South Africa
Republic of South Africa
- Southern Africa
- 6 neighbours in Travle
South Africa overview
South Africa is in Southern Africa, Africa. The World Bank counts about 64.7 million people for 2025 on 1,219,602 km² of surface area.
In the Travle map, South Africa has 6 neighbours: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. From there, 125 countries can be reached by land.
Population, density and language
The World Bank counts 64,747,319 people in South Africa for 2025, which is 24th of 170 by population. Spread over 1,219,602 km² of surface area (2024), that is about 53 people per km², 104th of 169 by density.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (SP.POP.TOTL), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Rankings compare the entries in Travle's country list that have World Bank data (170 with population, 169 with surface area). Some list entries are territories, so a rank here is not a rank among sovereign states.
| Language | Share (est.) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| English | 31% | official |
| Zulu | 24% | official in some regions |
| Xhosa | 18% | official in some regions |
| Afrikaans | 13% | official in some regions |
| Northern Sotho | 9.4% | official in some regions |
| Tswana | 8.2% | official in some regions |
CLDR shares are estimates of people who use each language, so they can add up to more than 100%.
How big is South Africa, really?
With 1,219,602 km² (2024, land plus inland water), South Africa is 24th of 169 by surface area and covers 0.87% of the combined area of those entries.
In that ordering, Mali (1,241,238 km²) is just larger; Colombia (1,140,619 km²) just smaller.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.South Africa at a glance
- Capital
- not available
- Region
- Southern Africa, Africa
- Population
- 64,747,319 (2025)
- Surface area
- 1,219,602 km² (2024)
- Density
- 53 people per km²
- Official languages
- English
- Currency
- Rand (ZAR)
- Calling code
- +27
- Internet domain
- .za
- Land neighbours
- 6 (Natural Earth) · 6 (Travle)
Each figure is sourced in its own section below. "Not available" means no source used on this page has the figure.
South Africa within Southern Africa
Natural Earth places South Africa in Southern Africa (UN subregion). Of the 5 entries from Travle's country list in that subregion, South Africa is 1st by population and 1st by surface area, with 87.5% of the combined population of those entries.
| Country | Population (2025) | Area km² (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 64,747,319 | 1,219,602 |
 Namibia | 3,092,816 | 824,292 |
 Botswana | 2,562,122 | 581,730 |
 Lesotho | 2,363,325 | 30,360 |
 Eswatini | 1,256,174 | 17,364 |
Sources: World Bank WDI (SP.POP.TOTL, AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; subregion from Natural Earth 1:110m. A dash means the World Bank has no figure.
Location, borders and position
South Africa is in Southern Africa, Africa. Its outline in Natural Earth lies in the southern hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere.
On land, Natural Earth's boundary data gives South Africa 6 neighbours; the Travle game map gives it 6.
Sources: Natural Earth 1:110m (outline and capital) and 1:10m boundary lines (neighbours), public domain.
Where South Africa is on the map
Countries bordering South Africa
Natural Earth's boundary data and the Travle map agree on these 6 land neighbours.
| Country | Direction | Land boundary in Natural Earth | Border in Travle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botswana | north | Yes | Yes |
| Eswatini | north-east | Yes | Yes |
| Lesotho | east | Yes | Yes |
 Mozambique | north-east | Yes | Yes |
| Namibia | north-west | Yes | Yes |
 Zimbabwe | north-east | Yes | Yes |
Geographic column: Natural Earth 1:10m Admin-0 boundary lines (land) 5.1.0 (public domain), checked 2026-10-19; Natural Earth shows de facto boundaries and does not settle disputes. Travle column: the game's own border map.
Money and language in South Africa
Currency
- Rand: code ZAR, numeric 710. ISO 4217 lists it for 3 entries in total, so it is shared with 2 others.
Official languages
- English: official in 91 territories in CLDR, including South Africa.
- 10 more languages have regional official status: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Northern Sotho, Tswana, Southern Sotho, Tsonga, Swati, Venda and South Ndebele.
CLDR is a technical reference, not a legal text. Laws and constitutions can describe languages differently.
Currency, domain and dialling code
- Currency
- Rand (ZAR)
Source: Unicode CLDR release-48-2 currencyData (region ZA); code, name and number from ISO 4217 list one (SIX), published 2026-09-17; checked 2026-10-19. - Internet domain
- .za
Source: IANA Root Zone Database; checked 2026-10-19. - International dialling code
- +27
Source: ITU, List of ITU-T Recommendation E.164 assigned country codes (position on 15 December 2016); checked 2026-10-19. - Time
- UTC+02:00 all year (2026)
IANA zones: Africa/Johannesburg
Source: IANA Time Zone Database 2026e (zone.tab); UTC offsets computed for 15 Jan and 15 Jul 2026 with Node.js ICU tz 2026a; checked 2026-10-19.
South Africa codes and abbreviations
| Standard | Code |
|---|---|
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 | ZA |
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 | ZAF |
| ISO 3166-1 numeric | 710 |
| ISO 4217 currency (Rand) | ZAR · 710 |
| Country-code top-level domain | .za |
| ITU-T E.164 country code | +27 |
Sources: Natural Earth (ISO 3166-1), ISO 4217 list one (SIX), IANA Root Zone Database, ITU E.164 list; linked with dates in the sections above.
Fun facts about South Africa
- It has the largest population of the 5 entries in Southern Africa from Travle's country list.
- English has official status in 91 territories in Unicode CLDR, South Africa among them.
- The longest Travle trip from South Africa takes 17 steps, to Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
- UNESCO lists 12 World Heritage properties in South Africa; the earliest inscription dates from 1999.
Each fact is calculated from the sources cited on this page.
How far can you travel from South Africa in Travle?
Starting from South Africa and moving one border at a time, this is how many countries in the game's map you reach at each step. Countries that need a sea crossing never appear, because the game only follows land borders.
| Steps | Countries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | |
| 2 | 4 | |
| 3 | 6 | |
| 4 | 6 | |
| 5 | 6 | |
| 6 | 4 | |
| 7 | 7 | |
| 8 | 10 | |
| 9 | 8 | |
| 10 | 13 | |
| 11 | 13 | |
| 12 | 25 | |
| 13 | 10 | |
| 14 | 2 | |
| 15 | 1 | |
| 16 | 2 | |
| 17 | 2 |
In total 125 of the 171 other countries in the map can be reached by land. The longest trips take 17 steps and end in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. The other 46 cannot be reached without crossing the sea (18 in North America, 13 in South America, 6 in Oceania, 5 in Asia, 3 in Europe, 1 in Africa).
Nearby routes from South Africa
Shortest land routes in the game's map to the countries up to 3 steps away. There can be several routes of the same length; this list shows one. The section above shows how many countries are reachable in total.
- Botswana: 1 step (South Africa → Botswana)
- Eswatini: 1 step (South Africa → Eswatini)
- Lesotho: 1 step (South Africa → Lesotho)
- Mozambique: 1 step (South Africa → Mozambique)
- Namibia: 1 step (South Africa → Namibia)
- Zimbabwe: 1 step (South Africa → Zimbabwe)
Angola: 2 steps (South Africa → Namibia → Angola)
Malawi: 2 steps (South Africa → Mozambique → Malawi)
Tanzania: 2 steps (South Africa → Mozambique → Tanzania)
Zambia: 2 steps (South Africa → Botswana → Zambia)
Burundi: 3 steps (South Africa → Mozambique → Tanzania → Burundi)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 3 steps (South Africa → Botswana → Zambia → Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Kenya: 3 steps (South Africa → Mozambique → Tanzania → Kenya)
Republic of the Congo: 3 steps (South Africa → Namibia → Angola → Republic of the Congo)
Rwanda: 3 steps (South Africa → Mozambique → Tanzania → Rwanda)
Uganda: 3 steps (South Africa → Mozambique → Tanzania → Uganda)
World Heritage in South Africa
UNESCO lists 12 World Heritage properties in South Africa: 7 cultural, 4 natural and 1 mixed. The first 3 were inscribed in 1999.
- Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa (cultural, inscribed 1999)
- Robben Island (cultural, inscribed 1999)
- iSimangaliso Wetland Park – Maputo National Park (natural, inscribed 1999, shared with other countries)
- Maloti-Drakensberg Park (mixed, inscribed 2000, shared with other countries)
- Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape (cultural, inscribed 2003)
- Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (natural, inscribed 2004)
- Vredefort Dome (natural, inscribed 2005)
- Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape (cultural, inscribed 2007)
- ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape (cultural, inscribed 2017)
- Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains (natural, inscribed 2018)
- Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites (cultural, inscribed 2024)
- The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa (cultural, inscribed 2024)
Source: UNESCO World Heritage List (XML feed); checked 2026-10-19. Names as listed by UNESCO; descriptions on this page are our own.
South Africa — frequently asked questions
Which countries border South Africa?
On land, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and Zimbabwe, according to Natural Earth's boundary data. The Travle map uses the same neighbours.
What currency and language does South Africa use?
The currency is the Rand (ZAR). Unicode CLDR gives English official status.
How far can you travel from South Africa in Travle?
Following land borders only, 125 countries are reachable. The farthest need 17 steps: Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
How many people live in South Africa?
The World Bank counts 64,747,319 people for 2025.
How big is South Africa?
1,219,602 km² of surface area (2024), according to the World Bank.
What is the dialling code and internet domain of South Africa?
The international dialling code is +27 and the country-code domain is .za.
What time zone does South Africa use?
UTC+02:00 all year (2026).
Keep exploring
- Spin the country wheel to get a random country.
- Play Travle and try to cross the map border by border.
- Browse all countries of the world, countries by population, capitals, country codes or try the flag quiz.