Photos

The reddish-brown Kalahari Desert with its northwest-southeast-trending sand dunes and dry lakebeds stands out in this image of South Africa. Also distinguishable are the westward-flowing Orange River, south of the true desert; the cape ranges of folded mountains near the extreme southern point of South Africa; as well as Cape Town, the Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Agulhas. Image courtesy of NASA.

Satellite view of South Africa. The rugged Great Karoo semi-desert region makes up much of the central and western part of the country. The brown and orange landscape that surrounds South Africa's northwestern borders is the Kalahari Desert, a vast sand basin marked by dunes and dry savannah vegetation. The southern edge of the desert is defined by the Orange River, which also forms South Africa's northwestern border with Namibia. Within South Africa is the enclave of Lesotho. Northeast of Lesotho is the smaller country of Eswatini (formerly named Swaziland). Photo courtesy of NASA.

Cape Town is considered to be one of the great scenic cities of the world. Situated in the southwestern part of Cape Province, it lies at the foot of Table Mountain (1,088 m; 3,567 feet in altitude) on the shore of Table Bay, in which lies Robben Island. Because the mountains obstruct inland expansion, the city has developed along the coast. The Cape of Good Hope appears at the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula. Photo courtesy of NASA.

Shoreline along the Cape of Good Hope.

Observation tower at the Cape of Good Hope.

The Cape of Good Hope.

Local residents at the Cape of Good Hope - Chacma or Cape Baboons.

Sculpture at a Cape Town shopping mall.

Table Mountain - a level plataeu about 3 km (2 mi) from side to side - overlooking some homes in Cape Town.

The picturesque Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, affords photographers a wide range of opportunities. With Table Mountain as a scenic backdrop, marine vessels of all kinds can be seen coming and going from this working harbor and residential marina.

Cape Town waterfront. Pleasure boats, ferries, and cranes fill the harbor.

Mountains seen from the vantage of Cape Town Harbor.