South Africa is the world's largest producer of gold, platinum, chromium, vanadium, manganese and aluminum silicates.

Two South Africans have won Nobel Prizes in literature: Nadine Gordimer (1991) and J.M. Coetzee (2003).

Christian Barnard performed the world's first heart transplant in 1967 at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.

Actress Charlize Theron was born August 7, 1975 in Benoni, Johannesburg metropolitan area. At age 15, she watched her mother murder her father in self-defense.

South Africa has 3 capital cities: Pretoria (executive / administrative), Bloemfontein (judicial) and Cape Town (legislative).

An adult African elephant can weigh up to 7000 kg and can consume up to 400 kg of fresh forage and 200 liters of water a day.

There are 19 national parks in South Africa, all protected and managed by one entity: South African National Parks.

The largest hospital in the world is Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, near Johannesburg.

There are only 12 countries where piped water is considered 100% safe, and South Africa is the third best in the world in this ranking.

Despite occupying only 4% of African territory, South Africa has more than 50% of the continent's cars, telephones, ATMs and industries.

Graça Machel, Nelson Mandela's widow, have been the wife of two presidents from different countries. She was also married to Samora Machel, former president of Mozambique.

There is only one street in the world that housed two Nobel Peace Prize winners: Vilakazi Street in Soweto was once the address of Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu.