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Location of South Africa
South Africa is located on the southern tip of Africa. South Africa extends 1,821 NE-SW and 1,066 SE-NW. Surrounded by the worlds great oceans, the Atlantic meets the South African border from the west while the Indian Ocean covers the south and east side. To the north of South Africa lies Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland, while the Kingdom of Lesotho is an independent enclave surrounded by South African territory.
More than 50% of South Africa's 472,000 square miles (1.2 million sq. km.) lie below the Tropic of Capricorn. The country is geographically divided into three primary regions: an expansive central plateau, a escarpment of mountain ranges that ring the plateau on the west, south, and east, and a narrow strip of low-lying land along the coast. Most of the central plateau (and the country) consists of high (4,000-6,000 ft/1,220-1,830 m), rolling grassland known as highveld. The Drakensburg Mountains )dragons back) is the highest points of the mountainous, where the tips of dragon's back can exceed heights of 10,000 ft (3,050 m).
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