10 fun facts I learnt in South Africa

A guest post by our daughter Olive (aged 9), written originally for a school presentation.

Here are her top 10 fun facts she learnt from our month-long trip to South Africa in September 2016.

10. A kudu only makes two footprints

The kudu only makes two footprints because when it lifts its front foot up the back foot comes and is put in its place. Only when it is standing still it leaves four footprints.

9. South Africa has 3 capitals

South Africa has three capital cities. We went to two of them, Johannesburg and Cape Town. The other is Bloemfontein. It is the only country in the world that has more than one capital city.

8. Birds can predict the weather

The yellow weaver bird builds its nest at the predicted flood line, and there is also a bird the Zulus call the rain bird, which if you hear its call it is guaranteed to rain in the next 24 hrs.

7. Baboons can open car doors

Luckily no baboons opened our car doors, but it would have been funny to see it. We watched some videos before we went with some baboons opening cars to get some food.

6. Zulu People Lived in Beehive Huts

We did a tour of a traditional Zulu village  – it was funny to see all the huts, they were all like beehives. The wives had a hut to themselves but the children had to share.

5. South Africa’s drinking water is rated 3rd safest in the world

It surprised me as mostly in Africa you hear they have dirty drinking water. The picture is not actually of water, it was the only drinking picture of me I could find, so it had to make do.

4. Zulus can have many wives  (at 11 cows each)

Zulu men can marry as many wives as they want, but they have to pay at least eleven cows each. In Australia, it is illegal to marry more than one wife, but in South Africa it is normal.

3. Oceans don’t meet at the Cape of Good Hope

At the Cape of Good Hope, many people think that the two oceans, Indian and the Atlantic, meet, but in fact, they actually meet at a point further along the coast called Cape Agulhas, the most southern point of the continent.

2. You can stand on ostrich eggs

You might not have thought you can stand on eggs, but that was before I learnt about ostrich eggs. An ostrich egg can hold the weight of my dad. He is much heavier than me.

1. These are close relatives

and …

The elephant and the rock hyrax (also known as the dassie) are each other’s closest living relatives. I was really surprised when I found this out because they look so different.

Now comes the most amazing  fact

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Drum roll!!!!!!!

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South Africa is located at the southern end of Africa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!