There’s a lot to know about South Africa and most people only seem to recognise the same old facts (interesting facts, but old ones none the less). We’d like to take a look at the lesser known, unusual facts about South Africa. After all, we all know that our wine routes are the longest in the world and that we, as a country, have no interest in a nuclear weapon program…but what else is there to know that’s truly interesting? We pique your interest with these strange yet very real facts about the country!
- There are 17 mega diverse countries in the world, and South Africa is one of them. This means that the country is one of the most biodiverse in the world and as such, we’re a top destination to visit! What’s the meaning of “mega diverse”? It’s any country that has 5 000 or more of the world’s plants as endemics and also has a marine ecosystem. It’s not just foreigners who book flights to South Africa to discover some of the country’s fauna and flora! Locals do too.
- In 2017, researchers at the SA Astronomical Observatory discovered a new, very unusual planet that is best described as an exoplanet. The planet will help researchers to find ways to access other planets to seek out “signs of life”.
- For the first time, South Africans are on-board with a currency that seems to have dazzled the world. You guessed it, Cryptocurrency. These days, it would not seem unusual for the average man on the street in South Africa to own Bitcoin. In fact, at some point, some locals were willing to trade their cars for the currency!
- South Africa changed the status of Hewitt Ghost Frogs from critically endangered to endangered. The rare frogs were found in the Eastern Cape in Baviaanskloof.
- Johnnie Walker (a prominent whiskey brand) recently got involved in creating awareness against women and child abuse in South Africa. The company teamed up with several non-profit organisations to place 365 (a symbol of 365 days a year) gold statues of striding men on the Nelson Mandela Bridge in order to help educate the community on the importance of an abuse-free society.
- A parking bay located in Clifton, Cape Town, recently sold for just under 1 million rand. That still doesn’t make it the most expensive parking bay sold in the world. That title belongs to Beijing where parking bays can sell for over 10 million dollars.
- South Africa has localised its grape breeding program. Until recently, our table grapes relied on international breeding programs that saw grape prices in supermarkets soar. Now, Joybells are a variety of seedless red grape that is grown and sold locally. Many of the local cheap flights in South Africa are booked simply to visit the many wine farms in the Western Cape. If this is something you would do, don’t forget to seek out our very own local grape!
- South Africa is where the “world’s wackiest air race” was enjoyed by Tom Morgan of Britain. He travelled 25km at a height of 8 000ft in a chair that was flown by means of 100 helium balloons attached to it!
- Forbes recently released a “Real-Time World Billionaire” list and 7 South Africans featured on it! These included Nicky Oppenheimer, Johann Rupert, Patrice Motsepe, Stephen Saad, Desmond Sacco, Allan Gray, and Koos Bekker.
The thing about South Africa is that it is always changing. The lifestyle is conducive to great marvels and many of the unusual things that happen here should come as no surprise. Find out more about South Africa on your next domestic trip. Book cheap flights with local SA Airlines and use the money saved to explore and discover more!