Map of Polokwane, South Africa

Polokwane is the administrative centre of Limpopo, South Africa, with a population of about 272,461. It lies at 23.9045°S, 29.4688°E. Polokwane is about 242 km (150 mi) northeast of Pretoria, the capital. The nearest city on our map is Lebowakgomo, 46 km to the south.

Polokwane at a glance

Where is Polokwane?

• The 24th largest city in South Africa by recorded population.
• The largest city in Limpopo on this site.
• Located in the Southern and Eastern hemispheres.
• Daylight ranges from about 10 h 39 min on the shortest day to 13 h 37 min on the longest day (around 21 June and 21 December).

Cities near Polokwane

• Lebowakgomo — 46 km south
• Mokopane — 57 km southwest
• Nkowakowa — 83 km east
• Louis Trichardt — 105 km northeast
• Modimolle — 140 km southwest
• Giyani — 144 km northeast
• Thohoyandou — 149 km northeast
• Bela Bela — 162 km southwest
• Musina — 183 km north
• Beitbridge — 195 km north, Zimbabwe

Largest cities in Limpopo

• Phalaborwa — 109,468
• Thohoyandou — 107,144
• Mokopane — 101,090
• Bela Bela — 90,210
• Louis Trichardt — 86,854
• Nkowakowa — 51,350
• Musina — 51,132
• Modimolle — 50,306
• Lebowakgomo — 42,040
• Giyani — 37,024

Largest cities in South Africa

• Johannesburg — 9,418,183
• Cape Town — 4,772,846
• Durban — 3,338,026
• Pretoria — 2,112,693
• Soweto — 1,695,047
• Port Elizabeth — 1,050,078
• Pietermaritzburg — 839,327
• Benoni — 605,344
• Bloemfontein — 556,637
• Tembisa — 511,655

Map of South Africa and all its cities →

Sources: place names, coordinates, populations and time zones from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0, data retrieved October 2026). Population figures are the latest values recorded in GeoNames; depending on the country they refer to the city proper, a municipality or a wider urban area, so they can differ from census or metro-area figures. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.