Discovering the Geography of South Africa

South Africa is the country which composes the southernmost tip of the continent of Africa. In compare with most African nations, it encompasses a rather large portion of the continent. South Africa is approximately "1/8 the size of the US." [1] "The latitude and the longitude of Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, are 29° 12' S and 28° 10' E respectively."[3]

Geographically, the country is divided into nine different provinces in which 11 different languages are spoken. The smallest province, Gauteng, is a bustling city hub including Johannesburg, the nation's largest city. [1] This summer, I actually spent six weeks living in this area and it is highly urbanized and industrial.  The above picture is one that I took while there.The nation has three separate capital cities, Capetown, the legislative capital, Bloemfontein, the judicial capital and Pretoria, the administrative and main capital. [1]  

Africa has faced a major crisis concerning the rapid spread of the AIDS/HIV virus over the last several years. Though government efforts towards awareness and testing are being promoted, a lack of education and the taboo nature of the disease lead to its continued growth. 

Concerning climate and geographic features, the nation varies greatly from area to area including various different types of topography. The Karoo plateau and the Kalahari Desert are two primary features and experience dry, desert summers and icy winters.[1] As you move into the southern part of the region, near Cape Town, the climate is far more tropical and Mediterranean. 

Contrary to popular opinion, South Africa is not a large plain land or desert with constant high temperatures and dry weather. There are various different climates and land types. While there are areas of safari-like desert, there are also industrialized cities and tropical beaches. One of the key features of climate that I can attest to after living there this summer is the dry versus wet season in Gauteng. I was quite shocked to learn that these descriptions are very literal. During the six months of dry season, it may very lightly sprinkle one day and that would be highly shocking, but in the wet season, rain can be expected every day, very different from our American climate and four seasons. Further, it does actually get cold. Of course, to natives used to 100 degrees, even 60 feels cold, but during the winter that I was there, it actually got down into the 30's. 

While not all of South Africa looks like a scene from Lion King, some parts do! These safari areas and tropical tourist attractions have increased the number of people who travel to the area for pleasure, also helping local economies. South Africa has "two of the world's most renowned wildlife reserves, the Kruger and the Kalahari Gemsbok National Parks" and "excellent road and rail systems"[2] making it an excellent tourist location. 

Overall, South Africa is a beautiful place to visit and has just about any type of geographic features and/or climate you could want within its borders!

[1] "South Africa's Geography" http://www.southafrica.info/about/geography/geography.htm#.VLmv-CvF8rU

[2] "South Africa" http://www.geographia.com/south-africa/

[3] "South Africa Latitude and Longitude Map" http://www.mapsofworld.com/lat_long/south-africa-lat-long.html

Photos retrieved from: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/south-africa-photos/