1. With an area of 1.22 million km2, South Africa makes up 4% of the African continent (which is 30.37 million km2).
2. South Africa has a shoreline of 2 798 km (1 770 miles) that connects the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
3. The southernmost tip of Africa is Cape Agulhas, not the Cape of Good Hope as originally thought by seafarer Bartolomeu Dias. Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope) was later named The Most South-Western Point of The African Continent.
4. The country has 289 rivers, including the Orange (2 092 km) and Limpopo (1 800 km) rivers, 7th and 8th longest in Africa respectively.
5. There are 63 mountain ranges in South Africa, with the most famous being the Table Mountain group and the Drakensberg range.
6. There are some 20 000 plant species over 9 biomes which make up 10% of all plants found on earth, and 70% of the Cape Floral Kingdom's 9 600 plant species are found nowhere else on earth.
7. 850 recorded bird species, of which 725 are resident or annual visitors and 50 species are endemic to South Africa.
8. Comprising nearly a third of all of Africa's reptile species, and more than the USA, Europe & south-west Asia combined, South Africa has 400 reptile species.
9. Of the 299 mammal species occurring in South Africa, 3 are critically endangered (south-central black rhino, De Winton's golden mole & the riverine rabbit), 11 are endangered, 15 are vulnerable and 13 are near-threatened. The bluebuck, quagga and southern black rhino are extinct.
10. The sea fish species number 2 200, with well over 150 species of freshwater fish.
11. Approximately 100 000 insect species in South Africa.
12. South Africa is involved in 9 trans-frontier conservation areas (a protected area spanning the boundaries of more than one country) with its neighbours: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini (previously Swaziland), and Lesotho. Other protected areas include 19 National Parks, a Special Reserve (the Prince Edwards islands), 42 Marine Protected Areas, 10 World Heritage Sites, 16 Botanical Gardens and several other parks, reserves, and sites.
2. South Africa has a shoreline of 2 798 km (1 770 miles) that connects the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
3. The southernmost tip of Africa is Cape Agulhas, not the Cape of Good Hope as originally thought by seafarer Bartolomeu Dias. Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope) was later named The Most South-Western Point of The African Continent.
4. The country has 289 rivers, including the Orange (2 092 km) and Limpopo (1 800 km) rivers, 7th and 8th longest in Africa respectively.
5. There are 63 mountain ranges in South Africa, with the most famous being the Table Mountain group and the Drakensberg range.
6. There are some 20 000 plant species over 9 biomes which make up 10% of all plants found on earth, and 70% of the Cape Floral Kingdom's 9 600 plant species are found nowhere else on earth.
7. 850 recorded bird species, of which 725 are resident or annual visitors and 50 species are endemic to South Africa.
8. Comprising nearly a third of all of Africa's reptile species, and more than the USA, Europe & south-west Asia combined, South Africa has 400 reptile species.
9. Of the 299 mammal species occurring in South Africa, 3 are critically endangered (south-central black rhino, De Winton's golden mole & the riverine rabbit), 11 are endangered, 15 are vulnerable and 13 are near-threatened. The bluebuck, quagga and southern black rhino are extinct.
10. The sea fish species number 2 200, with well over 150 species of freshwater fish.
11. Approximately 100 000 insect species in South Africa.
12. South Africa is involved in 9 trans-frontier conservation areas (a protected area spanning the boundaries of more than one country) with its neighbours: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini (previously Swaziland), and Lesotho. Other protected areas include 19 National Parks, a Special Reserve (the Prince Edwards islands), 42 Marine Protected Areas, 10 World Heritage Sites, 16 Botanical Gardens and several other parks, reserves, and sites.
RSS Feed
