We already love South Africa, but here are a few more reasons to be proud of the country. From medical breakthroughs and ecological wonders to industrial and cultural factoids, here are 25 things you may not have known about our beautiful corner of the globe.
South Africa is rich in remains and artefacts of early hominids. The Cradle of Humankind was declared as aWorld Heritage siteback in 1999. It currently occupies approximately 47 000 hectares of land.
In addition,UNESCO Fossil Hominids Siteslist five separate locations and traces archaeological evidence of human evolution back to least 2.5 million years ago. ,
Some countries have deserts or grasslands, other countries have wetlands or subtropical forests. But that is no match for the country we call home.
South Africa has a diverse range of biomes: from deserts, wetlands, grasslands and bush, to subtropical forests, mountains and escarpments. In addition, our climate is as varied as our biomes, ranging from desert to subtropical weather.
Our flora and fauna are also among the most biologically diverse in the world.
Dr Chris Barnard famouslyperformed the worlds first hearttransplant in 1967 on Louis Washkansky, who volunteered for the groundbreaking surgery.
The success of the first heart transplant turned Dr Barnard into somewhat of a celebrity on the international scene, and he performed ten more transplants throughout his career.
On 3 March 2019, Professor Mashudu Tshifularo became the first person to transplant 3D-printed bones for reconstructive middle ear implants, at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital.
Prof Tshifularo, who is the head of the Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat and Head and Neck Surgery at theOtorhinolaryngologyDepartment of theUniversity of Pretoria, developed the technology during his PhD studies.
The worlds firstdigital laserwasinvented by doctoral candidate, and CSIR researcher, Dr Sandile Nqcobo, and the former minister of Science and Technology cited it as a testimony to the calibre of scientists that South Africa has.
The laser is used in the health sector, and its numerous applications could also be used to improve the communication sector.
The scanner wascreated by Lodox Systems,a South African company that created the full-body scanner from technology that was initially designed for the security sector for the detection of stolen diamonds.
The use of the full-body scanner was written into the storyline of Greys Anatomy during the shows ninth season when the Grace Mercy West Hospital installed the scanner in their new ER department.
The CSIRs Gene Expression and Biophysics groupdesigned the first induced pluripotent stem cells in Africa, which opened the door for researchers to investigate various diseases and cures.
Stem cells could be used to restore sight or repair cells affected by heart disease, amongst other things. The possibilities are endless and are still being explored.
We sure do like our booze, that is no secret. One just has to look at the uproar generated by the recent alcohol bans in South Africa amid the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
But did you know that SAs brewery, SABMiller ranks, by volume, as the largest brewing company in the world? Approximately 50% of SABs production ships off to supply Chinas beer market.
Nearly three decades after the Cold War ended, there are still about 23 000 nuclear warheads in the world. South Africas nuclear weapons programme was established in 1967.
From the late sixties to the late eighties, South Africa researchedweapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. The nuclear weapons programme came to an end in 1989.
However, South Africa is the first and only country in the world to have built nuclear weapons and then voluntarily dismantle its entire nuclear weapons programme.
According to Statista, South Africa is the largest producer of platinum in the world by a significant margin, with a production of between 94 and 130 metric tons each year from 2010 to 2019.
In 2014 South Africa produced approximately 110 000kg, which is more than four times the amount of the worlds second-biggest producer, Russia. The latter produced between 23 metric tons and 22 metric tons each year between 2010 and 2018.
On 25 January 1905, the Cullinan diamond was found in the Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa. At 603 grams (or 1.33 pounds) it was the largest diamond in the world.
The 3 106-carat stone was later cut into nine large pieces and about 100 smaller ones. The largest of the nine, the Cullinan I or Great Star of Africa, was an impressive 530.2 carats. It is currently in the Queen of Englands Sceptre. And the rest?
Until 2019, South Africa was the only country in theworld to have hosted the Soccer, Cricket and Rugby World Cup. England joined us in the ranks last year, and is also the only country to have won all three World Cups.
Nowhere else in the world will you find that two Nobel Peace Prize laureates lived on the same street. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived onVilakazi Streetin the Orlando West township in Soweto.
Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his nonviolent opposition to apartheid, followed by Nelson Mandelas shared Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 with F.W. de Klerk, for their role in the peaceful end of apartheid.
Table Mountain in Cape Town is one of the oldest mountains in the world, just over 260 million years to be exact. It also has more than 2 200 species of plants and approximately 900 different routes to climb or hike.
Lets put that in perspective: Table mountain alone has more plant species than the entire United Kingdom. In addition, the Cape Floral Region represents less than 0.5% of the area of Africa, but is home to 20% of the continents flora.
Each of the eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Africa reflects an important aspect of its cultural and natural landscape. Thesitesinclude cultural treasures such as hominid fossils, the earliest indigenous kingdom of South Africa, the cave paintings of the San people.
In addition, it also includes the traditional use of the land by the Nama and the prison that housed political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela. Other sites protect the natural uniqueness of South Africa from the Cape Floral Region and the iSimangaliso Wetlands to the Vredefort Dome.
Speaking of UNESCO World Heritage sites, South Africa is home to the oldest meteor scar in the world the Vredefort Dome in Parys. A meteor the size of a mountain fell to Earth around 2 030 million years ago.
The 10km-wide meteor left a crater 300km across and is the oldest crater made by either a comet or meteorite. Its also reportedly the site of the largest energy release in history.
Despite a recent Australian discovery, we can still claim the largest visible crater in the world. In 2015, scientists found a bigger crater measuring 400km wide underground in the Australian outback.
South Africas Cape Winelands is the worlds longest wine route, with a meandering road spanning 850 kilometres. Route 62 runs between Cape Town, Constantia to Port Elizabeth, via Oudtshoorn and the Garden Route, passing by 200 cellars and kilometres of vines.
The hunter-gather Sans and pastoral Khoi become known as the KhoiSan and lived in what is present-day Western Cape around 300AD. Zulu and Xhosa tribes established large kingdoms in the region during the 15th century.
The South African fish migration is so huge it can be seen from space between May and July every year. Millions of small silver fish travel in vast shoals from the cold waters off South Africas Cape Point up to the coastlines of the northern Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal.
This annual event is known as the Sardine Run. The shoals are so big 15km long, 3.5km wide and up to 40m deep they can be seen by satellite. In their wake come hundreds of birds, sharks, whales, dolphins, all eager to catch a bite.
The Karoo region in the Western Cape is home to some of the bestfossils of early dinosaurs. In fact, it is estimated that some 80% of the mammalian fossils found to date were found in the Karoo.
The University of South Africa (Unisa) which was founded in 1873 as the University of the Cape of Good Hope is the largest correspondence university in the world.
Unisa became the first public university in the world to teach exclusively by means of distance education in 1946. Today, the university has more than 400 000 students from 130 countries.
Adrenaline junkies will be eager to fling themselves off the worlds highest commercial bridge bungee in the world at Bloukrans Bridge in the Tsitsikamma region between the Eastern and Western Cape.
At a dizzying 216 metres high, the popular jump sees thrill-seekers plunge towards the Bloukrans River below before bouncing to a stop.
For centuries, the South African coastline has claimed the lives of thousands of sailors. Today, all shipwrecks are protected under South African law. A list of the shipwrecks along the coast can be viewed here.
In 2006, South Africa became the first African country and the fifth country in the world to recognise same-sex marriage. The prohibiting of discrimination based on sexual orientation is even written into their constitution.
Cape Town is also referred to as the Gay Capital of the World.
A segment of the infamous Berlin Wall, which was torn down in November 1989, was gifted to our late president Nelson Mandela following his visit to Berlin in 1996. Today, this piece of history sits atop the St Georges Mall outside Mandela Rhodes Place.
Not only is South Africa a prime film destination, but we also have the second oldest film industry in the world. The firstfilmstudio inSouth Africa, KillarneyFilmStudios, wasestablishedin 1915 in Johannesburg; Hollywood was founded in 1903.
Some of the most famous Hollywood movies shot in South Africa include Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Safe House, District 9, Blood Diamond, Homeland, Outlander, Resident Evil: The Last Chapter, The Dark Tower, Black Sails, The Maze Runner: The Death Cure and Tomb Raider.
The AngloGold Ashantis Mponeng gold mine near Johannesburg is the deepest gold mine in the world. It takes more than an hour to travel from the surface right down to the bottom.
The temperature of the rock so deep down gets very hot and the air in the tunnels is cooled by pumping slurry ice into the depths.
South Africa has 12 official languages: English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Setswana, Sepedi, Xitsonga, siSwati, isiNdebele, Tshivenda, and Sign Language, whichwas officially recognised as a homelanguagein 2018.
As per the 2011 census, 22.7% of South Africans speak isiZulu as their native language, making it the most commonly spoken language. English is the most common language used in business.
The only other country with more languages than South Africa is India with 18 official languages. However, each language is recognised as the official language of a certain area, and not the country as a whole.
South Africa is the only country in the world with three capitals, and no, Pretoria is not the capital. Pretoria is the administrative capital while Cape Town is the legislative capital and Bloemfontein the judicial capital.
The only city specified in the Constitution of South Africa is Cape Town, the seat of Parliament. Most foreign embassies are in Pretoria, but many countries also have consulates in the other cities.
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Fun facts about South Africa Here are 25 things you probably didnt know - The South African
