South Africa 🇿🇦
South Africa is a country in Africa with a population of 59,893,885. Its capital is Pretoria. The official currency is ZAR, and the main languages are Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English.
Quick facts
- Capital: Pretoria
- Continent: Africa
- Population: 59,893,885
- Area: 1,221,037 km²
- Density: 49.1 people per km²
- Currency: ZAR
- Languages: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English
- ISO code: ZA
Where South Africa sits
South Africa 🇿🇦 is one of 54 countries in Africa, with its capital at Pretoria. It covers 1,221,037 square kilometres — 24th in the world — and is home to about 59,893,885 people, 24th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How South Africa compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, South Africa sits closest to Italy and France. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Mali and Angola.
At 49.1 people per square kilometre it is about 1.2 times below the world average of 59.4. Its population and area ranks match exactly, which is uncommon.
Zulu is listed as official in South Africa alone. The ZAR is used by South Africa and no one else.
To see South Africa next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember South Africa
South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative, with Parliament) and Bloemfontein (judicial). The quiz answer is Pretoria, home of the offices of the President and Cabinet. For the flag, picture two roads joining into one, the green Y.
The flag of South Africa: red, blue, green, black, yellow and white
🇿🇦 The flag is a horizontal green Y shape splitting a red top band from a blue bottom band, with a black triangle edged in yellow by the flagpole and thin white stripes beside the red and blue. The colours have no official meaning. The Y shape stands for 'the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity'.
Region and neighbours
South Africa is the southernmost country in Africa, at the southern tip of the continent. It shares land borders with 6 countries: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho.
- Namibia 🇳🇦 — capital Windhoek
- Botswana 🇧🇼 — capital Gaborone
- Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 — capital Harare
- Mozambique 🇲🇿 — capital Maputo
- Eswatini 🇸🇿 — capital Mbabane
- Lesotho 🇱🇸 — capital Maseru
Three facts about South Africa
- South Africa's 2,798 km coastline stretches along the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean.
- Kruger National Park and Table Mountain are among South Africa's best-known tourist attractions.
- The current flag of South Africa was adopted on 27 April 1994.
Sources: Wikipedia: South Africa, Wikipedia: Flag of South Africa, Wikipedia: Pretoria, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on South Africa
- African capitals quiz — match South Africa to Pretoria
- African flags quiz — spot the South Africa flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include South Africa
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For South Africa those are:
- Africa map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Africa flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Africa capitals quiz — match it to Pretoria
- South Africa capital quiz — five quick questions starting with South Africa
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about South Africa
- Capital of South Africa: Pretoria — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 54 countries of Africa
Nearby countries
- Algeria 🇩🇿 — capital Algiers
- Angola 🇦🇴 — capital Luanda
- Benin 🇧🇯 — capital Porto-Novo
- Botswana 🇧🇼 — capital Gaborone
- Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 — capital Ouagadougou
- Burundi 🇧🇮 — capital Gitega
- Cabo Verde 🇨🇻 — capital Praia
- Cameroon 🇨🇲 — capital Yaoundé
- Central African Republic 🇨🇫 — capital Bangui
- Chad 🇹🇩 — capital N'Djamena
- Comoros 🇰🇲 — capital Moroni
- Congo 🇨🇬 — capital Brazzaville
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the South Africa flag?
The flag of South Africa is a horizontal green Y shape splitting a red top band from a blue bottom band, with a black triangle edged in yellow by the flagpole and thin white stripes beside the red and blue. The colours have no official meaning. The Y shape stands for 'the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity'.
Which countries border South Africa?
South Africa shares land borders with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho.
How can I remember the capital of South Africa?
South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative, with Parliament) and Bloemfontein (judicial). The quiz answer is Pretoria, home of the offices of the President and Cabinet. For the flag, picture two roads joining into one, the green Y.