How this list was compiled: Items made on 2026-09-26; names, ids and accepted spellings are Natural Earth's. Licence: public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
The drawing: Drawn for this site from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_10m_admin_1_states_provinces (scale 1:10,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_admin_1_states_provinces.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Surrounding land from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_10m_admin_0_countries (scale 1:10,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_admin_0_countries.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Capitals from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_10m_populated_places_simple (scale 1:10,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_populated_places_simple.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection centred on 28.7°S 24.7°E. Outlines simplified; small islands are left out. Licence: public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
How it works
This blank map of South Africa shows its nine provinces, from Limpopo in the north to the Western Cape. Lesotho, which South Africa surrounds, is drawn without a number. Switch Borders off for a plain South Africa outline map.
Read the full guide
Blank, numbered or named
The sheet opens blank. Choose Numbered to put a number on each of the 9 provinces of South Africa, or Named for their names, then press Print this map; the answer key prints on its own sheet.
Largest and smallest
The Northern Cape is the largest province and the Eastern Cape the second; Gauteng, around Johannesburg and Pretoria, is the smallest but has the most people. KwaZulu-Natal runs along the Indian Ocean coast in the east.
South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein. Ask students to write each in the province it belongs to.
Questions and answers
How many provinces does South Africa have?
Nine: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
What are the capitals of South Africa?
Three: Pretoria in Gauteng, where the government sits; Cape Town in the Western Cape, home of Parliament; and Bloemfontein in the Free State, seat of the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Are the Prince Edward Islands on the map?
No. They belong to the Western Cape but lie about 1,700 km out in the Southern Ocean, outside the frame.