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Map of South-Africa

South Africa

In 2019 South Africa had a population of 58.5 million people. The country has a land surface area of 1,220,000 km². Of this, around 11% of the land is arable. There are significant ecological variations ranging from dry conditions (desert and semi desert) in the west to two bands of higher rainfall in the east. South Africa is considered to be a water scarce country, with this scarcity exacerbated by extreme social and economic inequality. Just 28% of the land surface receives 600 mm or more of rain per annum. This means that most of the land is suitable only for livestock or wildlife production.
Socio-economic indicators browse all
Land Area
121,309,000 ha
GDP/Capita
13,311.9 USD

More on this country

News Browse all
Land rights protest South Africa

Corruption Watch research suggests authorities are working with crooks to deprive people of land

28 February 2023

Corruption Watch is participating in an eight-country study on land-related corruption

Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act that ‘recreates the Bantustans’ heads to ConCourt

20 February 2023

In South Africa rural citizens argue that by signing the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act, the President made the abusive actions of traditional leaders legal. However they have no issue with the fact that, at last, the law recognises Khoi and San leaders and communities.

Pastoral Land Rights

Uncovering Land Governance Challenges in 9 African Countries: NELGA’s Overview of Pastoralism and Small-Scale Farming

30 January 2023

NELGA has put out nine country profiles about South Sudan, South Africa, Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Egypt, and Mauritania. These profiles give information about pastoralism and small-scale agriculture in these countries.

By 2019 16.8% of households lived in informal dwellings across South Africa’s nine major metropolitan municipalities.

Blogs Browse all
Malawi Small Scale Livestock and Livelihoods Program

Webinar Recap: Traditional Authorities in Africa and Their Role in Land-Based Investment Governance

17 November 2023

In a thought-provoking webinar moderated by Nolundi Luwaya, Director of the Land and Accountability Research Centre at the University of Cape Town, experts from across Africa convened to unravel the complexities of the role of traditional authorities in land-based investment governance. This event…

Events Browse all
Informal settlements and access to data in the time of COVID: a case for sharing data for decision making

Informal settlements and access to data in the time of COVID: a case for sharing data for decision making

  The spread of COVID-19 in South Africa and other countries in the region has again brought to the fore the fact that very dense, under-serviced, mostly informal, settlements are not healthy places to live. They are also places where the spread of a disease is difficult to prevent or manage.      …