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GEOGRAPHY
Capitals:
Administrative--Pretoria Legislative--Cape Town. Judicial--Bloemfontein.
Other cities: Johannesburg, Soweto, Durban.
Terrain: Plateau, savanna, desert, mountains, coastal plains.
Climate: moderate; similar to southern California.
- Location: Southern Africa, at the
southern tip of the continent of Africa
- Map references: Africa
- Area:
- total area: 1,219,912 sq km
- land area: 1,219,912 sq km
- comparative area: slightly less than
twice the size of Texas
- note: includes Prince Edward Islands
(Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)
- Land boundaries: total 4,750 km, Botswana
1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 855 km,
Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
- Coastline: 2,798 km
- Maritime claims:
- continental shelf: 200-m depth or
to the depth of exploitation
- exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
- territorial sea: 12 nm
- International disputes: Swaziland
has asked South Africa to open negotiations on reincorporating
some nearby South African territories that are populated by
ethnic Swazis or that were long ago part of the Swazi Kingdom;
- Climate: mostly semiarid; subtropical
along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
- Terrain: vast interior plateau rimmed
by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain
- Natural resources: gold, chromium,
antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin,
uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural
gas
- Land use:
- arable land: 10%
- permanent crops: 1%
- meadows and pastures: 65%
- forest and woodland: 3%
- other: 21%
- Irrigated land: 11,280 sq km (1989
est.)
- Environment:
- current issues: lack of important
arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation
and control measures; growth in water usage threatens to outpace
supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban
discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion;
desertification
- natural hazards: prolonged droughts
- international agreements: party to
- Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling;
signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
- Note: South Africa completely surrounds
Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland
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