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South Africa Quick Facts  QUICK FACTS - South Africa South Africa covers an area of 1.23 million square kilometres and had a population of over 44 million people. The terrain of South Africa is that of a vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plains. South African has 11 official languages with Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans being the most popular. English is ranked 5th most popular in the country. The nomadic San (also known as Bushmen) have possibly lived in Southern Africa since around 100,000 BC. No other African country has such a variety of game reserves, wilderness areas and parks as South Africa. Among the animals that can be found in the country are elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hippo and cheetahs, as well as ostriches, flamingoes and crocodiles. "Once you have found your first diamond, you will never give up looking". Digger proverb South Africa is famous for its diamonds. Diamonds are particles of carbon that have crystallized under high pressure and temperatures in the earth's mantle. Millions of years ago, magma (molten rock) burst through weak points in the earth's crust as volcanoes and it is in the pipe of cooled magma that diamonds are found. More Information >> South Africa Contents >> Quick Facts<< Introduction History Population Weather and Climate Environment and Physical Features Industry Links