South Africa is divided into nine provinces which vary significantly in vegetation and altitude. For example at sea level, there are coastal forests on the eastern coast and semi-arid conditions on the west coast. Further inland, there are mountainous regions, semi-deserts and plateaus.

The provinces are the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape, North West and the Western Cape. The Northern Cape is by far the largest province, but also has the smallest population, as a large part of the province is semi-desert, as with the Kgalagadi National Park. The smallest province is Gauteng, but has the densest population.

Each Province has its own provincial legislature. The Premier is the head of the province and also chooses members of the executive council (MEC's). The MECs and the Premier function as a provincial cabinet.

South Africahas three capitals: Cape Town (legislature), Pretoria (administrative) and Bloemfontein (judicial).