Geo Countries
Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa – South Africa Flag

Current Date And Time In Soweto, South Africa

Saturday, 15 August 2026
06:10:59 SAST
State: Gauteng
Currency: South African Rand (ZAR)
Timezone: UTC +02:00 (SAST)
Population: 1,695,047
District: City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality

📍 Cities Near To Soweto


Find cities, states and countries closest to Soweto in Gauteng, South Africa with precise aerial distance in miles, kilometers and nautical miles, plus exact 16-point compass bearing and heading direction. This location intelligence data is used by logistics professionals, supply chain analysts, market researchers and field teams planning routes and coverage areas around Soweto.

📍 Soweto Geographic & Demographics Profile Summary

To assist regional market researchers, location intelligence professionals and logistics managers in strategic decision-making, we have compiled the key geographic and demographic attributes for Soweto from our regional database:

State / RegionGauteng
DistrictCity of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
Total Population1,695,047
Land Area200.00 km²
Population Density8,475.24 / km²
Center Latitude-26.2678° N
Center Longitude27.8585° E
Elevation1,632 m (5,355 ft)
UTC Time Zone+02:00
Population Rank in Gauteng#3 of 65
FlagCityDistanceDirection
Miles (mi)Kilometers (km)Nautical Miles (nm)HeadingSymbol
National Flag Of Alberton Alberton16 26 14
East (E)
National Flag Of Alberton Alberton17 27 15
East-southeast (ESE)
National Flag Of Alexandra Alexandra19 30 16
Northeast (NE)
National Flag Of Alrode Alrode17 27 15
East (E)
National Flag Of Bagale Bagale19 31 17
Northwest (NW)
National Flag Of Benmore Benmore17 27 15
Northeast (NE)
National Flag Of Boksburg Boksburg24 38 21
East (E)
National Flag Of Booysens Booysens10 17 9
East-northeast (ENE)
National Flag Of Bryanston Bryanston18 29 16
Northeast (NE)
National Flag Of Dainfern Dainfern21 35 19
North-northeast (NNE)
National Flag Of Diepsloot Diepsloot25 40 22
North-northeast (NNE)
National Flag Of Eastleigh Eastleigh21 33 18
East-northeast (ENE)
National Flag Of Eden Glen Eden Glen21 34 19
East-northeast (ENE)
National Flag Of Eden Glen Ext 60 Eden Glen Ext 6021 34 19
East-northeast (ENE)
National Flag Of Edenvale Edenvale20 33 18
East-northeast (ENE)

🏳️ States Near To Soweto


States and regions closest to Gauteng (home state of Soweto), with aerial distance and compass direction — useful for cross-state logistics routing, regional market-expansion research and strategic site selection.

FlagState/RegionDistanceDirection
Miles (mi)Kilometers (km)Nautical Miles (nm)HeadingSymbol
National Flag Of Berea Berea222 357 193
South (S)
National Flag Of Butha-Buthe Butha-Buthe192 309 167
South (S)
National Flag Of Free State Free State151 243 131
South-southwest (SSW)
National Flag Of Gaborone Gaborone160 258 139
Northwest (NW)
National Flag Of Hhohho Region Hhohho Region208 335 181
East (E)
National Flag Of Jwaneng Jwaneng226 364 196
West-northwest (WNW)
National Flag Of Kgatleng Kgatleng167 268 145
Northwest (NW)
National Flag Of KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal249 401 217
Southeast (SE)
National Flag Of Kweneng Kweneng194 311 168
Northwest (NW)
National Flag Of Leribe Leribe198 319 172
South (S)

🌎 Countries Near To Soweto


Countries bordering or closest to South Africa, with aerial distance and compass direction from Soweto's home country — a quick reference for cross-border trade, travel planning and regional supply chain routing.

FlagCountryDistanceDirection
Miles (mi)Kilometers (km)Nautical Miles (nm)HeadingSymbol
National Flag Of Angola Angola1,376 2,215 1,195
North-northwest (NNW)
National Flag Of Botswana Botswana579 932 503
North (N)
National Flag Of Eswatini Eswatini588 946 510
East-northeast (ENE)
National Flag Of Lesotho Lesotho323 520 281
East (E)
National Flag Of Malawi Malawi1,398 2,250 1,214
North-northeast (NNE)
National Flag Of Mozambique Mozambique1,139 1,833 989
Northeast (NE)
National Flag Of Namibia Namibia592 953 514
North-northwest (NNW)
National Flag Of Zambia Zambia1,244 2,002 1,080
North-northeast (NNE)
National Flag Of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe887 1,428 771
North-northeast (NNE)

📊 Nearby Cities – Population & Distance Comparison

Compare population and aerial distance of cities geographically closest to Soweto. This regional snapshot supports market sizing, site selection, logistics zone planning and cross-city business analysis in Gauteng, South Africa.

CityStatePopulationDistance (km)Direction
Soweto (You)Gauteng1,695,047
SowetoMpumalanga2.2NNW
RobertvilleMpumalanga10.7NE
RoodepoortGauteng326,41611.8N
MaraisburgMpumalanga12.9NE
BooysensMpumalanga16.9ENE
RandfonteinGauteng133,65418.2WNW
Western AreasGauteng2,27018.2WSW
WalkervilleGauteng7,98119.4SSE
RandfonteinMpumalanga19.5WNW
KrugersdorpMpumalanga19.7NNW

🏆 Gauteng City Rankings

How does Soweto rank within Gauteng? The top 10 cities by population, land area and density are listed below — useful for regional benchmarking, investment prioritization and market-entry decisions. Cities where Soweto appears are highlighted with ⭐.

👥 Most Populous Cities

CityPopulation
Johannesburg9,418,183
Pretoria2,112,693
Soweto ⭐1,695,047
Soshanguve872,309
Evaton725,468
Benoni605,344
Thembisa511,655
Vereeniging474,681
Boksburg445,168
Krugersdorp378,821

📏 Largest Cities by Area

CityArea (km²)
Krugersdorp24,722.00
Vereeniging18,819.00
Johannesburg1,644.00
Pretoria687.54
Centurion395.00
Soweto ⭐200.00
Brakpan182.81
Vanderbijlpark178.00
Randburg167.98
Boksburg162.35

🏙 Most Densely Populated

CityDensity/km²
Alexandra25,994.79
Bronkhorstspruit13,250.48
Thembisa11,954.56
Tokoza11,240.72
Soweto ⭐8,475.24
Johannesburg5,728.82
Carletonville5,187.93
Pretoria3,072.83
Boksburg2,742.03
Roodepoort2,021.15
✈️ Nearest Airport
Lanseria International Airport
IATA: HLA
37 km (23 mi) from Soweto
States By Alphabets
Compass Directions Rose
N (North)
0° or 360° - Directly facing the North Pole
NNE (North-Northeast)
22.5° - Direction midway between North and Northeast
NE (Northeast)
45° - Direction midway between North and East
ENE (East-Northeast)
67.5° - Direction midway between Northeast and East
E (East)
90° - Directly facing sunrise
ESE (East-Southeast)
112.5° - Direction midway between East and Southeast
SE (Southeast)
135° - Direction midway between East and South
SSE (South-Southeast)
157.5° - Direction midway between Southeast and South
S (South)
180° - Directly facing the South Pole
SSW (South-Southwest)
202.5° - Direction midway between South and Southwest
SW (Southwest)
225° - Direction midway between South and West
WSW (West-Southwest)
247.5° - Direction midway between Southwest and West
W (West)
270° - Directly facing sunset
WNW (West-Northwest)
292.5° - Direction midway between West and Northwest
NW (Northwest)
315° - Direction midway between West and North
NNW (North-Northwest)
337.5° - Direction midway between Northwest and North
📊 Compare Gauteng Cities
Soweto ranks #3 of 65 by population
👥 Most Populous
📏 Largest By Area
⚡ Highest Density

🧭 How Close Is Everything to Soweto? A Distance & Direction Primer

📍 Where Soweto Sits on the Map

Soweto sits inside Gauteng, South Africa and ranks #3 of 65 cities in Gauteng by population. Every distance on this page is a straight-line Great Circle (haversine) measurement — the shortest path a plane or signal would take between two GPS points, not the longer road-and-turns route a driver would actually cover. View the nearby cities, nearby states or nearby countries tables above.

📏 Reading the Distance Figures

  • Miles (mi): the everyday unit in the US, UK and most aviation cockpits
  • Kilometers (km): the metric standard used almost everywhere else, including most freight and shipping paperwork
  • Nautical Miles (nm): the unit ships and aircraft actually navigate by
  • Compass Bearing: the 16-point heading from Soweto to each place listed — see the distance tables above

🚚 Putting This Data to Work

  • Route Planning: Build delivery loops or sales-visit circuits starting from Soweto outward to the closest towns first
  • New-Market Scouting: Spot the nearest untapped urban centers before committing to a regional expansion
  • Freight Estimating: Get a fast first read on road, rail or air distances before requesting an actual freight quote
  • Warehouse Placement: Weigh a few candidate hub locations by how close each sits to Soweto and its neighbors
  • Side-by-Side Comparison: Stack Soweto against nearby cities on population and land area — see population & area comparison and Gauteng city rankings

🌎 Beyond Soweto: States & Countries Nearby

Scroll down and this page also ranks the states closest to Soweto and the countries closest to Soweto by the same straight-line measurement. For the complete national picture, see every country bordering or near South Africa. Handy for cross-border import/export planning, scouting a new travel corridor or lining up emergency logistics across Africa.

🧭 Making Sense of the Compass Bearing

Next to every distance sits a compass heading from Soweto, plotted on the 16-point rose (N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW). The rotating arrow marks the bearing angle (0°–360°, where 0°/360° is due north) — see it in action in the cities, states and countries tables above. It's the same reference pilots, sailors and long-haul truckers use to picture the layout around Soweto at a glance.

🎯 For Travelers Passing Through Soweto

If you're stringing together stops in Gauteng, the neighboring cities table above doubles as a rough day-trip planner from Soweto — shortest hops first. Pair it with the population and area data to gauge which nearby stop is worth the detour.

🔎 Related City & Country Tools

🗺 Soweto MapView the Soweto map with GPS coordinates for precise location planning.
✈️ Soweto Travel GuideCheck the travel standards guide before you head toward any of the places listed above.
🏳️ Gauteng OverviewExplore the Gauteng state profile and its full list of cities for regional market analysis.
🏳️ South Africa Country DataGet complete South Africa data including population, area, currency and timezone.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions – Distances From Soweto

Which cities are closest to Soweto?

See the Cities Near To Soweto table above, ranked nearest first with distance in miles, kilometers and nautical miles plus a compass bearing for each. Want the bigger picture? The nearest states and nearest countries tables sit further down this page, or compare every city in Gauteng by population and density.

How is the distance from Soweto to nearby places calculated?

Every figure on this page is a Great Circle (haversine) distance — a straight aerial line between the GPS center of Soweto and the GPS center of the other place, not a driving distance. It's the same math airlines use to estimate flight paths. View the Soweto map for the exact coordinates behind these numbers.

Is the distance shown a straight line or an actual driving distance?

It's a straight line — the shortest possible path between two points on Earth's surface, ignoring roads, terrain and detours. Actual driving distance from Soweto will almost always run longer, sometimes significantly, depending on the road network. Treat the figures here as a quick planning benchmark, not a substitute for a live route from a mapping or navigation app.

What does the compass direction next to each city mean?

It's the bearing from Soweto to that place, plotted on a 16-point compass rose. The rotating arrow marks the degree bearing (0°–360°), where 0°/360° is due north, 90° east, 180° south and 270° west. See it applied in the cities, states and countries tables above.

How do businesses use this proximity data around Soweto?

Distribution planners use it to pick warehouse or hub sites within easy reach of Soweto. Sales and field teams use it to sequence visits by drive distance instead of guessing. Market researchers use it to scope out the next-closest town before greenlighting an expansion. See the population & area comparison and Gauteng city rankings above to size up each candidate.

How does Soweto compare in size to the cities near it?

Soweto ranks #3 of 65 cities in Gauteng by recorded population. See the population & area comparison table above to weigh it directly against each neighboring city on this page.

✈️ What is the nearest airport to Soweto?

The nearest airport with scheduled service to Soweto is Lanseria International Airport (HLA), about 37 km (23 mi) away. See the Nearest Airport card for more.