South Africa facts
| Capital | Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town |
|---|---|
| Continent / region | Africa, Southern Africa |
| Area | 1,221,037 km² · 471,445 sq mi · 301,724,348 acres |
| Languages | Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu |
| Demonym | South African |
| Currency | South African Rand (ZAR) |
| Time zone | Africa/Johannesburg · UTC+2 · 9:35 PM at the time this page was updated |
| Calling code | +27 |
| Internet domain | .za |
| Electricity | 230V, 50Hz · plug types C, M, N |
| Capital coordinates | -25.7449, 28.1878 |
Time difference
Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town is on UTC+2 today. When it is 12:00 noon there, the time elsewhere is:
| Place | Time |
|---|---|
| New York | 6:00 a.m. |
| Los Angeles | 3:00 a.m. |
| London | 11:00 a.m. |
| UTC | 10:00 a.m. |
To convert other times, use the time zone converter. For how far local clocks are from the Sun, see the solar time calculator.
Size and distance
- South Africa is about 13% of the size of the United States (9,372,610 km²).
- South Africa is about 5 times the size of the United Kingdom (242,900 km²).
- Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town to Washington, D.C.: about 13,030 km (8,097 mi) as the crow flies.
- Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town to London: about 9,025 km (5,608 mi) as the crow flies.
Neighboring countries
South Africa shares land borders with 6 countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Zimbabwe.
Sources: country data from mledoze/countries (ODbL), capital coordinates from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), borders from Natural Earth. Area figures may include inland water and differ slightly between sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the capital of South Africa?
The capital of South Africa is Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town.
How big is South Africa?
South Africa covers about 1,221,037 km² (471,445 sq mi), ranking 24 of 196 countries by area. It is about 13% of the size of the United States. It is about 5 times the size of the United Kingdom.
What time zone is South Africa in?
Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town uses UTC+2 (Africa/Johannesburg) today. When it is noon in Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, it is 6:00 a.m. in New York and 11:00 a.m. in London. Countries that observe daylight saving time change their offset during the year; this page is updated daily.
What currency does South Africa use?
South Africa uses the South African Rand (ZAR).
What is the country code for South Africa?
The international calling code is +27. From the United States dial 011 27 followed by the number; from most other countries dial 00 27.
What language is spoken in South Africa?
Official or national languages: Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu.