Great Escarpment, Southern AfricaThe Great Escarpment is a major topographical feature in Africa that consists of steep slopes from the high central Southern African plateau downward in the direction of the oceans that surround southern Africa on three sides.
Southern AfricaSouthern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and the physical geography definition based on the physical characteristics of the land.
Kalahari DesertThe Kalahari Desert is a large semiarid sandy savanna in Southern Africa covering 900,000 km (350,000 sq mi), including much of Botswana, as well as parts of Namibia and South Africa. EtymologyKalahari is derived from the Tswana word Kgala, meaning "the great thirst", or Kgalagadi, meaning "a waterless place"; the Kalahari has vast areas covered by red sand without any permanent surface water. HistoryThe Kalahari Desert was not always an arid environment.
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.Olifants River (Western Cape)
NamibiaCountry in Southern AfricaFlag Coat of armsMotto: "Unity, Liberty, Justice"Anthem: "Namibia, Land of the Brave" Show globeShow map of AfricaCapitaland largest cityWindhoek22°34′S17°5′E / 22.567°S 17.083°E / -22.567; 17.083Official languagesEnglishRecognised national languagesAfrikaansGermanKhoekhoegowabOshiwamboOtjihereroRuKwangaliSetswanasiLoziRecognised regional languagesǃKungGcirikuThimbukushuEthnic groups (2023)93.2% Indigenous African3.6% Coloured and Baster1.8% White1.4% Asian / otherReligion (2023)87.9% Christianity43.7% Lutheranism22.8% Catholicism17.0% Anglicanism4.4% Other Christian10.5% Other1.6% No religionDemonymNamibianGovernmentUnitary semi-presidential republic• PresidentNetumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah• Vice PresidentLucia Witbooi• Prime MinisterElijah Ngurare• Deputy Prime MinisterVacant• Chief JusticePeter ShivuteLegislatureParliament• Upper houseNational Council• Lower houseNational AssemblyIndependence from South Africa• Constitution9 February 1990• Independence21 March 1990Area • Total825,615 km (318,772 sq mi) (34th)• Water (%)NegligiblePopulation• 2025 census 3,022,401 (136th)• Density3.7/km (9.6/sq mi)GDP (PPP)2025 estimate• Total $37.73 billion (145th)• Per capita $12,370 (117th)GDP (nominal)2025 estimate• Total $14.21 billion (145th)• Per capita $4,660 (120th)Gini (2015)59.1high inequalityHDI (2023) 0.665medium (136th)CurrencyNamibian dollarSouth African randTime zoneUTC+2 (CAT)Date formatdd/mm/yyyyCalling code+264ISO 3166 codeNAInternet TLD.naNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa.
Moçâmedes DesertThe Moçâmedes Desert is a desert located in the deep southwest of Angola, near the border with Namibia. The desert forms the northern tip of the Namib Desert. From the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the desert gradually rises to a semiarid plain where African ironwood trees grow. Few people live in the desert; communities are found mainly in small fishing towns on the coast.
DesertArea of land where little precipitation occursSand dunes in the Rub' al Khali ("Empty quarter") of ArabiaA camel shepherd in southern TunisiaA desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or semi-arid.
Desert climateThe desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification BWh and BWk) is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert climates are dry and hold little moisture, quickly evaporating the already little rainfall they receive. The BWh (hot desert) climate is the most extensive Köppen climate type, covering approximately 14.2% of Earth's land area.
AngolaCountry in Southern AfricaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the western coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country after Brazil in both total area and population and is the seventh-largest country in Africa. It is bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Portuguese languageRomance languagePortuguese (endonym: português) is a Western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, written in the Latin script. With approximately 267 million native speakers, it is the fifth-most spoken native language in the world, and the most widely spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere.
Semi-arid climateClimate with precipitation below potential evapotranspirationRegions with semi-arid climates BSh BSkA semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-arid climates, depending on variables such as temperature, and they give rise to different biomes.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.