Geography in South Africa

South Africa stands at the most Southern tip of Africa. Its coastline stretches more than 3000 kms from the desert border with Nambia on the Atlantic coast southwards. Majority of South Africa’s landscape is made of high, flat areas called plateaus. Landscape here is covered with rolling grasslands which is also known as Highveld, and tree-dotted plains called bushveld.
East, South and West of the lands are mountainous areas called the Great Escarpment. The eastern range are called the Drakensberg or the Dragon’s mountain. It is loaded with jagged peaks with more than 11,400 feet height.

Uniquely South Africa has other country also with its borders. Snuggled in the Drakensberg is the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho.

South Africa gets its water from the snow capped peaks of Lesotho. The country boasts more than 290 conservation parks. It is also home to around 300 mammal species, about 860 bird species and 8000 plant species. It features 8 world heritage sights and is divided into 8 biomes. The heritage sites are

1. Cradles of Humankind
2. Robben Island
3. Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape
4. Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape
5. Cape Floral Region Protected Areas
6. Isimangaliso Wetland Park
7. Vredefort Dome
8. UKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park

The country is considered to be the cradle of humankind and is home to 40% of all hominid finds on Earth.

The country’s rivers are not commercially navigable and most river mouths are unsuitable as harbours because huge sandbanks block entry for most of the year. South Africa as such has no significant natural lakes, and artificial lakes are used most of crop irrigation. The largest river in South Africa is the Orange River. It rises in Drakensberg Mountains and transverses through the Lesotho Highlands. It then joins the CalendonRiver between the Eastern Cape and the Free State before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean, it connects the border with Namibia. Other major river includes the Vaal, Breede, Komati, Lepelle, Tugela, Umzimvubu, Limpopo and Molopo.

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