Photo: Images24, Die Burger, Joanne Cavanagh

There are many things that make our country special. We might not have a crazy Disney World or any other frivolous over the top creations, but keep your eyes open and you might just find something incredible and strange

If your Jozi trip takes you somewhere in Soweto, drive past the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital. Not for a check up, but because at 70 square kilometres it has 3 200 beds and close to 7 000 staff members, making it the largest hospital in the entire world.

While out and about, reduce your carbon footprint by buying less bottled water. Drink the tap water; we are one of only 12 countries in the world with safe tap water. And while we're at it, our tap water is rated third best in the world.

A trip down the old Gold Reef City mines is not just for primary school kids. Try it; our mines are deeper than any other country in the world. The deepest being the Western Deep Mine at 3 500m deep.

 

 

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The world economy might not be doing well currently but you can still admire certain aspects of infrastructures, especially after reading this guide to appreciating architecture. Then while in Jozi, check out the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, it's ranked 10th largest in the world.

Go to the Durban port, it’s the ninth largest in the world.

We have the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere (the third largest in the world). Find the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) in the unassuming little town of Sutherland.

Take an educational tour to the Sasolburg chemical plant while you're in that part of the country. Sasol is the only company in the world that produces commercially proven oil from coal operations in the world. Their gas to liquids is actively sought out worldwide, especially now that alternative energy supplies are most needed.

Go back to school. Not really but you can if you want to and still stay at home, thanks to the University of South Africa. UNISA is the largest correspondence university in the world. It has more than 250 000 students studying from all over the world.

Take a large group of friends and take a tour of the South African Breweries, they offer you beer when you’re done. But more than that, it’s the second largest brewing company in the world. And just for kicks they supply about 50% of China's beer.

At this point anyone who calls themselves South African knows about the vast size of the Kruger National Park. It's the same size as Wales or the American state of Massachusetts and is the eighth biggest reserve in the world.

So Japan has a man-made indoor beach, big deal. We have the largest thermal resort in the world which also turns out to be the largest building project undertaken in the southern hemisphere, the Lost City.

We have the big five, but better than that we have more kinds of mammals than North and South America put together. Slicing it another way, that's more than Europe and Asia together. Snap!

Our third oldest town, Paarl is also home to the largest wine cellar in the world, KWV.

When it comes to watching whales on land, we have the best spot in the whole world. And you've probably been there, it's Hermanus.

There are many other things that make us unique. Share what you know with us and be proudly South African.



 

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