Officially the Republic
of South Africa (RSA), South Africa is the southernmost country on the African
continent. The "rainbow nation" is renowned for its cultural diversity,
varied topography, and natural beauty. Three cities in South Africa serve as
capitals: Pretoria is the executive capital, Cape Town is the legislative
capital, and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital of the country.
South Africa
is bordered by Botswana and Zimbabwe to the north, and by Swaziland to the
east. Eleven official languages are spoken in South Africa, namely: Zulu,
Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, Northern Soto, Tswana, Southern Soto, Tsonga, Swazi,
Venda, and Southern Ndebele. South Africa has a population of 55.91 million. Cyril Ramaphosa is the president of the Republic
and David Mabuza is his deputy. The following facts are worth remembering about
South Africa:
1.
Mponeng Gold Mine, found in South Africa is the world's deepest mine. It has a
depth of 4.0 km (2.5 miles).
2. South
Africa is the second country in the world to have hosted the Cricket World Cup,
Rugby World Cup and FIFA World Cup tournaments.
3. JSE
Limited, previously known as the JSE Securities Exchange and the Johannesburg
Stock Exchange) is the oldest existing and largest stock exchange in Africa. It
was founded on November 8, 1887; 130 years ago.
4. South
Africa supplies two-thirds of Africa's electricity.
5. South
Africa was the first African country to accept same-sex marriage.
6. Cape Town
(found in South Africa) has the fifth best blue sky in the world, according to
the UK's National Physical Laboratory.
7. South
Africa is the world's largest producer of vanadium, vermiculite, chromium,
platinum and manganese.
8.
Johannesburg is widely regarded as the world's largest man made urban forest,
with its 10 million and more trees.
9. Smartlock
Safety Syringe was invented in South Africa in 1992. Its design protects
healthcare workers and others from accidental needlestick injuries.
10. South
Africa boasts of billionaires like: Christo Wiese, Ivan Glasenberg, Patrice
Motsepe, Laurie Dippenaar, Stephen Saad, Koos Bekker, Johan Rupert, John
Whittaker, Michiel le Roux, Desmond Sacco, Jannie Mouton, Adrian Gore, and many
more.
 |
| Laurie Dippenaar |
11. South Africa
is the only African country that is a member of the G20. The G20 consists of 19
individual countries plus the European Union.
12. The
world's first heart transplant was performed by Professor Christiaan Barnard in
Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, on December 3, 1967.
 |
| Professor Barnard and his wife |
13.
Johannesburg is the largest landlocked city in the world.
14. South
Africa is one of the top 20 most biodiverse countries in the world.
15.
Afrikaans, one of South Africa's national languages, is the youngest official
language in the world.
16. South
Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world by land area, and is the
24th-most populous nation.
17. Cape
Town, Durban and Nelson Mandela Bay ((Port Elizabeth) are ranked 15th,
44th and 46th respectively among the 50 cities with the highest murder rates in
the world of all cities not at war.
18. South
Africa has the fourth highest HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in the world. In
2016, South Africa recorded 110,000 deaths resulting from HIV/AIDS.
 |
| Durban Beachfront |
19. South
Africa is widely considered to be the "rape capital" of the world as
it has had the highest rape rate since 2004.
20. South
Africa also holds the record for the highest rate of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA).
According to a 2009 report by trade union Solidarity Helping Hand, one child is
raped in South Africa every three minutes.
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