South Africa is an intriguing place. It is one of the keystones in Africa’s history, home to human origins as well as some of the oldest archaeological and fossil sites on Earth.
Home to the world’s largest bird, tallest animal and fish species – plus one of its fastest land mammmals!
1. The world’s highest commercial bungee jump
Bloukrans Bridge Bungy Jump, situated along South Africa’s scenic Garden Route, boasts one of the world’s highest commercial bridge bungee jumps. Attracting thrill-seekers from around the globe, this thrilling experience offered by Face Adrenalin features various packages so that anyone can experience this thrilling adventure and provides spectacular views of gorge below while helping to overcome fear of heights.
Bloukrans Bridge stands out as an incredible sight and should be visited during any trip to this region, especially given its stunning surroundings. At 709 feet above sea level, its plummet is sure to awe and inspire any visitor – not to mention being featured in movies like Natural Born Killers, Twins, She’s Having A Baby Wild Hogs and Terminator Salvation!
Southern Africa is a sub-Saharan African region comprising South African Republic and other neighboring nations. Draining eastward towards Indian Ocean, this area hosts numerous large rivers such as Limpopo, Orange and Zambezi rivers – each having their own distinct identities within Southern Africa.
Prior to colonization, this region was home to indigenous peoples such as the San and Hottentots. Colonization brought with it Bantu-speaking communities such as Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho Tsonga Swazi Northern Ndebele Southern Ndebele Swazi Xhosa as well as some European settlers such as Afrikaners British Portuguese Indian South Africans etc.).
Southern Africa offers some of the best outdoor experiences available through adventure sports like skydiving and whitewater rafting, making these activities among its most beloved outdoor activities.
South Africa offers the perfect setting to experience new activities or push yourself. Its rich heritage, beautiful landscape, and diverse culture provide an idyllic setting for an exciting adventure. Furthermore, South Africans are famous for their warmth of hospitality; visitors are warmly received among its inhabitants; this can be seen through its quality golf courses that draw golf enthusiasts from across the globe to visit this destination.
2. The world’s oldest fossilised bones
Southern Africa, often referred to as Africa’s garden, boasts some of the oldest and most diverse fossils found anywhere on the globe. Sterkfontein Cave’s fossilized human ancestor fossils date back 3.4-3.6 million years – over one million years older than previously estimated – which has changed how researchers view human evolution.
The region is famous for its natural resources, particularly gold, platinum and diamonds. The Zambezi river runs from Angola through Zambia and Zimbabwe before reaching Mozambique’s coast at Mozambique on its journey towards Mozambique’s Indian Ocean coast. Furthermore, this region boasts abundant wildlife.
At one time, southern Africa was home to various peoples of various ethnicities and languages, and today South Africa with over 53 million inhabitants is predominantly Bantu speaking area populated by groups such as Xhosa, Zulu, Tsonga Swazi Northern Ndebele Sotho among many others. South Africa stands out among African countries by not being landlocked; instead it boasts an advanced urban economy.
Johannesburg is the largest city in this region and serves as its cultural, economic and industrial center. South Africa also enjoys an enviable wine production industry – producing over 175 brands locally! Additionally, some of the most significant mining operations can be found here as well.
South Africa’s history is defined by colonialism and apartheid. Beginning with wars between European powers in 1879, they eventually managed to defeat Zulu kingdom and create South Africa out of four colonies that existed previously – which instituted laws segregating whites from blacks – known as apartheid policies.
South Africa strives hard to protect its wildlife through national parks and private game reserves, creating a biodiversity hotspot and home to an abundance of bird species as well as elephants, lions, leopards, sharks and other fish – the latter group are especially plentiful during June’s annual Sardine Run along its eastern coastline which draws thousands of sharks and other fish species to this annual event.
3. The world’s largest meteor
Hoba meteorite, located near Hobart in Tasmania, is the world’s largest intact fragment of an asteroid. At 50 tons, it weighs twice as much as any of the Cape York meteorites in museums such as American Museum of Natural History or Argentina’s Campo del Cielo meteorite (31 tons). Discovered accidentally by a farmer plowing his field in 1920 after getting stuck, when something strange got into his path and struck something unusual; once discovered it became national monument visited annually by tourists from near and far – known as The Hoba Meteorite!
Scientists explain this is likely because objects of this size typically punch through Earth’s atmosphere at an extremely fast rate and blast craters when they hit its surface; no crater surrounds this meteorite suggests it might have collided more slowly and was more flattened out than round; like when dropping rocks on water pools.
Acraman was formed 580 million years ago by an impact from an enormous asteroid hitting Gondwana continent – existing before Africa split from Asia and Australia – during an estimated impact. It measures 85 to 90 kilometers across, measuring only 40 meters deep with complex topographies with multiple elevations and features. Furthermore, Acraman boasts the largest artificial lake in South Africa.
Southern Africa experiences a range of climate conditions from arid to semi-tropical. Landscape-wise, South Africa is dominated by four predominant types of vegetation: dry woodlands known as miombo forests in the north; semi-desert areas like Namib and Kalahari deserts feature savanna grassland with bushland; coastal regions possess arid scrub and bushland as well as coastal regions feature coastal regions where more land covers has reclaimed natural terrains that previously served as forests; Southern Africa is home to an abundance of wildlife, including many endangered species. The region’s minerals include gold and diamonds as well as reserves of coal, platinum, copper, chromium silver and iron ore. Furthermore, countries within Southern Africa exhibit many of the same demographic characteristics that are typical for Sub-Saharan Africa, with large family sizes, agrarian economies and multiple ethnic groups with an increasing rate of rural-to-urban migration.
4. The world’s largest cycle tour
Tour d’Afrique organizers tout their cycle tour as the “most grueling race on Earth.” Participants cover over 3,000 miles from Cairo to Cape Town while riding through desert tracks filled with sand, dust and corrugations that put stress on every muscle and tendon imaginable. Now into its second week, it has already shown its teeth. “The ride finds new parts of your body to aggravate,” notes one Cape Town competitor.
South Africa, located on the south-eastern corner of Africa, boasts 10 percent of all global animal, fish, plant, and mammal species. Due to its diverse topography and rich cultural history, South Africa has become an attractive tourist destination since apartheid (Afrikaans: “apartness,” or racial separation) was legally ended in 1994.
South Africans are people of diverse ancestry who speak two language families; Bantu speakers form the majority. Most residents live in rural areas or urban centers that are rapidly developing; major urban centers include Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban which serve as major industrial, commercial and transportation centers, while Durban sits along the Indian Ocean Coast serving as an important port city and center of commerce.
Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company founded Table Bay as part of their colony to facilitate trade with Asia. Europeans took advantage of its natural harbor to trade, until war in Europe forced British forces to seize Cape Colony from Dutch control in late 1700s; Britain later combined four colonies into South Africa and implemented apartheid policies which separated whites and black South Africans.
Southern Africa’s wealth is due in large part to its abundant mineral resources, which support vibrant mining industries. Primary exports in this area include diamonds, gold, platinum, copper, chromium cobalt and uranium while other imports include agricultural products manufactured goods and petroleum. Many Southern African nations boast robust mining sectors as well as well-developed secondary and tertiary sectors; their energy supplies and infrastructures have enabled these nations to achieve higher living standards than many in Africa.