South Africa - Environment
As far as the environment of South Africa is concerned, there have been 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; deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; desertification; solid waste pollution; disruption of fragile ecosystem has resulted in significant floral extinctions. As for nvironment - international agreements, we have; Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling.
About the environment of South Africa
Climate We have mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
Revenue from forest resources
Revenue from coal 2.4% of GDP (2018 est.)
Waste and recycling Municipal solid waste generated annually: 18,457,232 tons (2011 est.)
Total renewable water resources 51.35 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Major rivers (by length in km) Orange (shared with Lesotho [s], and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 km; Limpoporivier (Limpopo) river source (shared with Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 1,800 km; Vaal [s] - 1,210 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Total water withdrawal
Municipal 3.11 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial 4.09 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural 11.99 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions 19.75 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions 476.64 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions 55.89 megatons (2020 est.)
Land Use
Agricultural land 79.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 9.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 69.2% (2018 est.)
Forest 7.6% (2018 est.)
Other 13% (2018 est.)
Urbanization
Urban population 68.8% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 10.316 million Johannesburg (includes Ekurhuleni), 4.890 million Cape Town (legislative capital), 3.228 million Durban, 2.818 million PRETORIA (administrative capital), 1.296 million Port Elizabeth, 934,000 West Rand (2023).
All Important Facts about South Africa

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South Africa is found in Southern Africa