...that Dr. Christiaan Barnard, at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, performed the first human heart transplant in the world in 1967 ?
Here are a few more little-known facts about South Africa.
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South Africa's flag first flew on April 27, 1994 - the day of Nelson Mandela's inauguration as the country's first democratically elected president. The flag symbolizes unity and progress and it is the only six-coloured national flag in the world. |
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South Africa is home to the largest land mammal, the African Elephant; the tallest creature, the Giraffe; the fastest mammal, the Cheetah; the largest reptile, the Leatherback Turtle; the largest bird, the Ostrich; the heaviest flying bird, the Kori Bustard; and the largest fish, the Whale Shark. |
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Almost 40 percent of the gold mined on earth has come from South Africa. Scientists estimate that gold deposits there are 3 billion years old. |
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Due to the new Equity Bill in place in South Africa, Previously Disadvantaged Individuals (PDIs) and women are the first on the employment list. White males have taken a back seat when finding employment. |
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South African law dictates that when a woman has a baby she must take four months maternity leave and she will get paid one-third of her salary. Also, a position of equal standing is promised when she returns to work. |
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The colours in the South African flag sum up the country's flag history. The central design of the flag, beginning at the flagpost in a "V" form and flowing into a single horizontal band to the outer edge of the fly, can be interpreted as the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity. The theme of convergence and unity ties in with the motto "Unity is Strength" of the previous South African Coat of Arms. However, the colours or colour combinations all have different meanings for different people and therefore no universal symbolism should be attached to any of the colours. |
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South Africa is called 'The Rainbow Nation' because it has 11 official languages - with English being the most commonly spoken. |
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South Africa has the third-highest level of biodiversity in the world, and is the only country to contain an entire floral kingdom. |
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The only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, is in Soweto. They both have houses on Vilakazi Street, Orlando West. |
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A cave in Johannesburg is the site where the discovery of the three and a half million year old Australopithecus africanus was found. It was among the oldest human skeletons ever uncovered. |
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Success in South Africa is determined by a person’s title over income. It is also measured greatly on the type of car you drive. |
| For more information about life in South Africa, click here. | |
