Provinces of South Africa

South Africa has nine provinces.[1]

Provinces of South Africa
CategoryRegional state
LocationSouth Africa
Created27 April 1994 (1994-04-27)
Number9 Provinces
Populations1,355,946 (Northern Cape) – 15,099,422 (Gauteng)
Areas18,178 km2 (7,019 sq mi) (Gauteng) – 372,889 km2 (143,973 sq mi) (Northern Cape)
Government
SubdivisionsDistricts
Metropolitan municipality

Just before the 1994 general election, the number of provinces went up from four to nine, because all the Bantustans became provinces.

Provinces have their own government, led by a Premier.

List

Province Name in the most spoken native language[2] Capital Largest city Area[3]:9 Population
(2022)[4]
Density
(2022)
Map
Eastern Cape iMpuma-Koloni (Xhosa) Bhisho (Bisho) Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). 7,230,204 Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value).  
Free State Freistata (Sotho) Bloemfontein Bloemfontein Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). 2,964,412 Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value).  
Gauteng eGoli (Zulu) Johannesburg Johannesburg Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). 15,099,422 Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value).  
KwaZulu-Natal iKwaZulu-Natali (Zulu) Pietermaritzburg[n 1] Durban Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). 12,423,907 Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value).  
Limpopo Limpopo (Pedi) Polokwane (Pietersburg) Polokwane Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). 6,572,720 Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value).  
Mpumalanga iMpumalanga (Swazi) Mbombela (Nelspruit) Mbombela Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). 5,143,324 Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value).  
North West Bokone Bophirima (Tswana) Mahikeng (Mafikeng) Rustenburg Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). 3,804,548 Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value).  
Northern Cape Noord-Kaap (Afrikaans) Kimberley Kimberley Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). 1,355,946 Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value).  
Western Cape[n 2] Wes-Kaap (Afrikaans) Cape Town Cape Town Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). 7,433,019 Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value).  
Republic of South Africa iRiphabhuliki yaseNingizimu Afrika (Zulu) Pretoria,
Bloemfontein
Cape Town[n 3][5]
Johannesburg Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). 62,027,503 Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value).  

Footnotes:

  1. Pietermaritzburg and Ulundi were joint capitals of KwaZulu-Natal from 1994 to 2004.
  2. These statistics do not include the Prince Edward Islands (335 km2 or 129 sq mi, with no permanent residents), which are South African territories in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean but part of the Western Cape for legal and electoral purposes.
  3. Parliament sits in Cape Town, the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, and the Executive branch in Pretoria.

Provincial acronyms

Province HASC ISO FIPS CSS Conventional
Eastern Cape ZA.EC EC SF05 02 EC
Free State ZA.FS FS SF03 04 FS
Gauteng ZA.GT GP SF06 07 GP
KwaZulu-Natal ZA.NL KZN SF02 05 KZN
Limpopo ZA.NP LP SF09 09 LP
Mpumalanga ZA.MP MP SF07 08 MP
Northern Cape ZA.NC NC SF08 03 NC
North-West ZA.NW NW SF10 06 NW
Western Cape ZA.WC WC SF11 01 WC
Notes

HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes
ISO: Province codes from ISO 3166-2. For full identification in a global context, prefix "ZA-" to the code
FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10–4, a U.S. government standard.
CSS: Province codes used by the Central Statistical Service of South Africa.
[6]

Former administrative divisions

Province Capital Peak population Location
Cape of Good Hope (1910–1994) Cape Town 6,125,335  
Natal (1910–1994) Pietermaritzburg 2,430,753  
Orange Free State (1910–1994) Bloemfontein 2,193,062  
Transvaal (1910–1994) Pretoria 9,491,265  
Homelands Capital Peak population Location
Bophuthatswana (1977–1994) † Mmabatho 1,478,950  
Ciskei (1972–1994) † Bisho 677,920  
Gazankulu (1971–1994) Giyani 954,771  
KaNgwane (1981–1994) Louieville
Schoemansdal (de facto)
779,240  
KwaNdebele (1981–1994) KwaMhlanga 404,246  
KwaZulu (1981–1994) Nongoma (until 1980)
Ulundi (1980–1994)
5,524,774  
Lebowa (1972–1994) Lebowakgomo 2,740,587  
QwaQwa (1974–1994) Phuthaditjhaba 342,886  
Transkei (1976–1994) † Umtata 2,323,650  
Venda (1979–1994) † Thohoyandou 558,797  
Mandates Capital Peak population
South West Africa Windhoek 1,415,000

Footnotes:

† States for which the homeland was quasi-independent.

Provinces Of South Africa Media

References

  1. https://southafrica-info.com/land/nine-provinces-south-africa/
  2. http://www.statssa.gov.za/census/census_2011/census_products/Census_2011_Census_in_brief.pdf, p. 25.
  3. Census 2011: Census in brief (PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2012. p. 30. ISBN 9780621413885. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2015.
  4. (2023) Census 2022: Statistical release . Pretoria: Statistics South Africa, 3. Report.
  5. "How Many Capital Cities Does South Africa Have?".
  6. "South African Provinces".

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