63 million people, making it the sixth-most populated country in Africa, and 24th-most in the world. Pretoria is the administrative capital, while Cape Town, as the seat of Parliament, is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is regarded as the judicial capital. The largest and most populous city is Johannesburg, followed by Cape Town and Durban.
Modern Countries Once Part of South Africa
At its mapped extent, South Africa covered territory in 2 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside South Africa's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
South Africa in Depth
History
South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological and human-fossil sites in the world. Archaeologists have recovered extensive fossil remains from a series of caves in Gauteng known as the Cradle of Humankind, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sites include Sterkfontein, one of the richest sites for hominin fossils in the world, as well as Swartkrans, Gondolin Cave, Kromdraai, Cooper's Cave and Malapa. The first hominin fossil discovered in Africa, the Taung Child, was found near Taung in 1924. Other hominin remains have come from the sites of Makapansgat in Limpopo; Cornelia and Florisbad in the Free State; Border Cave in KwaZulu-Natal; Klasies River Caves in the Eastern Cape; and Pinnacle Point, Elandsfontein and Die Kelders Cave in the Western Cape.
Government and politics
South Africa is a parliamentary republic, but unlike most such republics, the president is both head of state and head of government and depends for their tenure on the confidence of Parliament. The executive, legislature, and judiciary are all subject to the supremacy of the Constitution of South Africa, and the superior courts have the power to strike down executive actions and acts of Parliament if they are unconstitutional. The National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, consists of 400 members and is elected every five years by a system of party-list proportional representation. The National Council of Provinces, the upper house, consists of ninety members, with each of the nine provincial legislatures electing ten members.
Economy
South Africa has a mixed economy characterised by a large services sector, diversified industrial base and abundant natural resources. It is the largest economy in Africa and is widely recognised as the continent's most industrialised, technologically advanced and diversified nation. As of 2026, South Africa has a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) exceeding US$450 billion, making it the world's 39th-largest economy and one of the highest GDPs per capita in sub-Saharan Africa. The South African rand (ZAR) is Africa's most traded currency, while the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is the continent's largest stock exchange and ranks among the world's 20 largest by market capitalization. South Africa is the only African member of the G20 and is also a member of BRICS.
Culture
The South African black majority still has a substantial number of rural inhabitants who lead largely impoverished lives. It is among these people that cultural traditions survive most strongly; as black people have become increasingly urbanised and Westernised, aspects of traditional culture have declined.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: South Africa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
South Africa: Key Facts
| Capitals | Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town |
|---|---|
| Official languages | English, Afrikaans, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sesotho |
| Form of government | parliamentary republic, representative democracy |
| Currency | rand |
| Founded | 31 May 1910 |
Preceded by
- The Apartheid Regime in South Africa
Facts from Wikidata Q258 (CC0).
Interactive map
South Africa on the World War II map →
See South Africa’s territory change day by day from 6 September 1939, with every battle it fought.
South Africa Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which South Africa appears, with the other states of the time.
South Africa Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 2,060,666 km² in 1982 CE.
South Africa: Frequently Asked Questions
When did South Africa exist?
South Africa is dated to 1932 CE – 2024 CE, in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of South Africa?
The capital of South Africa was Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial).
How large was South Africa at its peak?
At its peak in 1982 South Africa covered about 2,060,666 km².
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