Located on the southernmost tip of Africa, South Africa is a diverse and unique country with so much to offer. The country covers 1,219,090 square km, and this area includes the largest continuous wine route on the planet and also one of the oldest mountains. There are loads of interesting facts about South Africa that very few people are aware of. Here we are sharing some of our top facts about South Africa:
South Africa Country Facts
1. Population: There are 57 million people living in South Africa as of 2018.
2. Capital Cities: South Africa has three capital cities: Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg.
3. Name: The full name of South Africa is the Republic of South Africa, RSA, ZA. The ZA stands for Zuid Africa which means South Africa.
4. Religions: Christianity is the most widely recognised religion in South Africa, with roughly 75% of the population following the faith. Other religions across the country include Muslim, Hindu and Jewish.
5. Currency: The currency used in South Africa is South African Rand (ZAR).
South Africa Geography Facts
1. Borders: South Africa encloses two landlocked countries: Swaziland and Lesotho. In addition to these, the country borders Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
2. Oceans: The Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet just off the Southern Cape coast in South Africa.
3. Rivers: The Orange River forms part of the border between Namibia and South Africa, and also is the longest river in the country.
4. World Heritage Sites: South Africa has seven world heritage sites across the country.
Quick South Africa Facts
1. Around 20% of the world’s gold is mined in South Africa.
2. Vilakazi Street in Soweto is the only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace Prize winners. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu had houses there.
3. A large amount of the South African population has illegal immigrant status. The majority of these are people from neighbouring African countries.
4. South Africa is the largest meat producer in Africa.
5. Four of the fastest mammals in the world live in South Africa. These are the lion, wildebeest, cheetah and gazelle.
