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SOUTH AFRICA

South African facts & stats
- Percentage of endemic plant species on Table Mountain 70%
- South African red wine exports as a total of all natural wines exported globally 42%
- Percentage of the World's Platinum reserves found in South Africa 90%
- Percentage of the world's mammalian fossils found in the Karoo 80%
- South Africa's rail infrastructure as a percentage of Africa's total rail infrastructure 80%
- Percentage of global bird species found in South Africa 10%
World No.1
World's highest bungy jump
Bloukrans Bridge: 216 m
World's most luxurious train
Rovos Rail
World's oldest mathematical instrument
Lebombo bone: 35 000 BC
Invention of the CAT scan machine
Allan Cormack: 1979
World's most successful amnesty commission
Truth and Reconciliation Commission: 1995
World's longest wine route
Route 62: 850 km
World's first digital laser
Sandile Ngcobo – CSIR (2013)
World's first fully-encrypted ecommerce web server
Mark Shuttleworth: Thawte/VeriSign (1999)
World's first oil-from-coal refinery
Sasol: 1950
Birthplace of the Pinotage grape and wine
Abraham Izak Perold: 1925
First mine-resistant military vehicle
Casspir: 1979
World's first online payment system
Elon Musk: X.com/PayPal (1999 – 2001)
World's oldest bacterial microfossil
Northern Cape: 2.52 billion years
World's first heart transplant
Dr Chris Barnard – 3 Dec 1967
World's largest individually-timed cycling race
Cape Argus: 35 000+ cyclists
Invention of the Kreepy Krauley
Ferdinand Chauvier: 1974
Deepest Mine in the World
Mponeng Gold Mine
First country to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation
Constitution of SA: 2000
First Country to launch a prepay mobile network
Vodacom: 1996
Top 10 global rankings
Best countries in the world…
- Wealthiest Countries
- Highest Literacy Rate
- Best Tourism
- Highest Life Expectancy
- Lowest Unemployment Rate
- Lowest Population Density
- Highest Mobile Phone Access
- Top Access to Sanitation
- Highest Individual Income
- Happiest Countries
- Most Renewable Water
- Most Environmentally Conscious
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Country facts
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