South Africa’s mega-diverse landscape There are only 17 countries in the world that are classed as mega-diverse in terms of its fauna, flora and the amount of species unique to that country. In this 2nd post in our series of what makes South Africa unique, we will be looking at our Geography. People in the region are generally clustered around the region’s sparse water resources reflecting ancient patterns of human settlement (see Figure 7.5 ). Africa's economic development has been affected by unfavorable economic geography (Venables, 2010). Much of Africa is not very economically useful. This paper provides a review of the state of the art of research produced by South Africa's small pool of economic geographers. South Africa is the world's biggest producer and exporter of mohair. Approximately 50 percent of the world's gold reserves are located in South Africa. South Africa is one of only 12 countries where tap water is safe to drink. Africa’s Nile River is the world’s longest river. Africa is a continent that is very rich in mineral resources. South Africa’s remoteness—it lies thousands of miles distant from major African cities such as Lagos and Cairo and more than 6,000 miles (10,000 km) away from most of Europe, North America, and eastern Asia, where its major trading partners are located—helped reinforce the official system of apartheid for a large part of the 20th century. The highest commercial bridge bungee jump in the world can be done in South Africa. ! However, even with these riches, it is a very poor continent, relatively speaking.

The world's biggest hospital is the Chris Hani - Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. In the heart of the Garden Route, the bridge is situated 216 metres above the Bloukrans river. It’s home to the highest bungi jump in the world at 710 feet.

South Africa is famous for its former president, Nelson Mandela, Kruger National Park and a variety of gem stones and minerals. WHAT MAKES SOUTH AFRICA UNIQUE? With so many incredible attributes, it is difficult to name only a few, but one of the most special to us we want to mention 1st is: Table Mountain has been officially inaugurated as one of the new 7 Wonders of the Natural World! Some of the major landforms in Africa include the Kaapvaal craton and Cape Floral in South Africa, Atlas Mountains, Ethiopian Highlands, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, Sahara Desert, Congo River Basin, Nile River System and the Great Rift Valley. Highest commercial bungee jump from a bridge . The climate and physical geography of North Africa and Southwest Asia have shaped population patterns and culture in the region. The shortest distance between Africa and Europe is only 8.9 miles (14.3 kilometers) of ocean. Its tap water is rated the third best worldwide. Ethiopia has the least consumption (42.3 kW/h). The country is also the third largest exporter of coal in the world, in addition to being one of the world's leading producers of diamonds. The focus is particularly on current debates and research in local economic geography which has been produced in the last decade (post-1990) covering the period of the post-apartheid transition and beyond.
13 Interesting Facts about South Africa . As of 2008, South Africa consumes the most electricity per person (4,759.5kW/h) in Africa.
South Africa's Kalahari Desert is part of a huge sand basin that reaches from the Orange River up to Angola, in the west to Namibia and east to Zimbabwe. With South Africa’s unique landscapes, it makes for a bungee jumping mecca for those who dare to take the plunge.