Facts For Kids

Tag: Nelson Mandela

  • South Africa Facts For Kids | The Rainbow Nation

    South Africa Facts For Kids | The Rainbow Nation

    South Africa is the 25th largest country in the world by area. It runs along the coastlines of Indian and Atlantic Oceans. The country is ranked as the 24th most populous country with the population of almost 53 million people. Most of the individuals are black Africans. It is the land of many different races and religion.

    South Africa’s flag represents many different colors; Gold stands for country’s wealth; White for peace; Blue for the sky; Green for crops and plants; black color for native African people, and finally Red stands for those who lost their lives in freedom fighting. Let’s talk about some more South Africa facts for kids.

    South Africa Facts For Kids

    Introduction

    • Name: Republic of South Africa
    • Official Language: Afrikaans, English
    • Capital City: Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Pretoria
    • Ranking: 25nd Largest Country by land
    • Nickname: Rainbow Nation
    • Motto: Unity in Diversity

    History

    1. South Africa has a very long history in fact it consists of the oldest human fossil sites in the world.
    2. Many years ago, Dutch people had moved in South Africa and they created a new language called ‘Afrikaans’.
    3. In 1924, the first hominin fossil was discovered near Taung. The fossil was known as Taung Child.
    4. Zulu and Xosa were the two chief ethnic groups that had traveled towards Africa.
    5. Bartolomeu Dias was the first Portuguese traveler who led the expedition to explore South Africa in 1487.
    6. Cape Town had become a British Colony in 1806.
    7. The diamond was discovered in 1867 and gold was found in 1884. The discovery of these elements led to the confrontation between indigenous people and the Europeans.
    8. South Africa initiated a program of the development of nuclear weapons in 1970s.
    9. Modern Humans have lived in South Africa some 170,000 years ago.

    Geography & Size

    1. The total land area of the South Africa is 1,221,037 sq. kilometers.
    2. It is ranked as the 25th largest country by area.
    3. The total population is 52,981,991 as of 2013.
    4. The South African currency is ‘Rand’.
    5. 80% of all South Africans are black Africans.
    6. The country has got the 28th largest economy in the world.
    7. About 25% of the total population is unemployed and earning less than $1.25 a day.
    8. With the population of over 12 million, Gauteng is the largest province of South Africa by population. However, it is the smallest province by land as it covers only 1.5% of the total area.
    9. Northern Cape is the smallest province with the population of more than 1 million.
    10. iBhayi is the smallest city of South Africa with the population of 237,799 only.
    11. The country takes most of the gold from its mines.
    12. The biggest hospital in the world is Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital and it is in Soweto, SA.
    13. The largest deposits of Gold, Platinum, and Manganese are in South Africa.

    People and Education

    1. The country has more than 5 million illegal immigrants out of which 3 million belongs to Zimbabwe.
    2. About 80% of the people are Christians.
    3. South Africa have 11 official languages out of which three most spoken languages are Zulu (22.7%), Afrikaans (13.5%), and Xhosa (16%).
    4. Cricket, Rugby, and Soccer are the most popular sports in South Africa.
    5. South Africa has 23 public universities.
    6. The literacy rate of adults is close 90% in South Africa.
    7. Almost one-fifth of South Africa’s economy is based on Mining.
    8. Thanks to the Mining industry in South Africa as it has employed 514,760 people.
    9. About 70% South Africans live in cities.

    Fauna and Flora

    1. Many different animals feel home in South Africa such as impalas, wildebeests, white rhinos, hyenas, hippopotami, and Giraffes.
    2. Riverine Rabbit is among the critically endangered species of South Africa.
    3. About 200,000 species of fungi are found as of 2006 estimate.
    4. South Africa is abundant in plants species as there are 20,000 different species of plants that makes up the 10% of all plants of the world.
    5. Only 1% of the total South Africa’s land is forest.

    Did You Know…? South Africa Facts For Kids

    1. Nelson Mandela was the first ever black president of the Republic of South Africa in 1991.
    2. Johannesburg is the largest city of South Africa.
    3. Gold and Diamond are the two elements that determine Africa’s economy.
    4. Sutherland is the coolest place of South Africa and it is located in the western Roggeveld Mountains. The temperature of Sutherland is -15o C.
    5. Upington is the hottest place with the temperature as high as 51.7o C. It is situated in the Northern Cape Kalahari.
    6. Nearly 50 murders take place each day in South Africa.
    7. The year of 2009 was the worst year in which 18,148 people were killed.
    8. The largest security industry in the world is South African’s Private Security Industry with over 400,000 security guards registered.
    9. In 1967 Christiaan Bernard performed a first human heart transplantation at Groote Schuur Hospital in South Africa.
    10. About two-third of Africa’s electricity comes from South Africa.
    11. Durban is the ninth largest port in the world. It is also the largest port of Africa.
    12. South Africa has 39 million cell phone users.
    13. The South African Power provides the fourth cheapest electricity in the world.
    14. The Congo Caves in Oudsthoorn are the longest underground caves in the world.
    15. The world’s deepest mines are Western Deep Levels. These are 3,777 meters deep.
    16. Vilakazi Street in the Orlando West, is the only street in the world to house two Noble Prize Winners; Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela used to live here.
    17. The fifth-best blue sky in the world is in Cape Town.
    18. South Africa is 12 times the size of Illinois (United States).
  • Nelson Mandela Facts For Kids | A Man with the Message

    Nelson Mandela Facts For Kids | A Man with the Message

    It’s a prestigious fact that we folks are honoured to share the same land with an angel disguised and a man who created a difference at the global level through his messages and teachings.  Late Nelson Mandela who was not only a leader at heart but also a teacher for a lifetime. Let’s peep into his memorable journey through these nelson mandela facts for kids to learn the true meaning of life from his stupendous guiding.

    Nelson Mandela Facts For Kids

    Childhood of Nelson Mandela

    Born on 18th July 1918, in the village of Cape Province of South Africa. His real name was Rolihlahla Mandela which meant “troublemaker” in the Xhosa language.

    He lost his father at a tender age of 9 years, who was destined to be a chief and served as counsellor of tribal chief for many years but ultimately lost his fortune as well as title over a conflict with the colonial magistrate.

    After his father’s loss he and his mother moved to an even smaller village north of Mvezo, where they had to face a hard time living in huts and eating the major local veggies.

    First to attend school in family

    By god’s grace he was the first to attend a school from his family as was customary at the time and possibly due to the bias British education system.

    The destiny

    His father died of lung cancer causing a dramatic change in his life. Thereafter he was adopted by the chief of Thembu people as a kind gesture of favor for his father. Who, years earlier, had recommended Jongintaba to be made as the chief which made his live a carefree life onwards.

    It was during this period when he developed an interest in African history as he shared the same status that the agent’s other two children enjoyed in the palace where he use to study in a classroom next to his new home. He studied English, History, Geography, and Xhosa language.

    Early education of Nelson Mandela

    In 1939, Mandela applied at the University College of Fort Hare, the sole residential center of higher learning for blacks in South Africa at that point of time. Fort Hare was reviewed as Africa’s equivalent of the University of Harvard or Oxford University, building scholars from all parts of sub-Sahara African region.

    In 1941 he was awarded his Bachelor’s degree, and in 1942 he was committed to another firm of attorneys and started upon a law degree at the University of Witwatersrand. Here he met and worked with a study buddy, Seretse Khama, who later became the first president of independent Botswana.

    The activist

    Mandela soon engrossed himself actively in the anti-apartheid movement, by blending in the African National Congress in 1942.

    In the ANC, a small group of young Africans united together, calling themselves the African National Congress Youth League and used methods like boycott, strike, civil disobedience, and non-cooperation, with policy goals of full citizenship, redistribution of land, trade union rights, and free and compulsory education for all children.

    For almost 2 decades, Mandela carried out peaceful, nonviolent acts of defiance against the South African government and its unpopular racist policies, including the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People and created an account what we today call history.

    nelson mandela facts for kidsImprisonment of Nelson Mandela

    In 1961, Mandela arranged a three-day national workers’ strike. He was put behind bars for steering the strike the following year, and was even sentenced to five years imprisonment.

    He was brought to trial again in 1963.Alongwith ten fellow members, this time he was sentenced for lifetime imprisonment for sabotage and political offense.

    Making of the first black president – Nelson Mandela facts for kids

    Upon his release after De Klerk removed restrictions and unbanned the ANC in 1990,Mandela soon asked foreign powers not to reduce pressure for constitutional reforms on South African government.

    In 1993, Mandela and President de Klerk were combinely awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their phenomenal work toward dismantling apartheid to a great extend.

    South Africa held its rookie democratic elections. Nelson Mandela was instituted as the country’s first black president on 10th May, 1994, at the time Nelson was 77 years, with de Klerk as his first deputy

    During his regime of rule i.e. from 1994 until June 1999, Mandela worked extensively to bring about the conversion from minority rule and apartheid to black majority rule.

    He cleverly used the nation’s passion for sports as a pivot point to advocate settlements between whites and blacks, encouraging black South Africans to support the once-hated national rugby team for obvious reasons.

    The retired leader

    In 2001 he was diagnosed and eventually treated for prostate cancer.

    Subsequently, returned to his native village Qunu, after formal announcement of his retirement from public life at an age of 85 in June 2004.

    Somehow he could not completely detach himself from serving people and continued the good work of backing several cause like fighting for the killer disease_ AIDS victims, which was the reason behind his son’s death.

    Personal life of the real hero

    In his lifetime he married three ladies and had altogether six children, four from his first marriage and two daughters from his third wife who accompanied her till his last breathe.

    Death of an era

    After completing a very successful journey, at an age of 95 on 5TH Dec 2013 Nelson Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    Later that day a statement was released which revealed his legacy “Wherever we are in the country, wherever we are in the world, let us reaffirm his vision of a society … in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed by another,” Zuma,the president of South Africa said.

    He may have died but will surely remain immortal in our hearts for his ideas and as a source of unparallel inspiration for civil rights and activists.

    Nelson Mandela is FAMOUS FOR

    Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa in 1994, serving in the most possible appropriate way until 1999. A symbol of global goodwill and humanity, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

    QUICK Nelson Mandela Facts for Kids

    • NAME: Nelson Mandela
    • OCCUPATION: Civil Rights Activist, World Leader, Writer
    • BIRTH DATE: July 18, 1918
    • DEATH DATE: December 05, 2013
    • EDUCATION: Clarkebury Boarding Institute, Wesleyan College, University College of Fort Hare, University of London, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
    • PLACE OF BIRTH: Mveso, Transkei, South Africa
    • PLACE OF DEATH: Johannesburg, South Africa
    • FULL NAME: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
    • AKA: Nelson Mandela
    • AKA: Rolihlahla
    • NICKNAME: Madiba
    • ORIGINALLY: Rolihlahla Mandela
    • NICKNAME: Black Pimpernel

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