South Africa
Africa ยท Capital: Pretoria
How it is run: South Africa is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
South Africa is home to 64.7 million people in Southern Africa, where people speak Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele.
Numbers that tell a story ๐ข
๐ฅ People
64.7 million people
That is 0.8% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
๐บ๏ธ Land
1,221,037 kmยฒ
One of the world's large countries: flying across it takes hours.
๐๏ธ How crowded
About 53 people per square kilometre โ a comfortable mix of cities and open land.
๐ Size in its region
6th most people in Africa
9th largest by land in Africa.
๐ฃ๏ธ Official languages
Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
More than one language is used for official business.
๐ฐ Money
South African rand (R)
Life here today ๐ฉบ
These come from World Bank open data โ the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
โค๏ธ How long people live
66.3 years on average
Doctors, clean water and food supply all change this number over time.
๐ผ Money made per person each year
about US$6,598
A lower-middle-income country: incomes are rising, but many families still farm or work informally.
๐ข Living in cities
63.8% of people
Many people still live in villages and farming towns.
๐ Kids under 15
25.7% of the population
A fairly balanced mix of young and old.
Everyday details ๐งญ
๐ Phone code
+27
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
๐ Websites end in
.za
๐ง People here are called
South African
๐ท๏ธ Name at home
South Africa ยท Sewula Afrika ยท Afrika-Borwa
Also written: Suid-Afrika, Republic of South Africa.
๐ Coast or inland
Has a coastline
๐๏ธ UN voting group
African Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders ๐ค
South Africa touches 6 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world ๐ฃ๏ธ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Sudรกfrica
French
Afrique du Sud
Arabic
ุฌููุจ ุฃูุฑูููุง
Chinese
ๅ้
Japanese
ๅใขใใชใซ
Russian
ะฎะถะฝะพ-ะััะธะบะฐะฝัะบะฐั ะ ะตัะฟัะฑะปะธะบะฐ
Portuguese
รfrica do Sul
German
Sรผdafrika
Put it in perspective ๐
- Nigeria โ the most populated country in Africa โ has about 3.7ร as many people as South Africa.
- South Africa covers roughly 11,629 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in South Africa lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 32,374 km.
Flags through time ๐
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch South Africa change.
Orange Free State
One of the Boer republics before South Africa was one country.
Apartheid-era flag
Flown while most South Africans were denied the vote.
Rainbow nation
The Y shape shows different roads joining into one after Nelson Mandela's election.
Fast facts ๐ง
Fact of the day: ๐ฟ๐ฆ is the flag of South Africa. Its country code โ the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics โ is ZA.
๐ท๏ธ Official name
Republic of South Africa
๐๏ธ Capital
Pretoria
๐ Region
Africa ยท Southern Africa
๐ค Country code
ZA
๐๏ธ UN status
UN member state
๐ฉ Independence
Independent country
More about South Africa ๐
Table Mountain
A flat-topped mountain over Cape Town, often covered by a cloud locals call the tablecloth. Its plants include species found nowhere else.
See it in Street View๐งญ Where on the map
29.0ยฐ S, 24.0ยฐ E
๐ Half of the world
Southern & Eastern hemisphere
๐ฐ๏ธ Clock check
Roughly UTC+2 โ when it is noon in London it is about 14:00 in Pretoria.
- South Africa is close to the line of 0ยฐ longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
- The capital of South Africa is Pretoria โ that's where the country's big decisions get made.
- ๐ฟ๐ฆ is the flag of South Africa. Its country code โ the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics โ is ZA.
- South Africa is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
- South Africa shares its part of the world with Eswatini. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
Countries nearby ๐ค
Talk about it ๐ฌ
- South Africa has 11 official languages. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- South Africa can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If South Africa spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz ๐งช
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of South Africa?
Pretoria
Which money do people spend in South Africa?
South African rand (R)
How many countries share a land border with South Africa?
6 โ Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Zimbabwe.
Roughly how many people live in South Africa?
64.7 million people
Keep researching ๐
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further โ and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here โ kid-friendly encyclopedias ๐
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ๐๏ธ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy ๐ฐ
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card ๐ซ
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians โ all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.