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Climate South Africa

South Africa, the country at the southern tip of the African continent, offers a lot of variety in every respect. Especially in the South African summer - the European winter - a trip is recommended.

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Johannesburg, with about 4.5 million inhabitants the largest city of South Africa, is the economic center of the country. The climate is mostly dry and sunny, although there are quite large differences between the seasons.
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Cape Town is the second largest city after Johannesburg and has a variety of exciting experiences to offer. The climate is warm all year round with little variation.

The climate year of South Africa

Between the Indian Ocean in the east and the Atlantic in the west lies the enormous country of South Africa with an area of 1,219,912 km². The country has made headlines in the West primarily because of its apartheid policies as well as its current national hero, Nelson Mandela, but in fact South Africa is a multi-ethnic country. The "Rainbow Nation", as the country is therefore also called, is the economically strongest country on the African continent and is known to tourists from all over the world mainly because of famous attractions such as the Kruger National Park or the Garden Route. There are three climate zones in South Africa. On the west coast, summers are warm and dry, while winters are cool and humid. Between June and September it rains comparatively much, whereby a large part of the precipitation falls near Cape Town. The cold Benguela Current is responsible for this climate. On the east coast, however, the warm Agulhas Current provides humid and warm weather, with the southeast trade winds, which are predominant especially in summer, transporting much moisture inland. In the high inland areas, the weather is warm and dry, although frost and snow can occur in winter.

General information about South Africa

South Africa is known and loved primarily for its magnificent landscapes. Along the Indian Ocean runs the idyllic Garden Route with the Garden Route National Park as well as the fascinating lagoon landscape of Knysna. The Kruger National Park, the Drakensberg Mountains and the Phinda Nature Reserve offer impressive natural spectacles. But also the cities are worth a trip. Cape Town, South Africa's second largest city and seat of parliament, is picturesquely situated at the foot of Table Mountain. About 45 kilometers to the south is the Cape of Good Hope, once the terror of the Indians. The port city of Durban is very Indian influenced by the numerous immigrants, it is one of the most visited vacation centers in the country. Wide sandy beaches and pleasant bathing temperatures can be found mainly on the Indian Ocean, while the Atlantic coast is very rugged.

Tourism South Africa

Tourists should keep in mind that the seasons in South Africa are opposite to those in Europe. This means that the South African summer runs from December to April, which is also the time when most South Africans have vacations. On the west coast it gets warm in the summer around 26 to 28 °C, the winters are very mild with 15 to 20 °C. On the east coast, the average annual temperature is between 21 and 23 °C, and with an average annual rainfall of around 2000 mm, it is very humid. In the central highlands, summer temperatures can exceed 30 °C, while winters are comparatively cold.