Karoo Map
The Karoo is an extensive semi-desert region in South Africa, covering about 400,000 km² (154,000 sq mi). This map shows its extent on shaded relief, with the surrounding relief, rivers, borders and cities.
How to read this map
The Karoo is about 400,000 km² (154,000 sq mi) in area.
The dashed outline marks the Karoo as mapped by Natural Earth. Towns and cities on the map include Bloemfontein, Welkom, Maseru, Kimberley, Kroonstad, Upington, Saldanha and Graaff-Reinet. Labeled countries: South Africa.
Greens show lower elevations; tan and brown show higher land, with pale tones toward the highest terrain. Shadows emphasize the slopes, and vertical relief is exaggerated so landforms are easier to read. Dashed lines show country borders.
The relief uses Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED2010 and ETOPO1 elevation data). Rivers, lakes, borders and the outline of the Karoo come from Natural Earth, and the figures on this page from Wikidata. Natural Earth draws features at a small scale, so the outline is a guide to where the Karoo is, not a surveyed boundary.
Blank physical map
The blank version keeps the mapped features and removes the place labels. Download it for a geography worksheet or practice identifying the features.
Karoo facts
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Area | 400,000 km² (154,000 sq mi) |
| Countries | South Africa |
Data sources and license
- Natural Earth (public-domain geography): Public domain.
- Terrain Tiles / Mapzen (SRTM, GMTED2010, ETOPO1): Open elevation data; source attribution retained.
- Wikidata (lengths, areas, countries and other facts): CC0 1.0.
Map design and rendered images: Atlas of Maps, CC BY 4.0. Source databases retain their own licenses; the map license does not replace them.
Maps of the countries: South Africa. Compare with the world mountain ranges map.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Karoo?
About 400,000 km² (154,000 sq mi).
Where is the Karoo?
The Karoo is in South Africa.
Can I download a blank map of the Karoo?
Yes. The blank version keeps the relief, rivers and borders and the highlighted landform but removes the place names. Both versions are free to download as PNG and as an A4 PDF.
Use this map
You can download, print and share this map for free, in class, in school projects, in presentations and on websites, as long as you credit the source: Karoo Map · Atlas of Maps (atlasofmaps.com), license CC BY 4.0.
More maps of peninsulas, plateaus and plains
- Canadian Shield Map
- North China Plain Map
- Kazakh Steppe Map
- North European Plain Map
- Great Plains Map
- Congo Basin Map
- Amazon Basin Map
- Indian Subcontinent Map
- Scandinavia Map
- Mainland Southeast Asia Map
- Arabian Peninsula Map
- Western Plateau Map
- Iberian Peninsula Map
- Tibetan Plateau Map
- Taymyr Peninsula Map
- Yamal Peninsula Map
- Kamchatka Peninsula Map
- Malay Peninsula Map
- Great Basin Map
- Great Artesian Basin Map
- Manchurian Plain Map
- Turan Depression Map
- Sahel Map
- Pontic-Caspian Steppe Map