South Africa has been called the “rainbow nation” because of the country’s many different peoples, cultures, and religions.
The San are considered the oldest inhabitants of southern Africa. Evidence of these people exists in the ancient rock art found across South Africa.
The national anthem includes a song called "Nkosi Sekelel' iAfrika." The song was written by the school teacher, Enoch Mankayi Sontonga.
There are 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Africa. These are sites that have cultural or natural importance to the world.
Some of the world’s oldest fossilized dinosaur eggs have been uncovered in South Africa. The Massospondylus eggs are 195 million years old!
The South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first heart transplant in Cape Town in 1967.
The world’s largest diamond was mined in South Africa. It is called the Cullinan Diamond.
The country’s currency, the rand, is named after Witwatersrand. This is the ridge where gold was found in the 1880s.
South Africa has four Nobel Peace Prize recipients: Nelson Mandela, FW de Klerk, Desmond Tutu, and Alfred Luthuli.