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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Vryheid
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Zululand District Municipality > Abaqulusi Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,191 m
George
South Africa > Western Cape > Garden Route District Municipality > George Local Municipality
Average elevation: 244 m
Canberra
Australia > District of Canberra Central
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
Lusikisiki
South Africa > Eastern Cape > O.R. Tambo District Municipality > Ingquza Hill Local Municipality
Average elevation: 563 m
Emfuleni Local Municipality
South Africa > Gauteng > Sedibeng District Municipality
Average elevation: 1,501 m
Excelsior
South Africa > Free State > Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality > Mantsopa Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,458 m
uMhlangane River
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality > KwaMashu
Average elevation: 65 m
Ballito
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > iLembe District Municipality > KwaDukuza Local Municipality
Average elevation: 31 m
Vaal Dam
South Africa > Free State > Fezile Dabi District Municipality > Metsimaholo Local Municipality > Deneysville
Average elevation: 1,481 m
Breede River
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Langeberg Local Municipality
Average elevation: 170 m
Groblersdal
South Africa > Limpopo > Sekhukhune District Municipality > Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality
Average elevation: 939 m
Franschhoek
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Stellenbosch Local Municipality
Average elevation: 502 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
Hazyview
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Ehlanzeni District Municipality > Mbombela
Average elevation: 554 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
KwaBhaca (Mount Frere)
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Alfred Nzo District Municipality > Umzimvubu Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,116 m
Grootdraai Dam
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Gert Sibande > Lekwa Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,549 m
Heyshope Dam
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Gert Sibande > Mkhondo Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,325 m
Matlosana Local Municipality
South Africa > North West > Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality
Average elevation: 1,414 m
Mabalingwe Nature Reserve
South Africa > Limpopo > Waterberg District Municipality > Bela Bela Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,291 m
Nandoni Dam
South Africa > Limpopo > Vhembe District Municipality > Thulamela Local Municipality
Average elevation: 503 m
Ulundi
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Zululand District Municipality > Ulundi Local Municipality
Average elevation: 586 m
Spioenkop Dam
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Uthukela District Municipality > Okhahlamba Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,139 m
Mtubatuba
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Umkhanyakude District Municipality > Mtubatuba Local Municipality
Average elevation: 64 m
Mogwase
South Africa > North West > Bojanala Platinum District Municipality > Moses Kotane Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,095 m
Shaka's Rock
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > iLembe District Municipality > KwaDukuza Local Municipality > Shaka's Rock
Average elevation: 24 m
Saint Helena Bay
South Africa > Western Cape > West Coast District Municipality > Saldanha Bay Local Municipality
Average elevation: 45 m
Upington
South Africa > Northern Cape > ZF Mgcawu District Municipality
The elevation of Upington is 2,742 feet (835 metres). It is the closest large centre to the Augrabies Falls (arguably the greatest of South African waterfalls) and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The landscape is very arid but the soil is fertile and crops such as fruit are grown in irrigated fields. The…
Average elevation: 849 m
Bizana
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Alfred Nzo District Municipality > Mbizana Local Municipality
Average elevation: 823 m
City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
Ekurhuleni lies on the highveld plateau at about 1600 metres in altitude above sea level (asl). The highest elevation is at the Gillooly's Ridge – Bill Stewart Side – Fisher's Hill at 1772 metres asl. The lowest point is at 1552 metres asl. The city is rich in wetlands, pans, streams and rivers. The city…
Average elevation: 1,588 m
Drakensberg
The Drakensberg (Zulu: uKhahlamba, Sotho: Maloti, Afrikaans: Drakensberge) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – 2,000 to 3,482 metres (6,562 to 11,424 feet) within the border region of South…
Average elevation: 3,286 m
Middelburg
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Nkangala > Steve Tshwete Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,493 m
Jeffreys Bay
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Sarah Baartman District Municipality > Kouga Local Municipality
Average elevation: 30 m
Piketberg
South Africa > Western Cape > West Coast District Municipality > Bergrivier Local Municipality
Average elevation: 265 m
St. Francis Bay
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Sarah Baartman District Municipality > Kouga Local Municipality
Average elevation: 25 m
Springbok
South Africa > Northern Cape > Namakwa District Municipality > Nama Khoi Local Municipality
The town lies at an elevation of 1,007 metres (3,304 feet) in a narrow valley between the high granite domes of the Klein Koperberge (Small Copper Mountains). This name gives away the reason for the early settlement which gradually turned into a major commercial and administrative centre for copper mining…
Average elevation: 927 m
Brunei
Average elevation: 74 m
Izinga Walkways
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality > Umhlanga Rocks
Average elevation: 94 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
