South Africa Geography:
Location:
Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
Geographic coordinates:
29 00 S, 24 00 E
Map references:
Area:
total:
1,219,912 sq km
land:
1,219,912 sq km
water:
0 sq km
note: Includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)
Area - comparative:
Slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 4,862 km
border countries: Botswana 1840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
Coastline:
2,798 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate:
Mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
Terrain:
Vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m
Natural resources:
Gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 12.08%
permanent crops: 0.79%
other: 87.13%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
13,500 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Prolonged droughts
Environment - current issues:
Lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements (not ratified)
Geography - Note:
South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland |
