Happy Feet

Every night, South African penguins gather under the moonlight and do line dancing in the shadow of Table Mountain.

Not really.

However, South Africa does have thousands of penguins, and loads of other species of flora and fauna as well. In fact, South Africa is said to be the third most biodiverse country in the world, behind only Brazil and Indonesia. The Cape Floral Region is one of six floral regions in the world, and has more different species in it than all of Great Britian. Much of this is threatened by development, and part of what were saw here were groups such as SANBI (South African National Biodiversity Institute that are working to preserve this unique environment. Check out Kirstenbosch Gardens for a sampling of the fabulous flora of South Africa.







South Africa is also famous for surfing, and a large population of great white sharks. Since the two don’t get along well together, surfers began asking local residents who were familiar with the area to watch the water for sharks, and signal them when sharks were spotted. This has led to an entire industry of shark spotters. It’s a win-win situation. Local residents find employment (necessary with unemployment rates that approach 30%), and surfers manage to avoid becoming lunch.