South Africa
South Africa 🇿🇦 is a country in Africa with a population of approximately ~62 million (2024). Its capital is Pretoria (executive). This is the complete reference for identifying South Africa in MapDash, Worldle, Globle, and other daily geography puzzles — drawn from one of 212 country profiles in the network.
Quick facts
| Flag | 🇿🇦 |
| Continent / region | Africa |
| Capital | Pretoria (executive) |
| Population | ~62 million (2024) |
| ISO codes | ZA / ZAF |
| Coordinates | -25.75°, 28.19° |
| Bordering countries | Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini (Swaziland), Lesotho (enclave) |
Famous for
Nelson Mandela and the end of apartheid, Table Mountain in Cape Town, Kruger National Park, the rainbow nation concept, Springbok rugby.
Quiz tips for South Africa
Three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial). Surrounds Lesotho entirely (Lesotho is an enclave).
How South Africa appears in daily geography puzzles
In MapDash, South Africa is identified through the clue sequence: africa first, then population range (~62 million (2024)), then bordering countries, then capital (Pretoria (executive)), then a famous-for hint.
In Worldle, South Africa is identified by its country outline shape. In Globle, the heat-map proximity game warms guesses as they approach Africa.
Neighboring countries
More Africa country guides
Capital Abuja · Africa · Pop. ~224 million (2024)
Capital New Delhi · Asia · Pop. ~1.43 billion (2024)
Capital Beijing · Asia · Pop. ~1.41 billion (2024)
Capital Washington, D.C. · North America · Pop. ~335 million (2024)
Capital Jakarta (moving to Nusantara) · Asia · Pop. ~278 million (2024)
Capital Islamabad · Middle East · Pop. ~247.5 million
Reading South Africa in MapDash context
For South Africa, the underlying data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap country geometries and MapDash editorial commentary. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the OpenStreetMap country geometries and MapDash editorial commentary portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for South Africa’s peers within recognized sovereign countries. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of South Africa?
The capital of South Africa is Pretoria (executive).
What continent is South Africa in?
South Africa is in Africa.
What is the population of South Africa?
South Africa has a population of approximately ~62 million (2024).
What countries border South Africa?
South Africa borders Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini (Swaziland), Lesotho (enclave).
What is South Africa famous for?
Nelson Mandela and the end of apartheid, Table Mountain in Cape Town, Kruger National Park, the rainbow nation concept, Springbok rugby.