Orange RiverThe Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch: Oranjerivier) is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of 2,432 km (1,511 mi), the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibia to the north. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean.
Free State (province)The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Boer republic called the Orange Free State and later the Orange Free State Province. HistoryThe current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans were abolished and reincorporated into South Africa.
LesothoCountry in Southern AfricaLesotho ( ; Sotho pronunciation:), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of the three sovereign enclaves. Lesotho is located in the Maloti Mountains, with the highest peak in southern Africa. It has an area of over 30,000 km (11,600 mi), with a population of about 2.3 million. Its capital and largest city is Maseru.
Lesotho HighlandsThe Lesotho Highlands are formed by the Drakensberg and Maloti mountain ranges in the east and central parts of the country of Lesotho. Foothills form a divide between the lowlands and the highlands. Snow is common in the highlands in the winter. Location and descriptionThe Highlands are located to the southeast of the Highveld, encompassing the whole eastern part of Lesotho. The average annual rainfall is nearly 1,000 mm (40 inches) in some parts of the high ranges.
DrakensbergThe Drakensberg (Zulu: uKhahlamba; Sotho: Maloti; Afrikaans: Drakensberge) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – 2,000 to 3,482 metres (6,562 to 11,424 feet) within the border region of South Africa and Lesotho.
South AfricaCountry in Southern AfricaFlag Coat of armsMotto: "ǃke e꞉ ǀxarra ǁke" (ǀXam)"Unity in diversity"Anthem: "National Anthem of South Africa" Show globeShow map of South AfricaCapitalPretoria (executive)Cape Town (legislative)Bloemfontein (judicial)Largest cityJohannesburgOfficial languages12 languagesAfrikaansEnglishNdebeleSepediSesothoSetswanaSouth African Sign LanguageSwaziTshivendaXhosaXitsongaZuluLanguages with special statusKhoe languagesNamaKhoisan languagesGermanGreekGujaratiHindiPortugueseTeluguTamilUrduArabicHebrewSanskritEthnic groups (2022)81.4% Black8.2% Coloured7.3% White2.7% Indian or Asian0.4% otherReligion (2022)85.3% Christianity7.8% Traditional faiths3.1% No religion1.6% Islam1.1% Hinduism1.1% otherDemonymSouth AfricanGovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic with an executive presidency• PresidentCyril Ramaphosa• Deputy PresidentPaul Mashatile• Speaker of the National AssemblyThoko Didiza• Chairperson of the National Council of ProvincesRefilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane• Chief JusticeMandisa MayaLegislatureParliament• Upper houseNational Council of Provinces• Lower houseNational AssemblyIndependence from the United Kingdom• Union31 May 1910• Statute of Westminster11 December 1931• Republic31 May 1961• Tricameral Parliament3 September 1984• Current constitution4 February 1997Area • Total1,221,037 km (471,445 sq mi) (24th)• Water (%)0.380Population• 2024 estimate 63,015,904 (23rd)• 2022 census 62,027,503 (23rd)• Density50.8/km (131.6/sq mi) (169th)GDP (PPP)2026 estimate• Total $1.071 trillion (33rd)• Per capita $16,740 (107th)GDP (nominal)2026 estimate• Total $479.964 billion (39th)• Per capita $7,503 (107th)Gini (2023) 63.0very high inequalityHDI (2023) 0.741high (106th)CurrencySouth African rand (ZAR)Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)Date formatShort formats: dd/mm/yyyydd-mm-yyyyCalling code+27ISO 3166 codeZAInternet TLD.zaSouth Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa.
Caledon RiverThe Caledon River (Sotho: Mohokare) is a major river located in central South Africa. Its total length is 642 km (399 mi), rising in the Drakensberg Mountains on the Lesotho border, flowing southwestward and then westward before joining the Orange River near Bethulie in the southern Free State. The river was originally named Prinses Wilhelminas Rivier in 1777, by Colonel R J Gordon.
Tugela RiverThe Tugela River (Zulu: Thukela; Afrikaans: Tugelarivier) is the largest river in KwaZulu, South Africa. With a total length of 560 km (350 mi), and a drop of 1370 metres in the lower 480 km, it is one of the most important rivers of the country. The river originates in Mont-aux-Sources of two other major South African rivers, the Orange and the Caledon River.
Mountain rangeA mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arisen from the same cause, usually an orogeny. Mountain ranges are formed by a variety of geological processes, but most of the significant ones on Earth are the result of plate tectonics.
Butha-Buthe DistrictButha-Buthe is a district of Lesotho. Butha-Buthe is the capital or camptown, and only town in the district. In the north, Butha-Buthe borders on the Free State Province of South Africa. Domestically, it borders on Mokhotlong District in southeast and Leribe District on the south. As of 2014, the district had a population of 118,242 which was 5.88 per cent of the total population of the country.
BasaltBasalt (UK: BAH-salt); US: buh-SALT) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of all volcanic rock on Earth is basalt. Rapid-cooling, fine-grained basalt has the same chemical composition and mineralogy as slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro.
Lesotho lotiThe loti (plural: maloti) is the currency of the Kingdom of Lesotho. It is subdivided into 100 sente (pl. lisente). It is pegged to the South African rand on a 1:1 basis through the Common Monetary Area, and both are accepted as legal tender within Lesotho. The loti was first issued in 1966, albeit as a non-circulating currency.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.