Since the election of 27 April 1994, South Africa has been divided into nine provinces. They vary widely in size, from the Northern Cape, which covers nearly one-third of the country's land area, to Gauteng, which takes up a mere 1.5%.

Rank Province Area (km²)[1] Percentage
1 Northern Cape 372,889 30.5
2 Eastern Cape 168,966 13.8
3 Free State 129,825 10.6
4 Western Cape 129,462 10.6
5 Limpopo 125,755 10.2
6 North West 104,882 8.6
7 KwaZulu-Natal 94,361 7.7
8 Mpumalanga 76,495 6.3
9 Gauteng 18,178 1.5
South Africa 1,220,813 100.0

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).[2]

Historical data

The provincial borders have changed twice since 1994: once on 1 March 2006, when all provinces except the Free State and the Western Cape were affected; and once on 3 April 2009, when only the Gauteng–North West border was altered.

Province 1994–2006[3]
(km²) 		Percentage 2006–2009[4]
(km²) 		Percentage 2009–present[1]
(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 1,219,090 100.0 1,220,813 100.0 1,220,813 100.0

The pre-2006 figures are based on a less accurate calculation, and therefore the total is different from that for the post-2006 figures.

References

  1. ^ a b Stats in brief, 2009 (PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2009. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-621-38774-2. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  2. ^ Cooper, John (June 2006). "Antarctica and Islands: Background Research Paper produced for the South Africa Environment Outlook report on behalf of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism" (PDF). p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  3. ^ Stats in brief, 2000 (PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2000. p. 1. ISBN 0-621-29480-2. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  4. ^ Stats in brief, 2006 (PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2006. p. 3. ISBN 0-621-36558-0. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
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