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South Africa is one of the best cities in Africa that lead development on the continent. The apartheid country recently hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2010, but there are other fascinating facts about South Africa that you probably haven’t heard of before.
In this article, we will highlight the 10 best amazing and fun facts about South Africa, also known as the Rainbow Nation.
Top 10 Interesting South Africa Facts 2022
- Nobel Peace Prize laureates
- Most fossils of early dinosaurs
- Second Largest fruit producer
- Coal-to-oil technology
- Bump sailors
- Land of mines
- Well-recognized monarchy
- The Palace of the Lost City
- Pay attention to your belongings
- Major medical record
10. Nobel Peace Prize laureates on the same street?
South Africa is the only country where a street has produced two Nobel Prizes in history. Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu had houses on Vilakazi Street in Soweto.
The Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to Nelson Mandela and former South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk in 1993.
While Mandela received the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize “for his work for the peaceful end of the apartheid regime and the establishment of a new democratic South Africa”, Frederik Willem de Klerk was honored for his participation in the progress peace in the country by freeing Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990.
Archbishop Mpilo Desmond Tutu, a world-renowned preacher and fierce voice against apartheid, is another South African giant to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Tutu, then a bishop, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 16 October 1984 for his “unifying leadership role in the campaign to solve the problem of apartheid in South Africa”.
The Archbishop Emeritus is the first Black Secretary-General of the Council of Churches of South Africa, the first black archbishop of the Anglican Church of South Africa, archbishop emeritus of Cape Town and chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu met for the first time Mandela as a debate judge when he [Tutu] was a student at a teacher training college. The next time the icons spoke was the night after he was released from prison in 1990. The meeting would have taken place at Bishop’s Court in Cape Town.
Shortly after his release from prison, the NelsonThe Mandela administration appointed Tutu president of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights violations.
Throughout his life, Madiba and Tutu were close friends who shared a particular type of bond. Their closeness was so strong that Tutu had a lot of grief when he learned of Mandela’s death.
9. Most fossils of early dinosaurs
The Karoo region in the Western Cape of South Africa is a very important region in this South African country, as it is home to some of the best fossils of the early dinosaurs. In fact, it is estimated that about 80% of the mammalian fossils found to date have been discovered in the Karoo.
In southern Africa, the rocks of the Karocococo supergroup cover nearly two-thirds of the current land area (400,000 km2), including the central province of Cape Town, almost the entire Free State of Orange, western Natal, much of the southeast Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Some groups of terrestrial vertebrates found in the Karoo Supergroups include dinosaurs, mammals and turtles.
8. Second Largest fruit producer
South Africa is the second-largest fruit producer in the world – many, thanks to the country’s optimal climatic conditions, have been able to support a fairly wide range of fruit varieties.
The country is reputed to be the fourth-largest producer of apples, the second-largest producer of pears, the tenth-largest sugar producer in the world and the world’s largest producer of macadamia nuts.
South Africa seems to be well balanced and apart from the world fruit depot, SA is ranked first in the world for its floral kingdom and is home to the world’s smallest succulent plants (less than 10 mm) and the largest (baobab).
7. Coal-to-oil technology
South Africa is the first country to develop an unimaginably rare coal-oil technology. In the aftermath of world war II, South Africa was struggling economically and oil was difficult to obtain. Also, because of the country’s vast coal reserves, they decided to look for a way to turn coal into oil.
Although the South African country thought that liquid coal was absolutely impossible at first, but it turned out to be easier than expected. Today, the country is one of the largest companies in South Africa Synthetic Oil Liquid (SASOL).
Moreover, China and the United States of America appear to have followed suit. While China is reportedly beginning the construction of a coal-fired power plant, the United States has adopted the study of coal-oil technology as part of its university program.
6. Bump sailors
The South African coast is estimated to be about 2,500 km and more than 2,000 shipwrecks, most of which date back at least 500 years.
The dangerous coastline has claimed thousands of coastlines and lives over the centuries. Some of the most popular shipwrecks off the coast of South Africa include the SS Thomas T Tucker, the Grosvenor, the Waratah, the Arniston, the Oceanos, the Birkenhead and the Sacramento. This incredible number of shipwrecks could probably be the reason why the coast has been dubbed “the ship’s graveyard” and “the cape of the storm”.
5. Land of mines
South Africa is extremely rich in mines and mines and considers to be the world leader with nearly 90% of all platinum metals on the planet and the leading gold producer producing about 41% of all world gold.
In 1996, South Africa was found to have 261,423 anti-personnel mines in its stockpile, as well as 49,756 anti-tank mines. This was revealed by the Then Minister of Defence. Nevertheless, the country would have stockpiles of more than 20 other types of mines from six other countries.
See the richest South African Celebrities in 2022.
4. Well-recognized monarchy
The country’s status is considered a democratic republic, but the province of KwaZulu-Natal has a constitutionally-provided system of monarchical government.
Since September 17, 1968, the Zulu kingdom has been supplying kings to South Africa. The reigning king of the Zulus is Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu. He ascended to the throne as the eighth monarch on December 3, 1971, in a lavish ceremony attended by more than 20,000 people from all walks of life.
King Goodwill is the father of twenty-seven (27) children and husband of six beautiful wives. Zulu queens are called Nompumelelo Mchiza, Zola Zelusiwe, Buthle MaMathe
Thandekile Jane Ndlovu, MafuMantfombi Dlamini (Queen-in-Chief) and Sibongile Winifred Dlamini.
3. The Palace of the Lost City
The Palace of the Lost City is the largest themed resort in the world located in Sun City, Rustenburg, South Africa. This five-star hotel is surrounded by an artificial botanical jungle of nearly 2 million plants, trees, and shrubs.
Since its inception in 1992, the legendary palace has welcomed millions of fun lovers from around the world. The Palace of the Lost City is a must for anyone planning to travel to South Africa.
2. Pay attention to your belongings while sitting
In South Africa, it is illegal to sit closer than 2 meters to any individual of the opposite sex, if he or she wears nothing but a bathing dress. (The choice of reference point is the one I don’t really know).
1. Major medical record
It should be noted that the very first world heart transplant was performed in South Africa on December 3, 1967. It was performed on Louis Washkansky, an immigrant Lithuanian Jew, at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.
The surgery lasted six hours. However, Washkansky succumbed to pneumonia 18 days after the renowned transplant.
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