Newsletter - December 2007

South African Facts - Do you know where you live?

As the year is coming to an end, it is time to relas and what better way than to spend time discovering our beautiful country. Here are some facts about South Africa that you may find interesting.

• 900 of bird species are found in South Africa alone and this represents 10% of the worlds total bird species.
  
• Some of the longest stretches of unspoilt beach are found in SA…
  
• …not to mention some of the best global surf spots.
  
• The Springbok became South Africa's national rugby emblem in 1906, when the first South African rugby team to visit Britain went to the London Zoo. There they saw some Sprinbok pronking, and suggested they call themselves Springboks.
  
• Cosmos, the wild flower found along the roadside in late summer and early autumn, is native to Central America. It's thought to have come to South Africa in horse fodder during the Anglo-Boer War.
  
• Bloemfontein was the first town in South Africa to introduce parking meters, and the only city in the world to have a game park, Naval Hill, at its centre.
  
• The Vredefort Dome, a huge 16km-deep crater, is just north of Vredefort town. It is 42km in diameter, and scientists believe it was formed when a meteorite collided with the Earth. They think the meteorite was about 1,6 km in diameter, and traveling at around 16km a second.
  
• Mossel Bay is in the Guinness Book of records as having the second-most moderate climate in the world.
  
• Up until 1969, wearing a bikini on Durban's beaches would land you in jail.
  
• The South African Flag is the third most recognizable flag in the world.
  
• Painting white lines on roads, originated in South Africa. Adderley Street in Cape Town had lines painted as far back as 1922.
  
• South Africa has 750 types of Butterflies, while Britain has only 75.
  
  
• We are the first African Country to host the Soccer World Cup.
  
• Pratley Patty is a South African invention. The company's adhesives have been used in NASA space shuttles.
  
• South Africa has the biggest man made hole in the world - the Big Hole in Kimberly.
  
• South African is one of the 12 countries in the world where you can drink tap water.