South Africa vs United States Geography Stats Compared

Country vs country: Geography Stats: compare key data on South Africa & United States and Geography Stats: compare key data on South Africa & United States compared Geography

STAT	South Africa	United States
Area > Comparative	slightly less than twice the size of Texas	about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union
Area > Land	1.22 million sq km Ranked 25th.	9.16 million sq km Ranked 4th. 8 times more than South Africa
Area > Land > Per capita	25.01 sq km per 1,000 people Ranked 67th.	30.16 sq km per 1,000 people Ranked 60th. 21% more than South Africa
Area > Total	1.22 million sq km Ranked 26th.	9.83 million sq km Ranked 4th. 8 times more than South Africa
Average precipitation in depth > Mm per year	495 Ranked 141st.	715 Ranked 110th. 44% more than South Africa
Average rainfall in depth > Mm per year	495 Ranked 134th.	715 Ranked 105th. 44% more than South Africa
Climate	mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights	mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
Coastline	2,798 km Ranked 43th.	19,924 km Ranked 9th. 7 times more than South Africa
Geographic coordinates	29 00 S, 24 00 E	38 00 N, 97 00 W
Land area > Sq. km	1.21 million sq km Ranked 24th.	9.16 million sq km Ranked 3rd. 8 times more than South Africa
Land area > Square miles	470,693 square miles Ranked 15th.	3.8 million square miles Ranked 2nd. 8 times more than South Africa
Location	Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa	North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Natural resources	gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas	coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber
Surface area > Sq. km	1.22 million kmÂ² Ranked 24th.	9.63 million kmÂ² Ranked 3rd. 8 times more than South Africa
Terrain	vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain	vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Area > Water	4,620 sq km Ranked 69th.	664,709 sq km Ranked 3rd. 144 times more than South Africa
Area > Comparative to US places	slightly less than twice the size of Texas	about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union
Population density > People per sq. km	38.61 people/mÂ² Ranked 141st. 19% more than United States	32.35 people/mÂ² Ranked 149th.
Elevation extremes > Highest point	Njesuthi 3,408 m	Mount McKinley (Denali) 6,194 m (highest point in North America)
Total area > Sq. km	1.22 million Ranked 24th.	9.63 million Ranked 3rd. 8 times more than South Africa
Land use > Arable land	9.87% Ranked 107th.	16.29% Ranked 65th. 65% more than South Africa
Land boundaries > Border countries	Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km	Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km
Irrigated land	16,700 sq km Ranked 2nd.	230,000 sq km Ranked 3rd. 14 times more than South Africa
Natural hazards	prolonged droughts	tsunamis; volcanoes; earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development
Rural population density > Rural population per sq. km of arable land	129.44 people/kmÂ² of arable lan Ranked 137th. 4 times more than United States	32.62 people/kmÂ² of arable lan Ranked 70th.
Maritime claims > Territorial sea	12 nautical mile Ranked 54th. The same as United States	12 nautical mile Ranked 61st.
Area > Land per 1000	25 sq km Ranked 57th.	30.13 sq km Ranked 51st. 21% more than South Africa
Elevation extremes > Lowest point	Atlantic Ocean 0 m	Death Valley -86 m
Coastline per 1000	0.0553 km Ranked 117th.	0.0639 km Ranked 114th. 16% more than South Africa
Population density	35.6 people per sqkm Ranked 159th. 20% more than United States	29.77 people per sqkm Ranked 167th.
Maritime claims > Exclusive economic zone	200 nautical mile Ranked 35th. The same as United States	200 nautical mile Ranked 41st.
Land area > Sq. km > Per capita	24.89 per 1,000 people Ranked 63th.	30.16 per 1,000 people Ranked 56th. 21% more than South Africa
Map references	Africa	North America
Capital city with population	Pretoria (official) - est. 1,000,000; Cape Town (legislative) - 2,893,251; Bloemfontein (judicial) - 369,568	Washington, D.C. - 606,900
Largest city with population	Johannesburg - 3,225,812	New York City - 8,168,338
Total renewable water resources	None	None
Forest area > Sq. km	92,030 Ranked 58th.	3.03 million Ranked 4th. 33 times more than South Africa
Surface area > Sq. km per 1000	25.83 kmÂ² Ranked 62nd.	32.59 kmÂ² Ranked 53th. 26% more than South Africa
Environment > Current issues	lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification	air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; large emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural freshwater resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification
Land use > Other	89.79% Ranked 109th. 8% more than United States	83.44% Ranked 150th.
Area > Total per 1000	25 sq km Ranked 58th.	32.31 sq km Ranked 51st. 29% more than South Africa
Area > Water per 1000	0.0979 sq km Ranked 108th.	2.19 sq km Ranked 19th. 22 times more than South Africa
Natural hazards > Volcanism	the volcano forming Marion Island in the Prince Edward Islands, which last erupted in 2004, is South Africa's only active volcano	volcanic activity in the Hawaiian Islands, Western Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and in the Northern Mariana Islands; both Mauna Loa (elev. 4,170 m) in Hawaii and Mount Rainier (elev. 4,392 m) in Washington have been deemed "Decade Volcanoes" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Pavlof (elev. 2,519 m) is the most active volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Arc and poses a significant threat to air travel since the area constitutes a major flight path between North America and East Asia; St. Helens (elev. 2,549 m), famous for the devastating 1980 eruption, remains active today; numerous other historically active volcanoes exist, mostly concentrated in the Aleutian arc and Hawaii; they include: in Alaska: Aniakchak, Augustine, Chiginagak, Fourpeaked, Iliamna, Katmai, Kupreanof, Martin, Novarupta, Redoubt, Spurr, Wrangell; in Hawaii: Trident, Ugashik-Peulik, Ukinrek Maars, Veniaminof; in the Northern Mariana Islands: Anatahan; and in the Pacific Northwest: Mount Baker, Mount Hood
Land use > Permanent crops	0.34% Ranked 156th. 31% more than United States	0.26% Ranked 164th.
Road density > Km of road per 100 sq. km of land area	30 sq. km Ranked 14th.	66.57 sq. km Ranked 36th. 2 times more than South Africa
Google Street View, year added	2,010 Ranked 52nd. About the same as United States	2,007 Ranked 73th.
Maritime claims > Contiguous zone	24 Ranked 40th. The same as United States	24 Ranked 59th.
Environment > International agreements > Party to	Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling	Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
Surface area > Sq. km > Per capita	26 kmÂ² per 1,000 people Ranked 63th.	32.5 kmÂ² per 1,000 people Ranked 54th. 25% more than South Africa
Land boundaries > Total	4,862 km Ranked 35th.	12,034 km Ranked 6th. 2 times more than South Africa
Precipitation	520 mm Ranked 70th.	1,201 mm Ranked 25th. 2 times more than South Africa
Highest point	Mafadi	Mount McKinley
Irrigated land > Per capita	0.327 sq km per 1,000 people Ranked 63th.	0.77 sq km per 1,000 people Ranked 26th. 2 times more than South Africa
Note	South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland	world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent
Irrigated land per million	324.83 sq km Ranked 63th.	771.61 sq km Ranked 28th. 2 times more than South Africa
Capital	Pretoria (executive capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)	Washington DC
Border to area ratio	0.00398 km/km² Ranked 134th. 3 times more than United States	0.00126 km/km² Ranked 155th.
Marine Coastline	2,798 km Ranked 43th.	19,924 km Ranked 9th. 7 times more than South Africa
Freshwater > Withdrawal > Per capita	264	1600
Freshwater > Withdrawal > Total	12.5	477
Highest point elevation	None	None
Environment > International agreements > Signed, but not ratified	none of the selected agreements	Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
Largest city	Johannesburg	New York City
Highest town	Belfast	Alma
Forested Land	7.3% Ranked 154th.	24.7% Ranked 108th. 3 times more than South Africa
Maritime claims > Contiguous zone per million people	0.494 Ranked 66th. 7 times more than United States	0.0758 Ranked 79th.
Area > Water > Per capita	98.53 sq km per 1 million peo Ranked 110th.	2,187.8 sq km per 1 million peo Ranked 20th. 22 times more than South Africa
Area > Note	includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)	includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Area > Total > Per capita	25.01 sq km per 1,000 people Ranked 70th.	32.34 sq km per 1,000 people Ranked 62nd. 29% more than South Africa
Area > A note	includes <a href=/encyclopedia/Prince-Rogers-Nelson><a href=/encyclopedia/Prince-Rogers-Nelson>Prince</a></a> Edward Islands (Marion Island and <a href=/encyclopedia/Coat-of-Arms-of-Prince-Edward-Island><a href=/encyclopedia/Prince-Rogers-Nelson>Prince</a> Edward Island</a>)	includes only the 50 states and <a href=/encyclopedia/Washington,-DC><a href=/encyclopedia/Washington,-DC>District of Columbia</a></a>
Freshwater withdrawal > Domestic/industrial/agricultural > Total	12.5 cu km/yr Ranked 43th.	478.4 cu km/yr Ranked 3rd. 38 times more than South Africa
Continent or sub continent	Africa	North America
Freshwater withdrawal > Domestic/industrial/agricultural > Per capita	271.7 cu m/yr Ranked 32nd.	1,583 cu m/yr Ranked 2nd. 6 times more than South Africa
Land boundaries > Total > Per capita	0.1 km per 1,000 people Ranked 117th. 3 times more than United States	0.04 km per 1,000 people Ranked 144th.
Forest area > % of land area	7.58% Ranked 156th.	33.12% Ranked 81st. 4 times more than South Africa
Freshwater withdrawal > Domestic/industrial/agricultural > Total per million people	0.257 cu km/yr Ranked 98th.	1.51 cu km/yr Ranked 6th. 6 times more than South Africa
Terrestrial and marine protected areas > % of total territorial area	6.56% Ranked 128th.	15.14% Ranked 80th. 2 times more than South Africa
Low-lying areas > Elevation under 5 metres > % of land area	0.134% Ranked 164th.	1.72% Ranked 119th. 13 times more than South Africa
Freshwater withdrawal > Domestic/industrial/agricultural > Total	12.5 cu km/yr Ranked 43th.	478.4 cu km/yr Ranked 3rd. 38 times more than South Africa
Agricultural land > % of land area	81.83% Ranked 5th. 82% more than United States	44.88% Ranked 81st.
Freshwater withdrawal > Domestic/industrial/agricultural > Per capita	271.7 cu m/yr Ranked 32nd.	1,583 cu m/yr Ranked 2nd. 6 times more than South Africa
Arable land > % of land area	9.92% Ranked 110th.	17.51% Ranked 63th. 77% more than South Africa
Land boundaries > Total per million	99.65 km Ranked 111th. 3 times more than United States	39.57 km Ranked 135th.
Population living in areas where elevation is below 5 meters > % of total population	0.496% Ranked 162nd.	4.1% Ranked 115th. 8 times more than South Africa
Terrestrial protected areas > % of total land area	6.2% Ranked 146th.	13.82% Ranked 104th. 2 times more than South Africa
Freshwater withdrawal > Domestic/industrial/agricultural > Per capita per million people	5.76 cu m/yr Ranked 48th. 7% more than United States	5.36 cu m/yr Ranked 51st.
Freshwater withdrawal > Domestic/industrial/agricultural > Per capita per million people	5.76 cu m/yr Ranked 48th. 7% more than United States	5.36 cu m/yr Ranked 51st.
Freshwater withdrawal > Domestic/industrial/agricultural > Total per million people	0.257 cu km/yr Ranked 98th.	1.51 cu km/yr Ranked 6th. 6 times more than South Africa

Country vs country: Geography Stats: compare key data on South Africa & United States and Geography Stats: compare key data on South Africa & United States compared Geography

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