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With its epic landmarks and breathtaking landscapes, as well as iconic historical figures such as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, South Africa seems to be a familiar destination even before you arrive – with many visitors experiencing a feeling of ‘coming home’. Dive deeper, however, and you’ll discover lesser-known facts about the Rainbow Nation that will make you see it in an unexpected new light. Here are some of our personal favourites – many of which not even locals may know.
South Africa is a cultural melting pot
Known as the ‘Rainbow Nation’ thanks to its vibrant mix of cultures across the country, South Africa boasts an impressive 11 official languages: English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa (which might sound familiar if you’re a fan of Marvel’s Black Panther movie – the people of Wakanda speak isiXhosa), IsiNdebele, Sesotho, Northern Sotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga. Only India has more official languages. Most South Africans speak more than one language, with IsiZulu the most common, followed by isiXhosa, while Afrikaans is taught as a first foreign language in many schools.
South Africa is the only country in the world with three capital cities
To represent the South African government being divided into three sections, three different destinations make up the country’s capital cities. Cape Town is the legislative capital and also holds the country’s Parliament (even though the seat of government is in Pretoria), Pretoria is the administrative capital, and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital. Home to the President’s official offices, the Union Buildings in Pretoria are worth a visit to admire a larger-than-life statue of Nelson Mandela, and immaculate gardens and grounds.
The world’s first heart transplant took place in Cape Town
In 1967, South Africa became the first country in the world to host a successful heart transplant. Performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard and his team at Groote Schuur Hospital, the procedure soon became the most widely reported medical event in history.
But that’s not all. Another South African, physicist Allan Cormack, developed the theoretical underpinnings of CT scanning in the late 1950’s – it took until 1971 for the first CT scanner to be built by his British colleague, Godfrey Hounsfield, who applied Cormack’s theoretical calculations. For their independent efforts, Cormack and Hounsfield shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Table Mountain is one of the oldest mountains in the world
South Africa’s most recognisable landmark is over 600 million years old. To put that into perspective, the Himalayas are estimated to be between 40-50 million years old – making them sound brand-new in comparison.
Table Mountain itself is positively young however compared to other South African mountain ranges, namely Mount Pilanesberg in the Witwatersrand Range (1.2 billion years old), Magaliesberg (2.4 BYO), Waterberg Mountains (2.7 BYO), and Makhonjwa Mountains in the Barberton Greenstone Belt (3.5 BYO). Topping all of them are the Makhonjwa Mountains (often called the ‘Genesis of Life’). Located between South Africa and Swaziland, they are said to be the oldest mountain range in the world.
Other fun facts about Table Mountain
- In 2011, Table Mountain was named one of the New7Wonders of Nature.
- Table Mountain National Park is a World Heritage Site.
- Having withstood 6 million years of erosion, it hosts the richest floral kingdom on earth, with more than 1, 470 floral species – as many as the whole of the UK.
- More than 70% of all the plants growing on the mountain are endemic, meaning they are not found anywhere else.
- It is the only South African and only natural site on the planet to have a constellation of stars named after it, called ‘Mensa’ (Latin for ‘table’).
- Table Mountain is often covered in clouds, which is lovingly referred to as its ‘tablecloth’.
There’s a kingdom within the borders of South Africa
The Kingdom of Lesotho is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa in the Drakensberg Mountain area. Previously the British Crown colony of Basutoland, it was given independence by the United Kingdom in 1966 and is now a fully sovereign state, as well as a member of the United Nation, the Commonwealth of Nations, the African Union, and the Southern African Development Community. Boasting the highest mountains in Southern Africa, the country has also been nicknamed ‘the Kingdom in the Sky’.
South Africa is a green energy pioneer
It’s a little known fact that South Africa is the largest producer of platinum in the world – producing more than twice as much as every other country on earth combined. Platinum is a key enabler for the production and use of green hydrogen, which is going to play a key role in decarbonising the world – making platinum the critical mineral for energy transition and independence, and with it, South Africa a vital player in green energy production.
Did you know? The combination of green hydrogen displacing natural gas, and fuel cell electric vehicles displacing internal combustion engine vehicles, could result in net carbon dioxide savings of up to 11% of the Paris Agreement’s 2030 targets.
South Africa is the largest producer of macadamia nuts in the world
Indigenous to Australia, macadamia nuts were first introduced in the Durban Botanical Gardens in 1915, with commercial production established in the 1960’s. South Africa’s subtropical regions provide the perfect climate for growing macadamias. The huge increase of production over the years meant that South Africa became Australia’s main competitor, eventually overtaking the country as the world’s largest producer in the 2010’s.
The Cape Floral Kingdom is small but mighty
It may be the smallest of the world’s six floral kingdoms, but the Cape Floral Kingdom on the south-western extremity of South Africa is also the richest – and it is the only one located within a single country’s borders. Stretching from Clanwilliam in the Western Cape province to Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, more than 9,600 plant species can be found within an area less than 90,000km2, making it more botanically diverse than the Amazon Rainforest.
Even more impressive is the fact that fynbos makes up 80% of the Cape Floral Kingdom – two-thirds of which is endemic to this geographic belt.
Fynbos facts:
- Most of the fynbos are extremely rare and in danger of dying out completely, with 1,700 fynbos plants threatened with extinction – which is why the Cape Floral Kingdom is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- The most well-known fynbos include proteas, buchu and rooibos, which is widely used for tea.
- Incredibly, due to the very specific soil and climate needed for the hardy rooibos plant to thrive, the Cederberg is the only place in the entire world where it can be cultivated.
South Africa is at the forefront of 21st century scientific exploration
The remote town of Sutherland, some 400km from Cape Town, is home to the largest single optical telescope in the Southern hemisphere. Called the ‘Giant Eye on the Sky’, or SALT (Southern African Large Telescope), it is the non-identical twin of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) in the USA, and has such high magnification that it can see the light of a candle on the moon.
Part of a world-class research facility that regularly hosts local and international scientists, SALT is an extraordinary international collaboration that has put South Africa at the forefront of 21st century scientific exploration. While currently still unable to explain about 96% of the universe – notably dark matter and dark energy – astrophysicists believe images and information gathered from SALT may trigger a revolution more dramatic than the leap from Newtonian to quantum physics.
While the SALT facility is closed to the public at night, you can experience the thrill of astronomy by booking a stargazing session at the visitor centre, where two dedicated visitor telescopes, a 16″ Meade and 14″ Celestron, are located.
The biggest diamond in the world was found in South Africa
Discovered at the Premier No.2 mine in Cullinan in 1905, the Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, weighing an incredible 3,106 carats (621.20g). Named after Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine, it was handed over to the British royal family by South Africa’s colonial authorities.
Cullinan produced stones of various cuts and sizes, the largest of which is named Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa. At 530.4 carats (106.08 g) it is the largest clear-cut diamond in the world, and is currently mounted on a royal scepter belonging to the Royal Family, which is kept in the Tower of London.
In the wake of the Queen’s death, calls are growing in South Africa for the royal family to return the Great Star of Africa, together with other diamonds, as many South Africans view Britain’s acquisition of the jewels as illegitimate.
You can see fish from space
A natural phenomenon, the KwaZulu-Natal sardine run occurs from May through July every year, when billions of sardines spawn in the cool waters of the Agulhas Bank and move northward along South Africa’s east coast. An event to rival East Africa’s great wildebeest migration, their sheer numbers create a feeding frenzy along the coastline. The shoals are often more than 7km long, 1.5km wide, and 30m deep – making them big enough to be spotted by satellites. The visually arresting migration requires cold water, with scientists predicting it may not be around forever – due to global warming.
South Africa boasts the longest wine route in the world
The historic inland Route 62 stretches between the Western and Eastern Capes, connecting Cape Town with Port Elizabeth. At 850km, it is not only the longest wine route in the world, but also a scenic, more leisurely alternative to the busy N2 highway, as well as a less commercial option to the Garden Route. Opening up a whole different perspective, you’ll traverse scenic wine-producing towns such as Paarl, Barrydale, Montagu, Ashton, Bonnievale, Robertson, McGregor, Ceres, Wolseley, Tulbagh, and Wellington, with plenty to see and do along the way.
