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
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
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
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
Willowvale
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Amathole District Municipality > Mbhashe Local Municipality
Average elevation: 482 m
Brunei
Average elevation: 74 m
Gqeberha
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 37 m
Mamelodi
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 1,319 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
Eshowe
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > King Cetswayo District Municipality > uMlalazi Local Municipality
Average elevation: 457 m
Ngwathe Local Municipality
South Africa > Free State > Fezile Dabi District Municipality
Average elevation: 1,501 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
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
Tshipise
South Africa > Limpopo > Vhembe District Municipality > Mutale Local Municipality
Average elevation: 470 m
Mogwase
South Africa > North West > Bojanala Platinum District Municipality > Moses Kotane Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,095 m
uMhlangane River
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality > KwaMashu
Average elevation: 65 m
Meyerton
South Africa > Gauteng > Sedibeng District Municipality > Midvaal Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,479 m
Thohoyandou
South Africa > Limpopo > Vhembe District Municipality > Thulamela Local Municipality
Average elevation: 632 m
Randburg
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 1,567 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
Loskop Dam
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Nkangala > Steve Tshwete Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,211 m
Worcester
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Breede Valley Local Municipality
Worcester is located at an elevation of 220 metres (720 ft) and can be reached by road either travelling on the N1 highway through the Huguenot Tunnel or by driving through spectacular mountain passes. From Cape Town Du Toitskloof, from Wellington Bainskloof, from Malmesbury, Western Cape Nieuwekloof, from…
Average elevation: 252 m
Ficksburg
South Africa > Free State > Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality > Setsoto Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,617 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
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
Klipkoppie Dam
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Ehlanzeni District Municipality > Mbombela
Average elevation: 973 m
Swartberg Pass
South Africa > Western Cape > Garden Route District Municipality > Oudtshoorn Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,462 m
Faerie Glen Nature Reserve
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality > Pretoria
Average elevation: 1,385 m
Kempton Park
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
Average elevation: 1,654 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
Heyshope Dam
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Gert Sibande > Mkhondo Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,325 m
Mandeni Local Municipality
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > iLembe District Municipality
Average elevation: 121 m
Mogale City Local Municipality
South Africa > Gauteng > West Rand District Municipality
Average elevation: 1,512 m
Mabalingwe Nature Reserve
South Africa > Limpopo > Waterberg District Municipality > Bela Bela Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,291 m
Paternoster
South Africa > Western Cape > West Coast District Municipality > Saldanha Bay Local Municipality
Average elevation: 20 m
Wolseley
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Witzenberg Local Municipality
Wolseley lies at an altitude of 260 metres (850 ft) on the watershed between the drainage basins of the Breede River, which flows south to the Indian Ocean, and the Berg River, which flows north to the Atlantic Ocean. It is 15 kilometres (9 mi) south of Tulbagh, 12 kilometres (7 mi) southwest of Ceres, and 35…
Average elevation: 271 m
Groot-Drakenstein
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Stellenbosch Local Municipality
Average elevation: 173 m
Springfontein
South Africa > Free State > Xhariep District Municipality > Kopanong Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,529 m
Homestead Lake
South Africa > Gauteng > City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality > Benoni
Average elevation: 1,649 m
Gariep Dam
South Africa > Free State > Xhariep District Municipality > Kopanong Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,317 m
Saint Helena Bay
South Africa > Western Cape > West Coast District Municipality > Saldanha Bay Local Municipality
Average elevation: 45 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
Ramsgate
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Ugu District Municipality > Hibiscus Coast Local Municipality
Average elevation: 29 m
Gariep Dam
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Joe Gqabi District Municipality > Gariep Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,276 m
Midvaal Local Municipality
South Africa > Gauteng > Sedibeng District Municipality
Average elevation: 1,531 m
Vanderkloof Dam
South Africa > Free State > Xhariep District Municipality > Letsemeng Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,188 m
eMakhazeni (Belfast)
South Africa > Mpumalanga > Nkangala > Emakhazeni Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,890 m
Cala
South Africa > Eastern Cape > Chris Hani District Municipality > Sakhisizwe Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,297 m
Vaal Dam
South Africa > Free State > Fezile Dabi District Municipality > Metsimaholo Local Municipality > Deneysville
Average elevation: 1,481 m
Parys
South Africa > Free State > Fezile Dabi District Municipality > Ngwathe Local Municipality
Average elevation: 1,408 m
Umlazi
South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Umlazi is situated on a series of undulating hills at an average elevation of 101 metres above sea level between the uMlaza River to the north and the uMbokodweni River to the south. Another river running through Umlazi is the Siphingo River which also runs towards the south of the township.
Average elevation: 100 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
Klerksdorp
South Africa > North West > Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality
Average elevation: 1,346 m
Franschhoek
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Stellenbosch Local Municipality
Average elevation: 502 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
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
Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve
South Africa > Western Cape > Cape Winelands District Municipality > Paarl
Average elevation: 395 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
