South Africa is divided into nine provinces namely; the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.
Gauteng is the smallest, most crowded, and most urbanised, while the Northern Cape is the largest but arid and mostly empty, taking up almost a third of South Africa’s total land area.
Each of the nine provinces has its own Legislature, Premier, and Executive Council.
| Province | Area | Capital | Largest City | Population (2022) | Most Spoken Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Cape | 168,966 km2 (65,238 sq mi) | Bhisho (Bisho) | Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) | 7,230,204 | Xhosa |
| Free State | 129,825 km2 (50,126 sq mi) | Bloemfontein | Bloemfontein | 2,964,412 | Sotho |
| Gauteng | 18,178 km2 (7,019 sq mi) | Johannesburg | Johannesburg | 15,099,422 | Zulu |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 94,361 km2 (36,433 sq mi) | Pietermaritzburg | Durban | 12,423,907 | Zulu |
| Limpopo | 125,754 km2 (48,554 sq mi) | Polokwane (Pietersburg) | Polokwane | 6,572,720 | Pedi |
| Mpumalanga | 76,495 km2 (29,535 sq mi) | Mbombela (Nelspruit) | Mbombela | 5,143,324 | Swazi |
| North West | 104,882 km2 (40,495 sq mi) | Mahikeng (Mafikeng) | Rustenburg | 3,804,548 | Tswana |
| Northern Cape | 372,889 km2 (143,973 sq mi) | Kimberley | Kimberley | 1,355,946 | Afrikaans |
| Western Cape | 129,462 km2 (49,986 sq mi) | Cape Town | Cape Town | 7,433,019 | Afrikaans |
