We think South Africa is pretty darn cool. I mean, did you know that we have our very own tea, record breaking wildlife, and have appeared in the Guinness Book of Records? Check out these interesting facts that will make you mad about Mzansi:
Did you know?
1. The world’s largest diamond, the Cullinan Diamond, was found in South Africa in 1905. It weighed in at an impressive 3,106.75 carats! It was cut into the Great Star of Africa (530.2 carats), the Lesser Star of Africa (317.40 carats), and 104 other almost flawless diamonds which now form part of the British crown jewels.
2. South Africa has one of the most luxurious trains in the world: the Rovos Rail. We also have the luxury short-journey Blue Train and an adventure train called the Shongololo Express.
3. There are around 280,000 windmills scattered on farms across South Africa – second in number only to Australia.
4. South Africa is home to the world’s highest commercial bungee jump. We dare you to dive off the 216m Bloukrans Bridge in Storms River!
5. The City Hall in Pietermaritzburg is the largest red brick building in the southern hemisphere.
6. We all know Kimberley has the largest manmade hole in the world. But did you know that Jagersfontein in the Free State has the deepest vertical manmade hole in the world?
7. Johannesburg is the world’s largest manmade forest, home to over 10 million trees which help to reduce noise in the city.
8. Mossel Bay is in the Guinness Book of Records for having the second most moderate climate in the world, after Hawaii.
9. South Africa is one of only 2 countries in the world to have hosted the soccer, cricket, and rugby world cups. The first was England.
10. The only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace prize winners is found in Soweto. Vilakazi Street was home to former president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
11. Red Bush tea (rooibos) is a blend of tea grown only in the Cederberg area of the Western Cape.
12. SABMiller is the largest brewing company, by volume, in the world. While we won’t discount the fact that Saffas love their beer, this may also be because SABMiller supplies nearly 50% of the beer in China.
13. The Kreepy Krauly was the world’s first automatic pool cleaning product, invented in 1974 by a South African called Ferdinand Chauvier.
14. In 1882, Kimberley became the first town in the southern hemisphere to install electric streetlights.
15. South Africa is home to the world’s smallest succulents (less than 0.39 inches) in the Karoo – and the largest, the Big Baobab in Limpopo which houses a bar in its trunk.
16. The V&A Waterfront is the most visited destination in South Africa.
17. South Africa has the second highest number of official languages in the world (11) – second only to India (22).
18. Only 143 out of 727 South African airports have paved runways.
19. At least two people get married on Table Mountain every month.
20. South Africa is the first and only country in history to build its own nuclear weapons programme and willingly abandon it.
21. There are over 2,000 shipwrecks off the South African coast, dating back over 500 years. Some of them disappeared without a trace…
22. Sutherland is home to the South African Large Telescope (SALT) – one of the three largest telescopes in the world.
23. South Africa was the first country in the world to provide full protection for the Great White shark in 1991.
24. The Adams Calendar is a circular stone structure found in Mpumalanga in 2005. The monolithic stone calendar dates back 750,000 years and lies along the same line of longitude as the Great Pyramid and Great Zimbabwe Ruins.
25. Table Mountain is the only earthly structure in the world to have a constellation named after it. In 1754, French astronomer, Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, named the southern constellations Mensa. He originally called it Mons Mensae which is Latin for “the Table Mountain.”
26. South Africa is the only producer of the Mercedes Benz C Class, right hand drive vehicles.
27. Walt Disney serves only South African wine at the 73 acre Animal Kingdom Lodge in the USA.
28. Stellenbosch was the world’s first university in Africa to design and launch a satellite.
29. It takes 1 minute longer to boil an egg in Johannesburg than in Cape Town and Durban. This is because Joburg is 2000m above sea level where the air is less dense.
Animal facts
30. The annual Sardine Run, in the months of May – July, is a fascinating and unexplained phenomenon where millions of sardines swim from south to north, and are followed by predators like shark, dolphin, and birds. This can be enjoyed from land, boat, and even the air.
31. Ostriches can sprint up to 70km an hour and use their wings as rudders to change direction. They can kick a man to death, but only in a forward motion, so stay behind them.
32. The difference between white and black rhinos has nothing to do with their colouring. White rhinos are grazers, have broad, flat bottom lips, and hold their heads low to the ground for eating grass. Black rhinos are foragers, have triangular bottom lips, and hold their heads up for browsing on bushes and trees.
33. Hippos give birth underwater. The water makes the babies lighter, making it easier for the mother to give birth.
34. Giraffes have dark blue tongues longer than 50cm for wrapping around branches as they eat. They are also the tallest animals in the world.
35. Africa’s herbivores are actually the most aggressive: hippo, rhino, and buffalo. The hippo is the deadliest animal and can get very aggressive if you’re in its ‘territory’ or between a mother and its baby. They can run up to 32km an hour!
Check out these unusual facts about South Africa. What other interesting facts do you know? Tell us in the comments below!
