GEOGRAPHY
General Information
The Republic of South Africa (RSA) is a state located at the southernmost tip of the African continent. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean from the west and the Indian Ocean from the east.
Seven geographical zones are distinguished on the territory of South Africa. These include the Central Plateau, the Great Escarpment (a mountain arc 2250 km long), Namaqualand (an arid territory in the west of the country), the Cape, Southern and Southeastern coastal regions, and the Transvaal Low Veld. The country's relief is characterized by a large number of hills, depressions and plains, and low, dissected mountain ranges. Savannas and gallery forests along rivers predominate on the eastern coast, with subtropical forests and shrubs further south. The interior regions are occupied by the arid savanna of the Kalahari, shrub semi-deserts and the Karoo deserts.
The country possesses rich mineral resources and is the most economically developed in Africa. Manganese, platinum group metals, gold, chromites, tungsten, aluminosilicates, vanadium, and zirconium are widely mined on the territory of South Africa. Coal mining is developed – South Africa ranks 3rd in the world in the use of coal for electricity production. The country's territory contains reserves of diamonds, asbestos, nickel, lead, uranium and other minerals.
The area of the country is 1 223 404 sq. km.
The length of the coastline is 2798 km.
Time zone – UTC+2.
State Borders
The total length of South Africa's land borders is 4862 km.
The country borders 7 countries:
- Botswana (1840 km);
- Namibia (967 km);
- Lesotho (909 km), is an enclave, completely surrounded by the territory of South Africa;
- Mozambique (491 km);
- Eswatini (438 km);
- Zimbabwe (225 km).
Climate
In the southwestern part of the country, the climate is Mediterranean, in the central part – temperate, in the northeast – subtropical. The territory is characterized by warm, sunny days and cold nights. The main precipitation falls in the summer period (from November to March), in the southwest in the winter period (from June to August). The average monthly temperatures in some localities exceed +32 ºC in summer and reach +38 ºC in the north of the country. Negative temperatures occur in the mountains at high altitudes in the winter period, the average temperature in winter is about +15 ºC.