Fast Facts:
1. It’s located in southern Africa and is the southernmost country on the continent.
2. It is the 9th largest country in Africa and the 24th largest country in the world.
3. It has 3 capitals: Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial), and Cape Town (legislative). Its largest and most visited city is Johannesburg.
4. It has 11 official languages: English, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sepedi, Setswana, Sesotho, Xitsonga, siSwati, Tshivenda and isiNdebele
5. Major ethnic groups: Black (81%), Coloured (indigenous/mixed race) (9%), White (8%), Asian (2%)
6. Major religions: Christianity (78%), No religion (11%), Traditional and other religions (7%), Islam (2%)
7. It is extremely rich in minerals and holds nearly 90% of all Platinum metals and 41% of the world’s Gold.
8. It’s known for its history of apartheid, a legal system of discrimination and race, which officially ended in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was elected president in South Africa’s first universal elections.
9. The Bloukrans Bridge is the site of the highest commercial bungee jump in the world, at 710 feet.
10. Boulders Beach in Cape Town is home to a colony of African penguins and is one of the few places where they can be seen in the wild.
11. Route 62, which runs through the Cape Winelands, is the world’s longest wine route, with more than 500 wineries.
12. Table Mountain, one its most iconic landmarks, is believed to be one of the world’s oldest mountains.
13. It has 9 UNESCO World Heritage sites: Fossil Hominid sites of Sterkfontein, Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, Richtersveld Landscape, Robben Island, Cape Floral Region, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Vredefort crater, uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, Khomani Cultural Landscape, and Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains.
14. There are a plethora of things to see and places to visit. Among them are: Soweto, Vilakazi Street, Apartheid Museum, Sun City, Robben Island, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Winelands, Durban’s Golden Mile, the Valley of 1000 Hills, the Panorama Route, the Garden Route, the Wild Coast, Sudwala Caves, Kruger National Park and the Blyde River Canyon.
Comment (0)