This week we focus on 5 iconic landmarks and heritage sites to add to your to-see list this season. Heritage sites can positively impact community life and development. They have been proven to support local economies and have the ability to bring communities of people closer together.
Visit these iconic locations to learn more about their rich heritage and appreciate our cultural, historic, and natural resources.
Robben Island:
Most famous for the incarceration of political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected President of South Africa, who was imprisoned for 18 of his 27 years in jail.
Cradle Of Humankind:
One of the world's most important fossil sites, the zone has produced some of the oldest fossils, dating as far back as 3.5 million years ago.
Cape Floral Kingdom:
It makes up only 0.04% of the world’s land area, yet contains an astonishing 3% of its plant species, making it one of the richest areas for plants in the world and one of the globe’s 18 biodiversity hotspots.
Mapungubwe Heritage Site:
A “place of the stone of wisdom”, was South Africa’s first kingdom and developed into the subcontinent’s largest realm, lasting for 400 years before it was abandoned in the 14th century. Its highly sophisticated people traded gold and ivory with China, India and Egypt.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park:
Formerly called the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, it has both one of the largest estuary systems in Africa and the continent’s southernmost coral reefs.
Reference: https://www.gov.za/faq/travel-tourism/which-heritage-sites-are-south-africa