Free tools · Measured from space
Surface water in Sarah Baartman
In 2025, Sarah Baartman had 147 km² of open water on average, 94.8 km² of it nearly all year. The wettest year since 1984 was 1994 (240 km²); the driest 1987 (117 km²).
Open water seen on the ground from space: dams, lakes, rivers wide enough to see, pans, wetlands with open water and flooded fields. Each year, the Landsat satellites look at every 30 m spot many times; where the sky is clear, each look says water or not. The average water area counts each spot for the share of its clear looks that were wet. Permanent water was wet in more than 80% of the clear looks; seasonal water was wet at least once but less often than that.
What it isn’t: not how full a dam is (that is the Department of Water and Sanitation’s weekly level, by volume), not groundwater, not rain, and not water in pipes or tanks. Narrow rivers, water under trees or bridges and anything smaller than about 30 m are missed. A year with few clear looks (cloud, or the early years when fewer satellites flew) is less sure, and 1988 is missing everywhere because Digital Earth Africa does not have it: a missing year is left out, never counted as dry.
2025
- 147 km²Water on average0.25% of the land; 91% of the 1991 to 2020 average (163 km²)
- 94.8 km²PermanentWater in more than 80% of the clear looks
- 687 km²SeasonalWet at least once, but not most of the year
- 78%Of the place seenThe share with at least one clear look
The wettest and driest years
- 1994Wettest, 240 km²690 km² wet at some point
- 1987Driest, 117 km²92.5 km² permanent
Among the 39 years in which at least 90% as much of the place was seen as in its best year (2 less well seen years are left out), so a cloudy year cannot pass for a dry one.
Every year since 1984
Show the numbers
| When or what | Figure |
|---|---|
| 1984 | 243 km² on average, 169 km² permanent |
| 1985 | none on average, none permanent |
| 1986 | 122 km² on average, 105 km² permanent |
| 1987 | 117 km² on average, 92.5 km² permanent |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | 207 km² on average, 97.5 km² permanent |
| 1990 | 170 km² on average, 89.7 km² permanent |
| 1991 | 184 km² on average, 75.2 km² permanent |
| 1992 | 150 km² on average, 77.3 km² permanent |
| 1993 | 170 km² on average, 88.8 km² permanent |
| 1994 | 240 km² on average, 108 km² permanent |
| 1995 | 170 km² on average, 94.1 km² permanent |
| 1996 | 164 km² on average, 79.8 km² permanent |
| 1997 | 232 km² on average, 127 km² permanent |
| 1998 | 163 km² on average, 82.9 km² permanent |
| 1999 | 139 km² on average, 85.3 km² permanent |
| 2000 | 183 km² on average, 122 km² permanent |
| 2001 | 151 km² on average, 108 km² permanent |
| 2002 | 163 km² on average, 93.0 km² permanent |
| 2003 | 139 km² on average, 92.8 km² permanent |
| 2004 | 180 km² on average, 97.6 km² permanent |
| 2005 | 162 km² on average, 102 km² permanent |
| 2006 | 159 km² on average, 99.2 km² permanent |
| 2007 | 146 km² on average, 104 km² permanent |
| 2008 | 161 km² on average, 99.6 km² permanent |
| 2009 | 142 km² on average, 90.6 km² permanent |
| 2010 | 138 km² on average, 84.2 km² permanent |
| 2011 | 182 km² on average, 97.5 km² permanent |
| 2012 | 208 km² on average, 110 km² permanent |
| 2013 | 161 km² on average, 107 km² permanent |
| 2014 | 175 km² on average, 112 km² permanent |
| 2015 | 158 km² on average, 102 km² permanent |
| 2016 | 138 km² on average, 90.7 km² permanent |
| 2017 | 133 km² on average, 87.2 km² permanent |
| 2018 | 129 km² on average, 83.7 km² permanent |
| 2019 | 128 km² on average, 81.7 km² permanent |
| 2020 | 126 km² on average, 86.2 km² permanent |
| 2021 | 148 km² on average, 81.5 km² permanent |
| 2022 | 180 km² on average, 95.9 km² permanent |
| 2023 | 191 km² on average, 103 km² permanent |
| 2024 | 159 km² on average, 101 km² permanent |
| 2025 | 147 km² on average, 94.8 km² permanent |
| Year | Water on average | Permanent | Seasonal | Wet at some point | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 147 km² | 94.8 km² | 687 km² | 781 km² | 78% |
| 2024 | 159 km² | 101 km² | 806 km² | 907 km² | 78% |
| 2023 | 191 km² | 103 km² | 1,866 km² | 1,969 km² | 79% |
| 2022 | 180 km² | 95.9 km² | 1,974 km² | 2,070 km² | 79% |
| 2021 | 148 km² | 81.5 km² | 1,339 km² | 1,420 km² | 79% |
| 2020 | 126 km² | 86.2 km² | 503 km² | 590 km² | 78% |
| 2019 | 128 km² | 81.7 km² | 788 km² | 870 km² | 78% |
| 2018 | 129 km² | 83.7 km² | 715 km² | 799 km² | 78% |
| 2017 | 133 km² | 87.2 km² | 831 km² | 918 km² | 78% |
| 2016 | 138 km² | 90.7 km² | 872 km² | 962 km² | 78% |
| 2015 | 158 km² | 102 km² | 663 km² | 766 km² | 78% |
| 2014 | 175 km² | 112 km² | 954 km² | 1,066 km² | 78% |
| 2013 | 161 km² | 107 km² | 748 km² | 855 km² | 78% |
| 2012 | 208 km² | 110 km² | 673 km² | 783 km² | 78% |
| 2011 | 182 km² | 97.5 km² | 431 km² | 528 km² | 78% |
| 2010 | 138 km² | 84.2 km² | 319 km² | 404 km² | 78% |
| 2009 | 142 km² | 90.6 km² | 347 km² | 437 km² | 78% |
| 2008 | 161 km² | 99.6 km² | 389 km² | 489 km² | 78% |
| 2007 | 146 km² | 104 km² | 309 km² | 413 km² | 79% |
| 2006 | 159 km² | 99.2 km² | 407 km² | 507 km² | 78% |
| 2005 | 162 km² | 102 km² | 398 km² | 499 km² | 78% |
| 2004 | 180 km² | 97.6 km² | 661 km² | 759 km² | 78% |
| 2003 | 139 km² | 92.8 km² | 267 km² | 360 km² | 78% |
| 2002 | 163 km² | 93.0 km² | 522 km² | 615 km² | 78% |
| 2001 | 151 km² | 108 km² | 249 km² | 357 km² | 78% |
| 2000 | 183 km² | 122 km² | 377 km² | 499 km² | 78% |
| 1999 | 139 km² | 85.3 km² | 287 km² | 372 km² | 78% |
| 1998 | 163 km² | 82.9 km² | 524 km² | 607 km² | 78% |
| 1997 | 232 km² | 127 km² | 590 km² | 716 km² | 78% |
| 1996 | 164 km² | 79.8 km² | 540 km² | 620 km² | 78% |
| 1995 | 170 km² | 94.1 km² | 566 km² | 660 km² | 78% |
| 1994 | 240 km² | 108 km² | 581 km² | 690 km² | 78% |
| 1993 | 170 km² | 88.8 km² | 677 km² | 766 km² | 78% |
| 1992 | 150 km² | 77.3 km² | 336 km² | 414 km² | 78% |
| 1991 | 184 km² | 75.2 km² | 890 km² | 965 km² | 78% |
| 1990 | 170 km² | 89.7 km² | 567 km² | 657 km² | 78% |
| 1989 | 207 km² | 97.5 km² | 839 km² | 936 km² | 78% |
| 1987 | 117 km² | 92.5 km² | 62.6 km² | 155 km² | 75% |
| 1986 | 122 km² | 105 km² | 36.4 km² | 142 km² | 78% |
| 1985 | none | none | none | none | 0% |
| 1984 | 243 km² | 169 km² | 150 km² | 319 km² | 51% |
A year missing from the table is one Digital Earth Africa does not have for this place (1988 everywhere, 1985 in some places).
Every municipality, ranked · Everything we hold for Sarah Baartman · On the explore map
Source
Measured from space by the American Landsat satellites: not a survey on the ground.
Credits and how we worked this out
Water Observations from Space, Digital Earth Africa (CC BY 4.0), modified: we counted each 30 m pixel over every 2026 ward and added the wards up into municipalities, districts and provinces. Under CC BY 4.0, from the AWS Registry of Open Data.
Landsat imagery courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Mueller, N. and others (2016): Water observations from space: mapping surface water from 25 years of Landsat imagery across Australia, Remote Sensing of Environment 174, 341 to 352.
Dataset: surface water by ward, release of 12 November 2026.