South Africa
South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Its capital is Pretoria. About 62 million people live there (2022). It covers 1,221,037 square kilometres.
- Capital
- Pretoria
- People (2022)
- 62 million
- Area
- 1,221,037 km²
- Currency
- rand
South Africa at a glance
- Official name
- Republic of South Africa
- In its own language
- Suid-Afrika, uMzantsi Afrika, iNingizimu Afrika, iSewula Afrika, Aforika Borwa, Afrika Borwa, Afurika Tshipembe, Afrika-Dzonga
- Status
- Sovereign country
- Continent
- Africa
- Capital
- Pretoria
- Population
- 62,027,503 (2022)
- Area
- 1,221,037 km² (471,445 mi²)
- People are called
- South African
- Official languages
- English, Afrikaans, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu, South African Sign Language
- Currency
- rand
- GDP (nominal)
- US$406 billion (2022)
- Life expectancy
- 62.8 years (2016)
- Human Development Index
- 0.713 (2021)
- Gini coefficient
- 63.1 (2009)
- Unemployment
- 27.2% (2018)
- Government
- parliamentary republic, representative democracy
- Head of state
- Cyril Ramaphosa (since 2018)
- Head of government
- Cyril Ramaphosa (since 2018)
- Country codes
- ZA, ZAF
- Calling code
- +27
- Internet domain
- .za
- Drives on the
- left
- Time zones
- UTC+02:00, UTC+03:00, Africa/Johannesburg
- Coordinates
- -29°, 24°
South Africa and its neighbours
South Africa borders Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Mozambique. Click a neighbour on the map to open its page.
- South Africa
- Neighbours
Divisions of South Africa
- Eastern Cape
- Free State
- Gauteng
- KwaZulu-Natal
- Limpopo
- Mpumalanga
- North West
- Northern Cape
- Western Cape
Member of
- United Nations
- Commonwealth of Nations
- African Union
- World Trade Organization
- G20
- BRICS
- International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- International Development Association
- International Finance Corporation
- Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
- African Development Bank
- United Nations–African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur
- Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
- Missile Technology Control Regime
- Interpol
and 14 more organisations.
How far are you from South Africa?
On a phone this uses GPS. The calculator shows the straight-line distance to the nearest country border from where you are.
Questions
What is the capital of South Africa?
The capital of South Africa is Pretoria.
What is the population of South Africa?
South Africa has about 62,027,503 people, as recorded in 2022.
How big is South Africa?
South Africa covers 1,221,037 square kilometres (471,445 square miles).
What currency does South Africa use?
The rand.
What language is spoken in South Africa?
The official languages of South Africa are English, Afrikaans, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu and South African Sign Language.
Which countries border South Africa?
South Africa shares a border with Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Mozambique.
Data from Wikidata (CC0), retrieved October 9, 2026. Each figure carries the year it was recorded; a statistic with no recorded date is not shown as current. More on Wikipedia.