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
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
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
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
Potchefstroom
South Africa > North West > Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality
Potchefstroom has hosted two World Cup-winning teams (in cricket and football), and is a home away from home for international athletes and teams. At 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) altitude, it provides a good balance between altitude and quality training. The city has no large factories, and good air quality.…
Average elevation: 1,393 m
Bloemfontein
South Africa > Free State > Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality
Situated at an elevation of 1,395 m (4,577 ft) above sea level, the city is home to approximately 520,000 residents and forms part of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality which has a population of 747,431. It was one of the host cities for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Average elevation: 1,374 m
Hogsback
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Amathole District Municipality > Nkonkobe Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,217 m
Pietermaritzburg
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > uMgungundlovu District Municipality
Average elevation: 853 m
Golden Gate Highlands National Park
South Africa > Free State > Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality
The park is 320 km (200 mi) from Johannesburg and is close to the villages of Clarens and Kestell, in the upper regions of the Little Caledon River. The park is situated in the Rooiberge of the eastern Free State, in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains. The Caledon River forms the southern boundary of the…
Average elevation: 1,925 m
Marloth Park
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Ehlanzeni District Municipality > Nkomazi
Average elevation: 220 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
Stellenbosch
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Stellenbosch Local Municipality
Stellenbosch is 53 km (33 mi) east of Cape Town via National Route N1. Stellenbosch is in a hilly region of the Cape Winelands, and is sheltered in a valley at an average elevation of 136 m (446 ft), flanked on the west by Papegaaiberg (Afrikaans: Parrot Mountain), which is actually a hill. To the south is…
Average elevation: 287 m
Bholani
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Amathole District Municipality > Mnquma Local Municipality
Average elevation: 970 m
Walker Bay
South Africa > Western Cape > Overberg District Municipality > Overstrand Local Municipality
Average elevation: 20 m
Gamtoos River
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Sarah Baartman District Municipality
Average elevation: 261 m
Umbogintwini
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 30 m
Caledon
South Africa > Overberg District Municipality > Theewaterskloof Local Municipality
Average elevation: 311 m
Southbroom
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Ugu District Municipality > Hibiscus Coast Local Municipality
Average elevation: 30 m
Mankweng
South Africa > Limpopo > Capricorn District Municipality > Polokwane Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,300 m
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Umkhanyakude District Municipality
Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park, formerly Hluhluwe–Umfolozi Game Reserve, is the oldest proclaimed nature reserve in Africa. It consists of 960 km² (96,000 ha) of hilly topography 280 kilometres (170 mi) north of Durban in central KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and is known for its rich wildlife and conservation…
Average elevation: 238 m
Meyerton
South Africa > Gauteng > Sedibeng District Municipality > Midvaal Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,479 m
Vaal Dam
South Africa > Free State > Fezile Dabi District Municipality > Metsimaholo Local Municipality > Deneysville
Average elevation: 1,481 m
Piet Retief
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Gert Sibande > Mkhondo Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,276 m
Bethlehem
South Africa > Free State > Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality > Dihlabeng Local Municipality
The city lies at an altitude of 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) and this contributes to its cool climate with frosty winters and mild summers. The average annual temperature is around 14 °C (57 °F).
Average elevation: 1,675 m
Germiston
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 1,635 m
Piketberg
South Africa > Western Cape > West Coast District Municipality > Bergrivier Local Municipality
Average elevation: 265 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
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
Table Mountain National Park
South Africa > Western Cape > City of Cape Town > Pine Haven
Average elevation: 37 m
Loskop Dam
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Nkangala > Steve Tshwete Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,211 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
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
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
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
Woodstock Dam
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Uthukela District Municipality > Okhahlamba Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,192 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
George
South Africa > Western Cape > Garden Route District Municipality > George Local Municipality
Average elevation: 244 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
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
Bergrivier Local Municipality
South Africa > Western Cape > West Coast District Municipality
Average elevation: 180 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
Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality
South Africa > Limpopo > Sekhukhune District Municipality
Average elevation: 1,140 m
Mbizana Local Municipality
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Alfred Nzo District Municipality
Average elevation: 635 m
Graskop
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Ehlanzeni District Municipality > Thaba Chweu Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,385 m
Chelmsford Dam
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Amajuba District Municipality > Newcastle Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,248 m
Paballelo
South Africa > Northern Cape > ZF Mgcawu District Municipality > ǁKhara Hais Local Municipality > Paballelo
Average elevation: 821 m
Stellenbosch
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Stellenbosch Local Municipality
Stellenbosch is 53 km (33 mi) east of Cape Town via National Route N1. Stellenbosch is in a hilly region of the Cape Winelands, and is sheltered in a valley at an average elevation of 136 m (446 ft), flanked on the west by Papegaaiberg (Afrikaans: Parrot Mountain), which is actually a hill. To the south is…
Average elevation: 222 m
City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 1,615 m
Inanda Dam
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 222 m
Zoo Lake
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality > Rosebank
Average elevation: 1,647 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
Table Mountain
South Africa > Western Cape > City of Cape Town > Cape Town
Table Mountain is at the northern end of a sandstone mountain range that forms the spine of the Cape Peninsula that terminates approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) to the south at the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. Immediately to the south of Table Mountain is a rugged "plateau" at a somewhat lower elevation…
Average elevation: 583 m
Brakpan
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 1,624 m
Standerton
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Gert Sibande > Lekwa Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,554 m
Midrand
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 1,542 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
Howick
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > uMgungundlovu District Municipality > uMgeni Local Municipality
Howick is possibly the location of the first crewed flight in the world. Evidence exists that a John Goodman Household flew a self made glider in 1871 and again in 1875 on the outskirts of Howick, close to Karkloof. The actual distance flown and altitude achieved differs from source to source (some sources say…
Average elevation: 1,066 m
Bergville
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Uthukela District Municipality > Okhahlamba Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,132 m
Klerksdorp
South Africa > North West > Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality
Average elevation: 1,346 m
Kanyamazane
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Ehlanzeni District Municipality > Mbombela
Average elevation: 637 m
Gqeberha
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 37 m
KwaBhaca (Mount Frere)
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Alfred Nzo District Municipality > Umzimvubu Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,116 m
Karoo National Park
South Africa > Western Cape > Central Karoo District Municipality
Average elevation: 1,119 m
