Topographic maps
Click on a map to view its topography, its elevation and its terrain.
South Africa
South Africa's topography is characterized by a high central plateau, known as the Highveld, which lies at elevations between 1,200 and 1,800 meters (3,937 to 5,906 feet) above sea level. This plateau is encircled by the Great Escarpment, a prominent mountainous feature that includes the Drakensberg Mountains,…
Average elevation: 221 m
Western Cape
The province is topographically exceptionally diverse. Most of the province falls within the Cape Fold Belt, a set of nearly parallel ranges of sandstone folded mountains of Cambrian-Ordovician age (the age of the rocks is from 510 to about 330 million years ago; their folding into mountains occurred about 350…
Average elevation: 90 m
Gauteng
Gauteng's southern border is the Vaal River, which separates it from the Free State. It also borders on North West to the west, Limpopo to the north, and Mpumalanga to the east. Gauteng is the only landlocked province of South Africa without a foreign border. Most of Gauteng is on the Highveld, a high-altitude…
Average elevation: 1,405 m
Cape Town
South Africa > Western Cape > City of Cape Town
The Cape Peninsula is 52 km long from Mouille Point in the north to Cape Point in the south, with an area of about 470 km2, and it displays more topographical variety than other similar sized areas in southern Africa, and consequently spectacular scenery. There are diverse low-nutrient soils, large rocky…
Average elevation: 53 m
Pretoria
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
Pretoria is situated approximately 55 km (34 mi) north-northeast of Johannesburg in the northeast of South Africa, in a transitional belt between the plateau of the Highveld to the south and the lower-lying Bushveld to the north. It lies at an altitude of about 1,339 m (4,393 ft) above sea level, in a warm,…
Average elevation: 1,363 m
Umhlanga Rocks
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 45 m
Vanderbijlpark
South Africa > Gauteng > Sedibeng District Municipality > Emfuleni Local Municipality
Vanderbijlpark is situated on the highveld of South Africa, at an altitude of 1,500 meters on the banks of the Vaal River. Summers in the city are warm to hot with an average high between 31 and 35°C, and an average low between 15 and 22°C. Winters in the city are cool to warm with an average high of between…
Average elevation: 1,474 m
Pietermaritzburg
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > uMgungundlovu District Municipality
Average elevation: 853 m
Carletonville
South Africa > Gauteng > West Rand District Municipality > Merafong City Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,539 m
Magaliesberg Biosphere Reserve
The reserve includes a variety of landscapes including slopes, cliffs, crests, kloofs, rivers, wetlands and valleys. Although the area covers a diverse geological area, it consists mainly of the Magaliesberg mountain complex comprising two geological formations: the Transvaal System and the Bushveld Igneous…
Average elevation: 1,370 m
Sandton
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 1,583 m
Vredenburg
South Africa > Western Cape > West Coast District Municipality > Saldanha Bay Local Municipality
Average elevation: 91 m
Wellington
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Drakenstein Local Municipality
Average elevation: 168 m
Arniston
South Africa > Western Cape > Overberg District Municipality > Cape Agulhas Local Municipality
Average elevation: 13 m
Danger Point Lighthouse
South Africa > Western Cape > Overberg District Municipality > Overstrand Local Municipality
Average elevation: 6 m
Piketberg
South Africa > Western Cape > West Coast District Municipality > Bergrivier Local Municipality
Average elevation: 265 m
Umkomaas
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
The Umkomaas or uMkomazi River is a dominant feature of the area, being the largest river on the South Coast. The river is 298 kilometres long, from its source just south of Giant's Castle in the uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site to its mouth on the Indian Ocean. The river begins its journey at…
Average elevation: 38 m
Wakkerstroom
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Gert Sibande > Pixley Ka Seme Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,828 m
Stanger / KwaDukuza
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > iLembe District Municipality > KwaDukuza Local Municipality
Average elevation: 96 m
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal has a varied yet verdant climate thanks to diverse, complex topography. Generally, the coast is subtropical with inland regions becoming progressively colder. Durban on the south coast has an annual rainfall of 1009 mm, with daytime maxima peaking from January to March at 28 °C (82 °F) with a…
Average elevation: 777 m
Johannesburg
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
Johannesburg is located in the eastern plateau area of South Africa known as the Highveld, at an elevation of 1,753 metres (5,751 ft). The former Central Business District is located on the southern side of the prominent ridge called the Witwatersrand (English: White Water's Ridge) and the terrain falls to the…
Average elevation: 1,615 m
Orange River
The Orange rises in the Drakensberg mountains along the border between South Africa and Lesotho, about 193 km (120 mi) west of the Indian Ocean and at an altitude of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). The extremity of the Orange River inside Lesotho is known as the Senqu. Parts of the Senqu River freeze in winter…
Average elevation: 966 m
Komati River
The river originates west of Carolina, rising at an elevation of about 1,800 m (5,906 ft) near Breyten in the Ermelo district of the Mpumalanga province. It flows in a general northeasterly direction and reaches the Indian Ocean at Maputo Bay, after a course of some 800 km (497 mi).
Average elevation: 477 m
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal has a varied yet verdant climate thanks to diverse, complex topography. Generally, the coast is subtropical with inland regions becoming progressively colder. Durban on the south coast has an annual rainfall of 1009 mm, with daytime maxima peaking from January to March at 28 °C (82 °F) with a…
Average elevation: 950 m
Nquthu
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Umzinyathi District Municipality > Nquthu Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,175 m
Bulwer
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Sisonke District Municipality > Ingwe Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,534 m
Chaneng
South Africa > North West > Bojanala Platinum District Municipality > Rustenburg Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,059 m
Port Alfred
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Sarah Baartman District Municipality > Ndlambe Local Municipality
Average elevation: 33 m
Barberton
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Ehlanzeni District Municipality > Umjindi Local Municipality
Average elevation: 917 m
Randburg
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 1,567 m
Hermanus
South Africa > Western Cape > Overberg District Municipality > Overstrand Local Municipality
Average elevation: 87 m
Mpumalanga
The Drakensberg escarpment divides Mpumalanga into a westerly half consisting mainly of high-altitude grassland called the Highveld and an eastern half situated in low-altitude subtropical Lowveld/Bushveld, mostly savanna habitat. The southern half of the Kruger National Park is in the latter region. The…
Average elevation: 1,127 m
Free State
The Free State is situated on a succession of flat grassy plains sprinkled with pastureland, resting on a general elevation of 3,800 feet only broken by the occasional hill or kopje. The rich soil and pleasant climate allow for a thriving agricultural industry. With more than 30,000 farms, which produce over…
Average elevation: 1,499 m
Snohomish County
The lowland areas of western Snohomish County generally has a temperate Mediterranean climate similar to the rest of the central Puget Sound region with dry summers and wet winters. The county's weather is heavily influenced by maritime systems, pushed by prevailing westerly winds but dampened by the Olympic…
Average elevation: 649 m
Tarkastad
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Chris Hani District Municipality > Tsolwana Local Municipality
Scientists have stated that Tarkastad has one of the healthiest climates in the world. Winters are cold with frequent snowfalls on high lying mountain tops, while summers are hot and dry. Tarkastad which is situated at an elevation of 1,304 metres normally receives about 335mm of rain per year, with most…
Average elevation: 1,347 m
Driekoppies Dam
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Ehlanzeni District Municipality > Nkomazi > Schulzendal
Average elevation: 355 m
Ulundi
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Zululand District Municipality > Ulundi Local Municipality
Average elevation: 586 m
McGregor
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Langeberg Local Municipality
Average elevation: 314 m
Karoo
South Africa > Western Cape > Central Karoo District Municipality > Beaufort West Local Municipality
The Karoo (/kəˈruə/ kə-ROO-ə; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ǃ’Aukarob "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its extent is also not precisely defined. The Karoo is…
Average elevation: 881 m
Stanford
South Africa > Western Cape > Overberg District Municipality > Overstrand Local Municipality
Average elevation: 107 m
Kgetleng River Local Municipality
South Africa > North West > Bojanala Platinum District Municipality
Average elevation: 1,367 m
Loskop Dam
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Nkangala > Steve Tshwete Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,211 m
Durbanville
South Africa > Western Cape > City of Cape Town
Durbanville is situated in the northern suburbs of Cape Town, approximately 28 kilometres (17.4 mi) north-east of the city, bordered by Bellville to the south, Brackenfell to the south-east and Kraaifontein to the east. It lies at an altitude of between 100 m (328 ft) to 240 m (787 ft), in the vast rolling…
Average elevation: 157 m
Midvaal Local Municipality
South Africa > Gauteng > Sedibeng District Municipality
Average elevation: 1,531 m
Mzimvubu
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Alfred Nzo District Municipality > Umzimvubu Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,041 m
Buffelspoort Dam
South Africa > North West > Bojanala Platinum District Municipality > Rustenburg Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,311 m
Jonkershoek Nature Reserve
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Stellenbosch Local Municipality
Average elevation: 522 m
Clarens
South Africa > Free State > Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality > Dihlabeng Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,874 m
Springs
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 1,606 m
Modimolle
South Africa > Limpopo > Waterberg District Municipality > Modimolle Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,192 m
Canberra
The area chosen for the capital had been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for up to 21,000 years, with the principal group being the Ngunnawal people. European settlement commenced in the first half of the 19th century, as evidenced by surviving landmarks such as St John's Anglican Church and Blundells…
Average elevation: 638 m
Brunei
Average elevation: 100 m
Msinga Top
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Umzinyathi District Municipality > Msinga Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,168 m
Malgas Island Marine Protected Area
The type of rock of the reef is of some importance, as it influences the range of possibilities for the local topography, which in turn influences the range of habitats provided, and therefore the diversity of inhabitants. Sandstone and other sedimentary rocks erode and weather very differently, and depending…
Average elevation: 2 m
Ugu District Municipality
Being a coastal strip, the topography generally falls towards the coast and is segmented by many water courses (streams/rivers) resulting in numerous hills and valleys as well as very flat areas along the coast.
Average elevation: 458 m
