South Africa is more than just an attraction; it is one of the most exciting places to visit. Countless people follow this country because of the natural beauty, diverse culture, epic landmarks, rich history, exclusive wildlife, deserts, mountains, grasslands, world heritage sites and a lot more. Apart from that, South Africa is a country with advanced infrastructure, fine transportation system, strong media network and of course highly developed economy. It is one of the largest exporters of gold, platinum and resources.
There are 11 languages spoken in Africa including English. Zulu is the most commonly spoken language along with other languages including Afrikaans, Xhosa, Swati, Sesotho, Xitsonga, Sepedi, Ndebele, Setswana and Tshivenda. South Africa is the only country that has three capital cities. Cape Town is the Legislative Capital; Pretoria is the administrative Capital while Bloemfontein is the Judicial Capital.
South Africa is the only country where two Nobel Prize Winners lived on the same street of Vilakazi Street in Soweto. Both Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1984 Nobel prize winner) and Nelson Mandela (1993 prize winner) once lived on the same street. The interesting fact is that this street is named after Dr. B.W Vilakazi, a novelist who played a major role in developing the written form of isiZulu and siSwati languages.
EXCLUSIVE WILDLIFE:
South Africa is home to prime wildlife destinations and incredible safari adventures. All key safari animals can be explored just in a single country. Leopard, Lion, Rhino, Buffalo, Zebra, Penguins, Baboon, Cheetah, Hyena, Hippo, African Jacana, Giraffe, Ostrich and others.
Kruger National Park is considered as the largest wildlife National Park in South Africa with approximately 4.9 million acres with wildlife. Other famous parks are KwaZulu-Natal Park and Sabi Sand.
THE VALLEY OF DESOLATION:
The Valley of Desolation, surrounded by the town of Graaff-Reinet, is one of the world famous locations to visit. Breathtaking view at the height of 120 meters from the valley floor, provides an unusual and spectacular moment to witness.
You can capture the view of countless thrilling views and moving animals along with the flying black eagles in your camera.
DRAKENSBERG:
Drakensberg is a famous place for hiking along with other mountainous sports. Another interesting aspect about Drakensberg is that once it was a home to some of the ancient artists of the world. Their paintings are still one of the biggest attractions for the researchers, archeologists, tourists and photographers.
Last but not the least, the spectacular natural scenery of Drakensberg itself, has a magnetic attraction to pull the tourists into exploring nature, spending quality time at such a calm place and taking memorable pictures.
ROBBERG NATURE RESERVE:
Robberg Nature Reserve, listed as a World Heritage Site, is a protected coastal reserve situated 8km from Palttenberg Bay towards the south. From June to November, southern right whales can be viewed from the reserve.
The shoreline is considered as a home to countless Cape Fur Seals which is yet another attraction for the tourists.
Apart from that, seabirds like African Black Oystercatcher, Broad Billed Prion and Sub Antarctic Skua and Albatross also increase the beauty of this natural treasure. Tourists can explore all these beautiful birds and animals but remember one thing, visitors are not allowed to feed any of the birds or animals.
ACCORDING TO THE NATIVE MARTIE JANSE VAN RENSBURG FROM SOUTH AFRICA:
FAMOUS CUISINE IN SOUTH AFRICA:
KOEKSISTER:
Koeksister is a Famous traditional dessert in South African made of fried doughnut dough filled with sweet syrup or honey. Once you eat it, you cannot resist yourself to eat it again and again.
MILK TART:
Milk Tart is a famous South African dessert consisting of a sweet pastry crust containing a custard filling made from milk, flour, sugar and eggs. It is one of the must try sweet dish when you visit South Africa for the first time.
VETKOEK:
Vetkoek is also known as “Fat Cake” in Afrikaans. It is made with a yeast dough. which is filled with minced meat inside preferably beef but sometimes in rare cases people use vegetable fillings too.
BRAAI/ GRILL BARBECUE:
In South Africa, Braai is a famous dish. The word “Braai” is actually derived from the Afrikaans language which means “Barbecue” or “Grill.” There is a specialty about Braai is that braai isn’t considered as braai if it is not cooked on grill. Usually, people use lamb, chicken of beef for Braai.
NOTE: We are thankful to the following for the research work.
https://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsec/valley-of-desolation.htm
https://www.graaffreinet.co.za/listing/valley_of_desolation
https://www.southafrica.net/uk/en/travel/article/the-robberg-nature-reserve
https://www.africaventura.de/highlights/robberg-nature-reserve
https://www.sun.ac.za/english/entities/botanical-garden
https://www.getaway.co.za/destinations/the-valley-of-desolation-things-to-know-before-you-go/
https://www.expatica.com/za/moving/about/south-africa-facts-509589/
https://www.safaribookings.com/south-africa/wildlife
https://www.travelbag.co.uk/blog/south-africa/10-interesting-facts-about-south-africa
https://expatexplore.com/blog/interesting-facts-south-africa/
https://travelunicorns.com/robberg-nature-reserve-the-ultimate-south-african-ecotourism-destination/
https://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/broad-billed-prion
https://animalia.bio/southern-royal-albatross
https://animalia.bio/south-african-ostrich
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/world-giraffe-day-no-more-than-80000-giraffe-left-in-africa/
https://www.pangolinphoto.com/the-african-jacana
https://www.expertafrica.com/wildlife/spotted-hyena/south-africa
https://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_zebra.html
https://ashbaber.com/south-african-koeksisters/
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/food/recipes/best-recipe-quick-and-easy-vetkoek/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_leopard
https://www.discoverimages.com/robberg-nature-reserve-plettenberg-bay-14650426.html
Wow, Professor Nabil Rashid, after reading this article, I felt as if I was in South Africa and the presence of the Companions of the most respected people of the time in its forests is also proven by history.
Thanks for your kind comment Dr. Sahaab.
حضرت عقبہ بن نافع رضی اللہ عنہ نے افریقہ کے ایک جنگل میں شہر بسانا چاہا ؛ تاکہ وہاں مسلمانوں کا لشکر قیام کر سکے۔ چناںچہ اس کے لیے جس جگہ کا انتخاب کیا گیا ، وہاں ہزاروں قسم کے جانور اور خون خوار درندے بسے ہوئے تھے۔
حضرت عقبہ بن نافع رضی اللہ عنہ نے اللہ سے دعا کی پھر جنگل میں کھڑے ہو کر درندوں سے خطاب فرمایا :
’’ اے جنگل کے سانپو اور در ندو ! ہم محمد رسول اللہﷺ کے صحابہ ہیں اور یہاں رہنا چا ہتے ہیں ؛ لہٰذا تم یہاں سے کسی اور جنگل میں چلے جائو، اس کے بعد جو بھی ہم کو یہاں ملے گا، ہم اس کو قتل کردیں گے۔
‘‘یہ سن کر جنگل کے جانور اور درندے اپنے اپنے بچوں کو لے کر جنگل سے نکلنے لگے اور دوسری جگہ منتقل ہوگئے، مسلمانوں کی اس ایمانی قوت کے حیرت انگیز کرشمے نے لوگوں کو متحیر کر دیا اور بربر قوم کے بہت سے قبائل نے اس دن ایمان قبول کیا۔
(الکامل لابن الأثیر : ۳ ؍ ۳۲)
SubhanAllah
South Africa has its own exclusive geography, culture, world heritage sites and gifted animal Kingdom naturally.. Apart from that, they have worked hard for their progress and economic growth which makes their country most beautiful country on planet earth.
True. You summarized it in best way.