World Map › Africa › South Africa
Country
Map of South Africa
Africa · Cape Town
South Africa spans the African and Somali plates. It has 2 volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years, 1 of which have erupted since 1900. Since 1900, 13 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 55 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 3.9 out of 10 (INFORM index), a medium level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 5.2 out of 10.
- Capital
- Cape Town
- Population
- 62,027,503
- Area
- 1,221,037 km²
- Continent
- Africa
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
Exposure to natural hazards according to the European Commission's INFORM index, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), overall and for each type of hazard.
Overall Risk Index
This overall score combines hazard exposure with the vulnerability of the population (4.2 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (5.0 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 2,314to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 1to tsunamis
- 4,932to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 15,939to river floods
- 1,733to coastal floods
Overall Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- River FloodHigh
- Urban FloodHigh
- Coastal FloodHigh
- WildfireHigh
- EarthquakeMedium
- LandslideMedium
- TsunamiMedium
- Water ScarcityMedium
- Extreme HeatMedium
- VolcanoLow
- CycloneLow
Volcanoes (2)
Volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years; year of the last known eruption.
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 1997Avgold'S Hartebeestfontein Mine · M 5.015 deaths
- 1969Cape Province · M 6.312 deaths
- 1990Charletonville · M 4.010 deaths
- 2018West Rand · M 2.17 deaths
- 1976South Africa · M 5.24 deaths
- 1990Welkom · M 4.22 deaths
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
4 major tsunamis have reached South Africa since 1900, killing 3 people in the country. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 2004Tsunami (Indonesia) · 1.5 m3 deaths
- 2008Tsunami (South Africa) · 2.6 m
- 1960Tsunami (Chile)
- 2007Tsunami (Indonesia)
Tropical Cyclones
1 major tropical cyclone has made landfall in South Africa since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 1984Tropical Storm Domoina · 67 km/h
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution