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Discover the story of our nation, one fact at a time.
The annual Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town is one of the most scenic ultra-marathons in the world. The 56-kilometre race takes runners around the Cape Peninsula with views of both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
South Africa is home to the largest population of the vulnerable Cape mountain zebra. Once reduced to fewer than 100 individuals, conservation efforts have successfully increased their numbers in national parks and reserves.
The first successful oil-from-coal plant in the world was developed in South Africa by Sasol. The technology was later used in other countries and remains an important example of energy innovation under resource constraints.
The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised for both its outstanding natural beauty and its wealth of San rock art. It contains the highest concentration of rock paintings in Africa south of the Sahara.
South Africa has the most sophisticated and extensive radio telescope network in Africa. The MeerKAT telescope in the Karoo is one of the most powerful radio telescopes in the world and forms part of the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
The town of Barberton in Mpumalanga contains some of the oldest exposed rocks on Earth, dating back more than 3.5 billion years. The Barberton Greenstone Belt is a key site for studying the early history of our planet.
South Africa is the only country in the world that produces the natural sweetener known as stevia on a commercial scale from the indigenous plant, although most commercial stevia now comes from other countries. Wait – correction: South Africa is known for honeybush and rooibos instead. Better fact: South Africa is the world's largest producer of macadamia nuts.
The annual National Arts Festival in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) is the largest arts festival on the African continent. It features theatre, music, dance, visual arts, and fringe performances over 10 days every year.
South Africa has a unique biodiversity management system that includes the concept of "biodiversity stewardship", where private landowners formally protect critical habitats. This approach has significantly expanded the country's protected area network.
The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) in Sutherland is the largest optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere. Completed in 2005, it allows astronomers to study stars, galaxies, and distant objects with exceptional clarity from one of the darkest and clearest skies on Earth.