FUN FACTS
South Africa has how many provinces?
9
This popular South African music genre includes artists such as Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa.
Amapiano
In what year did South Africa hold its first democratic election?
1994
Which famous flat-topped mountain overlooks Cape Town?
Table Mountain
What South African word means “good” or “nice”?
Lekker
What currency is used in South Africa?
The Rand (R)
Which South African singer is known as the “Queen of African Pop” and sang Pata Pata?
Miriam Makeba
Who became South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994?
Nelson Mandela
Which national park is famous for safaris and the Big Five?
Kruger National Park
What traditional outdoor South African meal involves cooking meat over an open fire?
Braai
South Africans often call traffic lights by this unusual name.
Robots
This South African group became internationally famous for its powerful isicathamiya singing.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
What system of racial segregation officially governed South Africa for much of the 20th century?
Apartheid
In which city would you find the V&A Waterfront?
Cape Town
What nickname is often used to describe South Africa's cultural diversity?
The Rainbow Nation
South Africa has three capital cities. Name one.
Pretoria, Cape Town or Bloemfontein
Which South African music genre became especially popular in the townships during the 1990s?
Kwaito
In what year was the first European settlement at the Cape established by the Dutch East India Company?
1652
What famous township near Johannesburg is associated with important anti-apartheid history?
Soweto
What does “now-now” usually mean in South African English?
Soon, but not necessarily immediately!
South Africa has this many official languages, including South African Sign Language.
12
Which South African singer became famous internationally with the song Weekend Special?
Brenda Fassie
What island prison became internationally famous for holding political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela?
Robben Island
What South African region is famous for the fossil discoveries that gave it the nickname Cradle of Humankind?
Gauteng / the Cradle of Humankind
Name the five animals known as South Africa's famous “Big Five.”
Lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhinoceros