Hello friends! Are you ready for more fun? I hope you are because today we will visit the beautiful country of South Africa!
If you want to learn more about South Africa don’t forget to download our activity package:
Click here to download our South Africa learning guide
Click here to download our South Africa flashcards
Click here to download our South Africa coloring pages
Click here to download our South Africa handwriting sheets
Interesting facts about South Africa
By the way, did you know that South Africa looks like a rhino’s head? That’s right, and this fun coincidence it’s even more interesting when you consider that the majority of rhinos live in Africa. That’s crazy!
As its name makes it clear, South Africa is located in the African continent and it’s surrounded by Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe to the north, Mozambique and Eswatini to the east, the South Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Indian Ocean to the South.
Also, South Africa completely surrounds the country of Lesotho. That’s right, there’s an entire country within South Africa, these kinds of countries are called “enclaved countries.”
The South African flag
Now, let’s take a look at South Africa’s flag! The flag has two horizontal bands of red and blue, separated by a horizontal green letter “Y”, which embraces a black triangle. It also has white and yellow stripes. It’s a very colorful flag, don’t you think?
These colors were taken from the flag of the South African Republic and the flag of the African National Congress.
South African Language
But what about the language? Well, check this out, South Africa has 11 official languages! Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venḓa, Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans, and English.
Let’s learn some words from one of the most popular languages, Afrikaans.
To say “good morning,” we say “Goeie môre” and to say “goodbye,” we say “Totsiens” or “ta-ta!”
To say “Thank you,” we say “Dankie” and “Asseblief” to say “please.” You can also say “Versoning”, “Verskoon my” and “Ekskuus” to say “excuse me”.
Don’t forget to say “aangename kennis” when meeting someone!
Now let’s count together!
Een (1)
Twee (2)
Drie (3)
Vier (4)
Vyf (5)
South African cities and places to visit
Ok, now let’s take a look at South Africa’s landscapes and places.
Did you know that South Africa has three capital cities? Yes, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, and Pretoria. If you like to know more about Cape Town, don’t miss our next blog!
There are more cities in South Africa, like Soweto, Durban, and the biggest one, Johannesburg.
But I know what you’re thinking “what about nature?” South Africa is definitely known for its natural landscapes, like the Lisbon Falls in Mpumalanga!
With towering 308 feet, these are the highest falls in Mpumalanga and you can find it on the Panorama Route just north of Graskop.
Another great example of natural beauty is the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal. This 15-mile-long gorge is surrounded by tall sandstone cliffs. It’s perfect for some hiking and birding watching don’t you think?
But if you looking for something a little bit more relaxing, you can visit the Dolphin Coast in KwaZulu-Natal. This beautiful coast starts at the Tongaat River and ends in Zinkwazi Beach and includes popular holiday towns like Ballito, Umdloti, and Salt Rock. And in case you’re wondering, yes, you can see some dolphins here!
Animals in South Africa
But we can’t talk about South Africa’s nature without mentioning the animals, can we? And what better way to start than talking about a group of animals that probably you already know? The Big Five!
Do you remember which animals form the big five? Don’t worry, I’ll tell you. These are the elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion, and rhino.
Other popular animals in South Africa are the baboon, Hippopotamus, Chameleon, and Springbok, which is the national animal of South Africa. And in the oceans around the country, you can find whales and sharks, especially, the great white shark which sometimes can grow up to 23 ft in length, almost half the length of a basketball court!
By the way, did you know there are also penguins in South Africa? Yes, I’m not joking, there are three penguin colonies in South Africa! One of the penguin sites is Boulders Beach near Cape Town, where you can even swim with penguins. That’s awesome!
Sports played in South Africa
Now, that we saw some of the South African animals, let’s talk about something a bit more dynamic. Sports!
The most popular sports in South Africa are rugby, cricket, and especially soccer. Known in South Africa as football, soccer it’s so popular and the players are so good, that there’s no wonder why some of them have left to play for international clubs like Aaron Mokoena, Delron Buckley, and Benni McCarthy. South Africa also hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Nice!
Some other very talented athletes from South Africa are the golfer Gary Player, the cricket player Kepler Wessels, and the runner Zola Budd.
Delicious South African cuisine
Talking about sports got me hungry! What do you say if we take a look at South African cuisine?
The Bobotie is a great example of South African food, and although some people think the original recipe is actually from the Netherlands, there’s no doubt Africans love it. This delicious dish is prepared with minced meat spiced with medium heat curry, turmeric, garlic, lemon zest, onions, herbs, salt, and pepper then topped with an egg and milk mixture and placed back into the oven to set.
Also very popular in the country are Biltong and Droëwors, which are very similar to jerky; Potjiekos, a tasty stew with meat and vegetables; and the Melktert or milk tart, a delicious dessert made with a sweet pastry crust and a filling like a very light cheesecake. It looks and tastes just like milk!
South African Traditions and customs
Now that we are full of energy for all that delicious food, let’s talk about South African traditions and culture! As I mentioned before there are 11 official languages in South Africa, which means there are a lot of different cultures and traditions in South Africa.
One of these traditions is the Zulu dance! Most Zulu dances take place during ceremonies and special occasions, and both men and women require to wear special attire.
Unmarried and young men dance, in separate groups, and occasionally the married women and men break in and join the festivities! Married women utter a quavering shrill known as ukukikiza. While the young women dance, the young men clap and play the drum!
And speaking of dances, we can’t forget the Indlamu dance, the isicathamiya, Sokkie, and the royal red dance!
More interesting facts about South Africa
Now, before we finish our adventure, here’s another interesting fact about South Africa: Did you know that the first-ever heart transplant was made in Cape Town, South Africa?
Yes! In case you didn’t know, sometimes when people’s hearts get really sick and can’t be cured with medicine, they need to change it for a healthier one. Nowadays this happens all the time, but back in 1967, 53-year-old Louis Washkansky was the very first person to have a heart transplant!
This happened at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town and the surgeon was Dr. Christiaan Barnard.
And those are just a few fun facts about South Africa. If you want to visit this awesome country, the best time of the year to visit it is between May and October, which brings perfect weather conditions to admire the beautiful wildlife.
Also, keep in mind that the total flight duration from the United States to South Africa is 18 hours, and from Europe is 11 hours. So make sure to bring something fun like a toy or a book to not get bored, and a pillow to have some well-deserved sleep.
Totsiens vriende!
That’s Afrikaans for “Ciao friends!”
