101 Facts About South Africa

Greetings Mother Factors, my name is Sam and today we're jetting off to the very south of Africa. To, uh, well, South Africa. Yes, I know, what lucky ducks we are. It's got sun, it's got sea, it's got a big hole with a completely different country nestled right within it. Yes, it's the donut of nations. I mean, what an accolade. I'm well gel, as the kids say. Britain looks more like a rapidly disintegrating biscuit that you've just dropped in your tea. Fitting, really. Anyway, what amazing medical feat was first carried out in South Africa? Which famous South African has six different names? And can someone teach me the accent? I kind of love the accent and want to have the accent. Two out of three of those questions are going to be answered, so grab yourself some Bill Tong, check out some beautiful South African wildlife, and for the love of God, put down that vuvuzela so you can actually hear me in 101 Facts About South Africa. Number one. First question first, what is South Africa? Well, it's a country. The southernmost country, actually, in the continent of, well, Africa. It's also officially known as the Republic of South Africa, or RSA. Well, la-dee-da. Number two. While it's bragging about itself, its coastline also stretches across two oceans, the South Atlantic and Indian. That's because it's actually pretty large, with a coastline of 2,798 kilometres, or around 1,739 miles. That's also, by the way, 27,545,760 human tongues long. I don't know why I have that frame of reference either. Number three. All around it, you've got countries like Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe to the north, and Mozambique and Swaziland to the east. But also, like a big doughnut, it has a country right in its middle too. The enclaved country of Lesotho. Number four. Much like many other countries on Earth, South Africa is absolutely jammed packed to the gills with history. Lots and lots of juicy history. In fact, if you're partial to history, you'll love South Africa because of its fossil hominid sites. Within which, lots of, you guessed it, fossils have been unearthed, showing some of mankind's earliest activity. Number five. In fact, these areas of paleo-anthropological intrigue are UNESCO World Heritage sites, and are also known as the Cradle of Humankind. Wasn't that an Antonina Jolie Lara Croft film? Number six. Lara Croft Tomb Raider The Cradle of Life was released in 2003 from director Jan de Bont. Oh no, sorry, I got sidetracked, didn't I? Anyway, fossils that have been found in the Cradle of Humankind, like bones from various hominid species from 4.5 to 2.5 million years ago, support the idea that modern humans all originate from Africa. These fossils were found in caves in the Cradle of Humankind, technically called the Sterkfontein Caves. Along with evidence that 2 million years ago, most older humans used stone tools as well. Number seven. Modern humans, or Homo Sapiens, have inhabited South Africa for at least 170,000 years. When us Europeans came a-knocking, the dominant ethnic group were that of the Bantu-speaking peoples, who had migrated to parts of what's now South Africa from other parts of the continent. Previously, there had been Khoi Khoi and San peoples living there, but they were seemingly displaced by Bantu speakers. Number eight. In case you were wondering, by the way, the first European adventure to land in South Africa was in 1487, led by Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Diaz. Diaz sailed down to Wallfish Bay, now known as Walibis Bay in Namibia. Which isn't South Africa, I know, I know. But we'll get there with Diaz, okay? Number nine. A bit later on, in January 1488, Diaz went down the western coast of South Africa. He then went past the southernmost point of Africa without actually seeing it, which is quite some feat when you think about it, and then back up again along the east coast. He then reached the Rio de Infante, which we now know as the Groot River, a massive river in eastern South Africa. Number ten. However, by the early 17th century, Portugal's maritime power was declining, and other over-riga European colonists, like the UK and the Netherlands, were itching to grab a chunk of Africa's southern lobe for themselves. After several minor expeditions of the region in the preceding decades, in 1652, the Dutch East India Company landed the first European settlers on the Cape of Good Hope, launching a colony that, by the end of the 18th century, numbered only 15,000. Number eleven. In fact, in 1795, they tried to establish a republic, also known as Pauline Reverse Palpatine. They spoke a variant of Dutch dialect known as Afrikaans, and were known as either Boers or Afrikaners. In fact, Afrikaans is still spoken in South Africa to this very day. Number twelve. There was a bit of a push and tug over this new colony in South Africa known as the Cape Colony. In 1795, for instance, the British occupied it after the Battle of Mützenberg. Then, in 1802, the Dutch got it back with an agreement called the Peace of Amiens. Then, in 1806, the British nabbed it again after the Battle of Bloorberg. Then, the Dutch kind of just gave up and said the colony was part of the British Empire. Number thirteen. It was also around this time that the Zulu Kingdom came about. Formed by Shaka Zulu in 1816, this became an incredibly powerful nation in South Africa, even going to war with the British in 1879. Though that was instigated mainly by one uppity upper-class Brit dick called Sir Henry Bartle Freer, who unilaterally decided to start the Anglo-Zulu War without the approval of the British government. What a knob. Number fourteen. Freer started the war he so desperately wanted by sending an ultimatum to Ketchwayo, the king of Zululand. The ultimatum was deliberately designed to be impossible to satisfy, requiring the Zulus to dismantle their military system within 30 days and pay reparations for alleged insults. After their absurd demands were predictably not met, the British promptly invaded Zululand, after which the Zulus were eventually defeated in a little under six months. Number fifteen. Incidentally, the last major battle of the Anglo-Zulu War was the Battle of Ulundi, which is notable as the first usage of the British Gatling gun. Gotta love us British, eh? Oh, sorry. Number sixteen. But wait, there's more. In 1880, the First Boer War began between the Boers and the British. The Boers won and got independence for Transvaal and the Orange Free State. Not to give you any spoilers here, by the way, but notice that it's called the First Boer War. And my voice broke. That's embarrassing. Anyway, yeah, loads of people died. Number seventeen. In 1886, the inevitable happened. Yes, that's right, gold was discovered in the Witwatersrand Basin, triggering the appropriately named Witwatersrand Gold Rush. This directly led to the establishment of the city of Johannesburg, which grew into the largest city in South Africa in less than a decade. Number eighteen. However, this, in a roundabout way, also led to the Second Boer War, starting in 1899. As a big reservoir of gold is apparently appealing to some people. Not me, I'm all about personality, baby. One of the reasons this second war started between the Boers and the British Empire was because of this discovery. As Witwatersrand is right in the middle of Transvaal and the Orange Free State. You know, that thing they were arguing about the first time. Number nineteen. The Second Boer War ended in 1902, with the British eventually winning with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging, which essentially gave Transvaal and the Orange Free State to the Brits. It should also be noted that the British used some frankly horrible tactics to achieve this goal, including the destruction of food supplies and the use of concentration camps. Yeah, god, we're horrible. Anyway. Number twenty. In 1910, the Union of South Africa was formed by joining together the former colonies in Natal, Cape Colony, Transvaal and the Orange Free State, as a precursor of the Republic to come. Nice. Well, ish. Not really, actually. But yeah, also no. Number twenty-one. A couple of years later, in 1912, the African National Congress was formed, constituting an important moment in the history of South Africa. The ANC was established in retaliation to the injustices that black South Africans were facing at the time. Which, by the way, was a lot. Like, a lot. A lot. Number twenty-two. For instance, in 1913, the Natives Land Act was imposed. Now, what was that? Why, that was the law that meant white people couldn't buy land from black farmers and vice versa, essentially preserving the large majority of the land in the newly formed nation of South Africa for the exclusive use of the white minority. Astonishingly, this law was overturned in 1991. Number twenty-three. South Africa eventually became free of its United Kingdom colonial owners in 1934, with the status of the Union Act. This meant that South Africa was a sovereign, independent state. Nice one, gang. Number twenty-four. Ah, okay, maybe, um, too soon on the nice one there. Because in 1948, the National Party enforced a little something called apartheid, an Afrikaans word that translates to separateness, or more literally, apartheid. Apartheid, if you don't already know, was a political and social system that completely segregated white people from non-white people in almost every way, in order to preserve white racial purity and the domination of Afrikaners in the economic and political spheres. Number twenty-five. Apartheid created an authoritarian political culture based on an ideology of white supremacy. The policy affected numerous aspects of daily life, including one's access to public facilities, social events, land ownership, housing and employment opportunities, as well as the all-important right to vote that was denied to non-whites. Even certain beaches were specifically reserved for white people only. Apartheid is especially infamous considering the fact it was introduced at a time when many Western nations were generally moving away from racist policies. So, even worse a look, really. Number twenty-six. Apartheid, of course, rightfully inspired considerable protest. The previously mentioned ANC and other groups demonstrated against the policy, which came to an unfortunate head with the Sharpeville Massacre on the 21st of March 1960. Thousands of protesters flocked to a police station in Sharpeville, peacefully protesting by demanding they be arrested for not having their passbooks, which the government used to Though there is disagreement as to the behavior of the crowd, the police eventually retaliated by firing at the protesters, leading to the death of 69 people, while another 180 were injured. Number twenty-seven. As a result of Sharpeville, the ANC was banned by the South African government. Soon after, in 1961, Nelson Mandela formed an offshoot wing of the organization called the Spear of the Nation. It may surprise you to learn that Mandela had armed this particular wing, claiming that the armed struggle with the authorities was forced on us by the government. As a result, Mandela was jailed soon after. Number twenty-eight. Afrikaans started to be introduced into the school system, which the black populace of South Africa disliked as they felt the language resonated with oppression. As a result, the Soweto Uprising occurred in 1976, where 10 to 20,000 black high school children marched in protest. They were met with severe violence from police, resulting in the death of at least 176 people. Number twenty-nine. In 1990, 27 whole years after he was imprisoned, Nelson Mandela was released. Just three years later, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Despite this, though, he was still on the US terror watchlist until as late as 2008. Number thirty. Anyway, back to the 90s for a second. In 1994, apartheid was fully repealed after 50 long years. Black South Africans were allowed to vote, and as a result, Nelson Mandela was elected president. Just two years later, hearings about the atrocities that had happened under apartheid took place, and South Africa began to heal. Number thirty-one. On to 2010 now, when the FIFA World Cup was held in South Africa, in ten stadiums all over the country. This brought with it the majesty of Vuvuzelas. Little horn trumpets which annoyed fans around the world with the near-constant noise that I managed to forget about for ten years until now. Thanks, Obama. Number thirty-two. Today, South Africa is a parliamentary republic with nine provinces. These are Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Zwaazulu-Natal, Northern Cape, Free State, Northwest, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo. It's important to note that each of these provinces has their own government. Number thirty-three. And yet, despite South Africa's status as a democratic republic, it still manages to also have itself a monarchy. In fact, South Africa actually has several monarchies. This is because the South African constitution includes a little something called the which specifically recognizes the region's indigenous leadership practices. For instance, the current king of the Zulu nation, over in the province of Zwaazulu-Natal, is goodwill towards Athene-Zobekazulu, who currently has six wives and 28 children. Number thirty-four. Amazingly, South Africa has not one, not two, not four, but three capital cities. Which is very different to most countries, which tend to make do with just the one. Still, if we're going to be really pedantic about it, South Africa actually has no legally defined capital at all. It's just that the country's three branches of government are split over different cities. South Africa's legislature is based in Cape Town. Pretoria is the state of the presence of the cabinet, while Blomfontein hosts the nation's Supreme Court of Appeal and is considered the judicial capital. Though the Constitutional Court of South Africa is located in Johannesburg. God, who knew capital cities could be so complicated? Number thirty-five. South Africa's national flag is well-known around the world for its striking and colourful design. First used on the 27th of April, 1994, the day of the country's first not-super-racist election, the flag was actually only meant to be temporary, and numerous other designs were later proposed. However, the flag became far more popular than any other submissions, and its status as the South African flag was later made official. Number thirty-six. The South African flag's characteristic V-shape, which converges into a single horizontal green band, symbolises the coming together and joining of the various different groups within South African society, and the act of moving ahead together in unity. Though the flag's colours do not officially symbolise anything in particular, the presence of red, white, and blue is generally taken to represent the nation's Dutch influence, while the black, green, and gold elements mirror the colours of the ANC. Number thirty-seven. When it was first adopted in 1994, South Africa's flag was the first flag without extra elements, like a seal, to incorporate six colours. Number thirty-eight. The World Bank classifies South Africa as an upper-middle-income economy, and its economy is the second-largest in Africa, behind only Nigeria. Number thirty-nine. South Africa is part of BRICS. No, not those BRICS as an acronym, referring to an association of the top five main emerging world economies, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. BRICS represents roughly 42% of the world's population, or about 3.1 billion people, which is a large amount of people. Fact. Number forty. However, poverty and inequality remain widespread throughout South Africa, with about a quarter of the population unemployed and living on less than US$1.25 a day. Indeed, in 2019, South Africa had the world's highest level of income inequality, according to the World Bank. Number forty-one. South Africa is the only nation in history to have built and then dismantled its nuclear weapons program in the name of world peace. Good job, South Africa. Shame people didn't follow suit. The Meaning of Life South Africa is also a leader throughout the continent, and indeed the entire planet, as in 2006, it became the first African country and the fifth country in the world to recognize same-sex marriage. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was outlawed in 1996, gay people were allowed to serve openly in the military since 1998, and same-sex couples can adopt children and have equal access to IVF and surrogacy. In contrast, homosexuality remains illegal in most other African nations, and even carries the death penalty in some areas. Number forty-three. South Africa is notably the southernmost country in the mainland of the Old World, which is a term used conventionally in world history and archaeology to refer to Europe, Asia, and Africa. Basically everywhere except for the Americas, Australasia, and the various islands that sit in the Pacific Ocean. Specifically, the most southern mainland point in the country is Cape Agulhas, located around 109 miles southeast of Cape Town. As a result, it's also the southernmost point of the entire African continent. Pretty spesh. Number forty-four. However, the southernmost point of any part of South Africa is Cape Hooker. The southernmost point of Marine Island, the largest of South Africa's two Prince Edward Islands. Located in the southern Indian Ocean, Marine Island is South Africa's only sub-antarctic territory. And owing to it being a tiny island in the middle of nowhere, it's today a conservation area with no permanent human population. Number forty-five. The highest point in South Africa is atop Mafadi, one of Southern Africa's tallest mountains. Mafadi sits on Lesotho's eastern border, at a whopping 11,320 feet tall. Number forty-six. However, arguably the most famous South African peak is Table Mountain, one of the country's most iconic landmarks owing to its stunning three-kilometer-wide level plateau. Table Mountain is also home to more than 2,200 species of plants, most of which are endemic. Number forty-seven. South Africa is home to Dugala Falls, a beautiful cascade of water that's generally accepted to be the second-highest waterfall in the world, behind only Angel Falls in Venezuela. However, there are some who believe that more accurate measurements and their definitions of the term waterfall would actually make Dugala Falls higher than Angel Falls. But we'll leave that argument to respected scientists and Reddit blowhards. Number forty-eight. In addition to very high waterfalls, South Africa also boasts Reddafort Crater, the world's largest verified impact crater. Pummeled into existence well over two billion years ago by a giant chunk of asteroid, which by the way was thought to be up to 15 kilometers across, the crater in South Africa's Free State measured up to 300 kilometers in diameter. Also known as absolutely bloody massive. Number forty-nine. South Africa boasts a wide variety of landscapes that other countries could never. You hear me? Other countries could never, darling. South Africa has deserts, wetlands, grasslands, bush, subtropical forests, mountains, and escarpments. Here in the UK, we have hills. Some very nice hills, sure, but no deserts or rainforests. Number fifty. The national flower of South Africa is the King Protea, also known as the Giant Protea, Honeypot, or King Sugarbush, which is also my nickname in certain areas of London. Whatever name it goes by, this delightful flower is widely distributed in the southwestern and southern parts of the country, and is so hashtag iconic within South Africa that the national cricket team nicknamed the Proteas. Number fifty-one. South Africa has a population of over 58 million people, which makes it the world's 24th most populous nation. Not the most stunning fact, but hey, they're not all gold. Some of them are more bronze, or, I don't know, zinc tin? Whatever. 58 million people in South Africa. Let's move on. Number fifty-two. About 80% of South Africans are ethnically black Africans, mostly of Bantu ancestry, divided amongst a variety of different ethnic groups, such as the Zulu and Xhosa people. The remaining non-Bantu black people are South Africa's aboriginal people, the Khoi and the San, collectively known as the Khoisan. Number fifty-two. Of the remaining population, nearly 8% are white South Africans, and roughly 9% are of mixed ethnic ancestry, often grouped into a category known as colored, which I hasten to remind you is a word that hasn't really been okay to say here in the UK for about three decades. Another 2% are ethnically Indian. Number fifty-four. It's worth pointing out that these populations of ethnically European, Asian, and multiracial people are the largest such communities in the entirety of Africa. Number fifty-five. Owing to its status as a multi-ethnic society with a broad variety of cultures, languages, and religions, South Africa has not one, not two, but eleven official languages. The most widely spoken of these is Zulu, followed by Xhosa, with the other nine being Afrikaans, Ndubbele, Suto, Northern Suto, Swazi, Songha, Tswana, Wenda, and South African English. The vast majority of South Africans speak more than one language, because they're right clever glogs who like to show off. Number fifty-six. Two of these languages are of European origin. The first, Afrikaans, developed from the Dutch language spoken by the Dutch people who colonized the region a few hundred years ago, is the first language of most of South African white people. The second European language, English, reflects the country's legacy of British colonialism, and despite its frequent use in public and commercial life, is used at home by only 10% of the South African population. Number fifty-seven. Owing to the diverse mix of ethnicities, cultures, and languages, South Africa is often referred to as the Rainbow Nation. Number fifty-eight. Roughly 80% of South Africans identify as Christian, the vast majority of which are members of the various Protestant denominations. The remaining 20% is made up of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, other religions, and filthy heathens who don't have a religion. Number fifty-nine. According to estimates from the US government, the population of South Africa is significantly younger than many Western nations. The median age of a person in South Africa is 27, compared to 38 in the US, 40 in the UK, and 47 in both Germany and Japan. Number sixty. Sadly, South Africa continues to struggle with its HIV-AIDS epidemic. As little under 8 million people in the country are HIV-positive, more than any other nation on Earth. Even more depressingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, rates of HIV and AIDS infections divide along racial lines. In 2008, a study found that 13.6% of black South Africans were HIV-positive, compared to only 0.3% of white South Africans. Number sixty-one. As the wonderfully rich and culturally significant nation it is, South Africa has a total of 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These include places we've already mentioned, like the Cradle of Humankind and the Vredevoort Crater in Free State, as well as a number of other fascinating sites like the Babaton, Makondwa Mountains in the eastern province of Mpumalanga, and Robben Island, home to a now-closed prison where Nelson Mandela, as well as various other political dissidents, were imprisoned during the era of apartheid. Number sixty-two. South Africa is extremely rich in valuable minerals. And you know what they say, a platinum in the hand is worth two platinums in… okay, I'm gonna level with you. I literally don't know enough about platinum, except, you know, the vintage PlayStation games, to continue this fact. So let's just move along, come now. Number sixty-three. In addition to all that shiny and presumably very useful platinum, South Africa is also one of the world's top producers of everyone's favourite yellowish metal, gold. Having been the world's top gold-producing nation by far throughout the late 60s and early 70s, South Africa's gold output has since suffered a sharp decline. And by the end of the 2010s, the country had dropped down several places in these gold rankings, with China emerging as the world's golden boy of gold. Nintendo sixty-four. Still, no nation, not even China, has even come close to ever-matching South Africa's prodigious gold harvest during its peak production. In 1970, South African mines were responsible for producing 70% of the global total of gold. And no one can ever take that away from South Africa, you remember that. Until they produce more gold. But until then, you remember it. Number sixty-five. South Africa is also a great place to find a girl's best friend. No, not Jessica, your loyal BFF of several years, with whom you've shared many treasured memories. I'm talking about diamonds, baby. The world's leading diamond company, De Beers, was set up in Kimberley, South Africa, by the very racist English colonizer, Cecil Rhodes, in 1881. And today, the company operates all over the world and sells more than a third of the world's rough diamonds. Today, South Africa remains one of the top ten diamond-producing countries on Earth. Number sixty-six. In fact, the old SA takes credit for producing the world's largest known diamond, which was discovered in 1905 at the premier mine in Pretoria. Named the Sir Thomas Cullinan Diamond, after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine in which it was found, the large chunk of neatly arranged carbon atoms weighed in at 3,106.75 carats and was roughly the size of a medium-sized apple. Number sixty-seven. The rough diamond was eventually gifted to King Edward VII as a token of the loyalty and attachment of the people of Transvaal to his throne and person. And sent from South Africa to England. Owing to its immense value, the diamond was ceremonially locked in the captain's safe and heavily guarded for the entire journey. Except it wasn't, because it was a decoy. And the real stone was literally just sent via post in a plain unremarkable box. Now that's some serious sneak right there. Number sixty-eight. The rough Cullinan Diamond was eventually cut into nine large, important stones. And ninety-six other far smaller ones. The two of these, known as the Great Star of Africa and the Second Star of Africa, or less ceremoniously known as Cullinan I and II, are today set in the British Crown Jewels. The 530.2-carat Great Star of Africa is set at the top of the Sovereign's Scepter with the Cross, and to this day remains the largest clear-cut diamond in the world. The 317.4-carat Second Star of Africa is set at the front of the Imperial State Crown, the Queen's go-to crown for things like opening parliament and whatnot. Number sixty-nine. Oh yeah. The iconic South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and president, Nelson Mandela, is known by several different names in South Africa. At birth, he was named Holy Halalha, but was given the name Nelson on his first day of school because it was often easier for the English colonials to rename native black children than to learn how to correctly pronounce their real names. That's rich coming from me, who mispronounces everything, but still. Number seventeen. When Mandela was sixteen, he was given the name of Darabunga after going through the traditional Xhosa rite of passage into manhood. And in later years, South Africans commonly referred to him as Madiba, which is the name of the Tembu clan to which he belongs. Or simply Tata Okulu, which are the Xhosa words for father and grandfather. Number seventy-one. One of South Africa's most celebrated beverages is rooibos tea. Though viewers in Great Britain may know it as red bush tea, it sounds like a nasty infection, but it's the literal translation of rooibos from Afrikaans. Rooibos tea is made from the rooibos plant, also known as Aspalithus linaris, which is endemic to a small part of the western coast of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As such, rooibos tea is actually not a true tea at all, as it doesn't even come from the tea plant, though the rooibos tea is prepared and consumed like tea. Incidentally, rooibos tea is naturally caffeine-free, so feel free to drink it into the wee hours if you see fit. Number seventy-two. Cream soda, the most popular soft drink generally flavoured with vanilla, has a different colour and flavour for almost every country. In South Africa, cream soda has a rosy floral taste, is green in colour, and is also widely known as green ambulance or creme sober, based on the dubious belief it's believed to alleviate the symptoms of a hangover. Number seventy-three. The national animal of South Africa is the adorable springbok, which happens to be the southern African gazelle. The springbok is so loved in South Africa that not only is it the national animal, it's also the emblem and nickname of the South African national rugby team. Number seventy-four. South Africa is also notable in that it's home to many of the largest, tallest, and fastest animals on Earth. In South Africa, one can find elephants, the largest land mammal, whale sharks, the largest fish, ostriches, the largest birds, giraffes, the tallest animal, and cheetahs, the fastest land mammal. It's a nation of snooty, overachieving animals who are the best in know it. Number seventy-five. The animal madness continues with South Africa's sardine run, in which millions of sardines travel in vast, shimmering shoals from the cold waters off South Africa's coast near Cape Point, up to the coastlines of the northern eastern Cape and southern Kizulu-Natal. The phenomenon, which occurs between May and July, sees the formation of 40-metre-deep shoals that stretch up to 15 kilometres in length and 3.5 kilometres in width. It's so big, they can even be seen from space. Number seventy-six. Speaking of animals, the Boulders Beach in Cape Town is home to some pretty odd ones, which leads to a lot of tourists there. Which ones are here you ask? Why, the African penguin. They were said to have settled there in 1982, which is pretty recently when you think about it. And it's said there's thought to be about 2,000 to 3,000 of the flappy chaps living there. Number seventy-seven. Speaking again of animals, well, kind of. Dinosaurs. Specifically, if you want old, dead versions of dinosaurs, otherwise known as fossils. The Karoo region, located in the Western Cape, is like a Willy Wonka chocolate factory for dino bones. Specifically, in a group of rocks known as the Karoo Supergroup. Number seventy-eight. South Africa has an accolade that it only shares with the UK. Wanna guess? Nope, nothing to do with tea and I find that frankly offensive. No, they're the only two countries that have hosted the World Cups of Football, Cricket and Rugby in 2010, 2003 and 1995 respectively. Number seventy-nine. However, an accolade South Africa does have all on its own is the world's largest bicycle race. Yeah, seriously, if only Mercury would've had a field day. Thirty-five thousand races take place in the Cape Town Cycle Tour every year, which takes place across 68 miles over a huge mountainous road known as Chapman's Peak Drive. Number eighty. Another world first happened in South Africa too, the first ever successful heart transplant. On the 3rd of December 1967, Dr. Christian Bernard successfully carried out the operation. We owe South Africa a lot in terms of the field of medicine as it happens, as the CAT scan was developed by a South African physicist called Alan Cormack, alongside his British colleague Godfrey Hamsfield. Cheers, gang. Number eighty-one. Speaking of cargo, oh come on, taking one heart and putting it inside someone else, that's kind of cargo, right? The Durban Harbour in South Africa is absolutely massive, impressively so. There are more than 58 births there, though not of children, of ships. Good job too, because over 30 million tons of cargo is shifted each year, apparently responsible for around 60% of imports and exports in the country. Number eighty-two. The Comrades Marathon also happens annually between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, over 55 whole miles. The 20,000 sore-leggy people have 12 hours to complete the race in the middle of June. It's the biggest and oldest one-day marathon in the world too, so stick that in your pipe. Number eighty-three. Remember earlier when I said we owe South Africa a lot for medical marvels? Turns out the same is true for, uh, swimming pool hygiene. Ferdinand Chauvier invented the swimming pool vacuum cleaner called the Creepy Crawly in 1974. Thanks, man, if I ever own a pool, I have you to thank for it being- oh, who am I kidding? I'll be lucky if I own a house. Hashtag millennial. Number eighty-four. God, do you love trains? I do. Well, okay, no, I like them. I don't love them, I'm some kind of anorak nerd. Well, South Africa is home to one of the nicest locomotives around, the Rovos trains. These wood-panelled beauties can have 72 passengers and have suites that can occupy half a carriage, with full-size bathrooms and a double bed. They look far nicer than the stock image bits we've been using, let me tell you. Number eighty-five. South Africa also boasts the Palace of the Lost City, which is not a rip-off of Indiana Jones' film, but the biggest themed resort hotel in the world. It can be found in Sand City, surrounded by its 25-hectare man-made jungle with nearly 2 million plants and trees. Number eighty-six. God, look at this Hummer H3. Do you live outside America and want to help get one built? Well, too bad. They're not made anywhere except in the US. Or South Africa. Yeah, there's a plot twist. Number eighty-seven. Villacazzi Street in Soweto is a big deal, and probably has incredibly high house prices too. Why? Well, two Nobel Peace Prize winners have lived there, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Number eighty-eight. Grace and Michelle is the first, and so far as we can tell, only woman who has been the first lady of two separate countries at two different times. Mozambique and South Africa. Number eighty-nine. In South Africa, cows mean business. So much so that there's even an Android app for it. Well, kind of. It has a more specific purpose. Lobola is able to calculate, based on a number of factors, how many live cows you must give to your future wife's family as a dowry. There really is an app for everything. Now, how many cows must I rustle for Jennifer? Oh, that's about three too many. Number ninety. In Mojeje's Gluf, there is a huge tree. The biggest of its kind, in fact. Known as the Sunland Big Boabab Tree. It's 6,000 years old, and so the people who own the land around it decided to do the right thing. Turn the inside of it into a bar. It looks pretty small, but it can accommodate 15 people, apparently. Better pint there is cheaper than in London. Number ninety-one. Remember way back ages in this video when we were talking about some tools that were found in a cave? Well, some modern-day sand people from South Africa still use those same tools to craft and hunt. That's right, those same tools. The 44,000-year-old tools. Number ninety-two. In 1986, in the Scottish city of Glasgow, the street within which the South African consulate was placed was renamed from St. George's Place to Nelson Mandela Place. This was done during apartheid, and was done so that officials would always have to see its name and be reminded of their political prisoner. Mandela thanked the city years later. Number ninety-three. The effects of apartheid and segregation are still being felt in South Africa to this day. For instance, white people own 72% of the country's arable farmland. That's despite the fact that they are only about 8% of the population. Number ninety-four. It's worth noting, by the way, that the CIA played a part in jailing Mandela for 27 years. They were the ones that told the South African government his location, leading directly to his imprisonment. This, in fact, only came to light just a few years ago, in 2016. Number ninety-five. Speaking of apartheid, there were different rules for people who weren't white or black. For example, people from the Philippines were classified as black, but the Chinese were considered non-white. For political reasons, Japanese, Taiwanese, and Koreans were dubbed honorary whites. Why couldn't they have just all been dubbed human, eh? Number ninety-six. Perhaps most horrifically, the apartheid government had a project called Project Coast, spearheaded by an absolute bell named Wouter Besson, nicknamed Dr. Death. The aim of this project was to develop a bacteria which would kill black people, as well as vaccines which would render black women infertile. Number ninety-seven. Okay, imagine you're in modern-day South Africa. Looks lovely, right? And hey, now you've found a meteorite. That meteorite is now yours, right? Nope. Sadly, no finders keepers for you. Anything like this must be handed over to the authorities due to the National Heritage Law. Sorry. Number ninety-eight. Hey, meat lovers, just so you're aware, if you go to South Africa, barbecues are called the braai. They will put anything and everything on this damn braai, too. Over an actual fire and everything. Oh, I'm hungry now. Number ninety-nine. In response to the severe rates of violent crime in South Africa towards the end of the 20th century, in 1998, a South African inventor by the name of Charles Fori devised an ingenious method of preventing carjackings which he dubbed the blaster. His invention worked by equipping the underside of a vehicle with literal flamethrowers, which threatened motorists could activate at the flip of a switch to direct huge blooms of flames at the potential carjackers. Though controversial, the blaster was staggeringly never banned, and a small number of cars in South Africa are still driving around completely legally with complete actual mother-chuffing flamethrowers. That's hardcore South Africa, damn. Number one-hundred. We can't talk about SA without mentioning Sixto Rodriguez. Now, he's actually from the US and was a musician in the 1970s with very little success. So much so he quit and became a demolition worker. But little did he know, he was extremely popular in South Africa, eventually doing some tours there. This was the focus of the award-winning documentary film Searching for Sugarman. Number 101. There are absolutely loads of shipwrecks off the coast of South Africa. Like, a lot. It's estimated to be between 2,000 to 3,000 shipwrecks along the coastline. But they cannot be touched as they are protected by law. So no hidden treasure for you, I'm afraid. So that there was 101 facts about South Africa. What a ride it was. But is there anything I missed out? And what would you like to see from 101 facts in the future? Let me know in the comments down below. Be sure to give this video a like and subscribe to 101 facts if you haven't done so already. Because my golly gosh, we have a smorgasbord of stuff coming up for you in 2020. It's gonna be... it's gonna be a year. In the meantime, hey, look, two videos served up on a platter for you, my friend. Why not pick one then tuck in like you're at a banquet and I'll see you there.