Since the 1994 South African general election, the country has been divided into nine provinces.
Current data
The provinces of South Africa vary massively in size, from the huge Northern Cape which covers slightly above 30% of the country’s land area, to Gauteng, which covers just 1.5%.
The table below shows the current size of each province in square kilometers since 2009.
Province | Area (km²) | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Northern Cape | 372,889 | 30.5 |
Eastern Cape | 168,966 | 13.8 |
Free State | 129,825 | 10.6 |
Western Cape | 129,462 | 10.6 |
Limpopo | 125,755 | 10.2 |
North West | 104,882 | 8.6 |
KwaZulu-Natal | 94,361 | 7.7 |
Mpumalanga | 76,495 | 6.3 |
Gauteng | 18,178 | 1.5 |
South Africa | 1,220,813 | 100% |
The Prince Edward Islands, which are considered part of the Western Cape for legal purposes but are administered by the national Department of Environmental Affairs, are not included in this table; they have surface areas of 290 km2 (Marion Island) and 45 km2 (Prince Edward Island).
Historical data
Since 1994, the provincial borders have changed twice: the first time was on 1 March 2006, when all provinces except the Free State and the Western Cape were affected. The second time was on 3 April 2009, when only the Gauteng–North West border was altered.
Province | 1994-2006 (km²) | Percentage | 2006-2009 (km²) | Percentage | 2009-Present (km²) | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northern Cape | 361,830 | 29.7 | 372,889 | 30.5 | 372,889 | 30.5 |
Eastern Cape | 169,580 | 13.9 | 168,966 | 13.8 | 168,966 | 13.8 |
Free State | 129,480 | 10.6 | 129,825 | 10.6 | 129,825 | 10.6 |
Western Cape | 129,370 | 10.6 | 129,462 | 10.6 | 129,462 | 10.6 |
Limpopo | 123,910 | 10.2 | 125,755 | 10.2 | 125,755 | 10.2 |
North West | 116,320 | 9.5 | 106,512 | 8.7 | 104,882 | 8.6 |
KwaZulu-Natal | 92,100 | 7.6 | 94,361 | 7.7 | 94,361 | 7.7 |
Mpumalanga | 79,490 | 6.5 | 76,495 | 6.3 | 76,495 | 6.3 |
Gauteng | 17,010 | 1.4 | 16,548 | 1.4 | 18,178 | 1.5 |
South Africa | 1,219,090 | 100% | 1,220,813 | 100% | 1,220,813 | 100% |
NOTE: The pre-2006 figures were based on a less accurate calculation, and therefore the total is different from that for the post-2006 figures.