All language subtitles for Aerial Africa Series 1 2of6 Spirit of Ubuntu 1080p

THIS IS THE HEART
OF SOUTH AFRICA--

A PLACE THAT IGNITED

SOME OF HUMANITY’S
MOST DEFINING MOMENTS.

FROM EARLY ANCESTORS LEAVING
FOOTPRINTS IN THE EARTH...

TO THE RISE OF TECHNOLOGY,
TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE SURVIVE.

HERE ROLLING HILLS OFFER
UNIMAGINABLE WEALTH...

AND SOARING HEIGHTS
OFFER UNBROKEN VIEWS.

THIS IS WHERE GOLD
SPARKED A RUSH TO RICHES...

THAT ALMOST TRAMPLED THE WEALTH
OF WILDLIFE STANDING IN THE WAY.

WHERE ANIMALS
EXPLOITED IN THE PAST

ARE NOW CELEBRATED
AS PART OF THE FUTURE...

AND ONE MAN TRANSCENDED
THE NATION’S LAST GREAT DIVIDE--

AND ELECTRIFIED THE WORLD.

HERE CONFLICTING WORLDS MERGE
INTO A LAND OF REMARKABLE DRAMA.

THIS IS SOUTH AFRICA’S JOURNEY

FROM PRE-HUMAN SKELETONS
TO MODERN SKYSCRAPERS.

♪

TWO BILLION YEARS AGO,

THE EARTH WENT THROUGH
A VIOLENT GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL.

MOUNTAINS ROSE
THAT STILL REMAIN.

THIS IS THE MAGALIESBERG RANGE,

ALMOST 100 TIMES OLDER
THAN THE HIMALAYAS.

VENERABLE OLD PEAKS
HAVE WITNESSED CONSTANT CHANGE

WITHIN ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC
REGIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA--

THE INTERIOR.

AROUND THESE MOUNTAINS,
LIFE SLOWLY TOOK HOLD.

VULTURES NOW ROOST
IN THE CREVICES OF A CLIFF FACE,

WHERE COUNTLESS ANIMAL ANCESTORS
HAVE LIVED OVER THE EONS.

SPECIES CONTINUED
TO FLOURISH AND EVOLVE,

UNTIL HUMANS FINALLY ARRIVED
ON THE SCENE--

A CRITICAL TIPPING POINT

THAT TRANSFORMED
THE LANDSCAPE FOREVER.

♪

NOW ROADS CRISSCROSS
THE LANDSCAPE

AND BRING PEOPLE
TO A LIVING MUSEUM OF EVOLUTION.

THEY WAIT IN LINE
TO TRY TO GRASP THE SCOPE

OF THE REGION’S LONG ARC
OF HUMAN HISTORY.

THIS IS THE ENTRY POINT
OF THE STERKFONTEIN CAVES,

PART OF A WORLD HERITAGE SITE

CALLED "THE CRADLE
OF HUMANKIND."

BELOW ARE CAVES THAT HAVE
OFFERED A TROVE OF ARTIFACTS--

INCLUDING A COMPLETE SKULL--

REVEALING AN ANCIENT SPECIES
OF HOMINID

THAT IS ONE OF HUMANITY’S
COMMON ANCESTORS.

VISITORS DESCEND
DEEP INTO THE EARTH

TO EXPERIENCE AN IMMERSIVE STORY
OF THE HUMAN JOURNEY.

STANDING IN STARK CONTRAST
TO THE ANCIENT LIFE BELOW

IS THE MODERN ARCHITECTURE
ABOVE.

THE DESIGN
OF THE TUMULUS BUILDING

TRIES TO BRIDGE THE OLD AND NEW.

FROM THE FRONT
IT LOOKS LIKE A BURIAL MOUND.

BUT AROUND THE BACK,
IT IS TRANSFORMED.

THE STYLE SIGNALS
NOT THE END OF HISTORY,

BUT THE BEGINNING OF THE FUTURE.

THE LONG-BURIED EVIDENCE
NOW ON DISPLAY HERE

CONFIRMS THE GROUNDBREAKING
THEORY OF CHARLES DARWIN--

THAT HUMANITY ROSE
FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT.

THE SURROUNDING LAND
STILL PRODUCES NEW DISCOVERIES.

THEY MAY SOLVE A MYSTERY,
OR SPARK A NEW ONE.

AS SCIENCE SCRAMBLES
FOR CLUES TO OUR ORIGIN,

RURAL COMMUNITIES
IN SOUTH AFRICA

RELY ON FAITH TO GUIDE THEM
TO ENLIGHTENMENT.

THE LEMBA NATION OF ZIMBABWE WAS
LED HERE BY A STAR IN THE SKY.

IT IS KNOWN AS ZION CITY--

IN MORIA TOWN--
LIMPOPO PROVINCE.

IT IS THE LARGEST

AFRICAN-FOUNDED
CENTER OF WORSHIP

IN THE COUNTRY.

THE ZIONIST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
WAS FORMED IN 1910

BY ENGENAS LEKGANYANE.

HIS LAST NAME MEANS "KEEPER
OF THE STAR OF KNOWLEDGE."

HE CLAIMS GOD CALLED HIM

TO SEARCH FOR A STAR
NEAR THE HOLY MOUNT ZION.

IT’S LIKELY HE WITNESSED
A METEOR FALLING TO EARTH,

WHICH INSPIRED HIM
TO FOUND HIS CHURCH

HERE IN MORIA TOWN IN 1944.

THE CHURCH FUSES
AFRICAN TRADITIONS AND VALUES

WITH THE CHRISTIAN FAITH.

WHEN LEKGANYANE’S SON EDWARD

TOOK CONTROL OF THE CHURCH
IN 1948,

HE INSTITUTED
ANNUAL PILGRIMAGES.

THE FOLLOWERS GATHER HERE
EVERY YEAR TO CELEBRATE EASTER

AND THE MEMORY OF A STAR
THAT HAS GUIDED THEM

SINCE THE TIME OF THEIR ORIGIN
AT GREAT ZIMBABWE.

MEMBERS COME
FROM ALL OVER AFRICA.

THEY TRAVEL BY DONKEY CART,
BICYCLE, BUS, AND ON FOOT.

NOW CLOSE TO 6 MILLION FOLLOWERS
ATTEND THE 4,000 PARISHES,

WHERE PROUD CHURCH MEMBERS
WEAR A SILVER FIVE-POINTED STAR

WITH A GREEN AND BLACK RIBBON.

THE IMPACT OF A METEORITE
CAN HELP MOLD BELIEFS,

BUT OTHER METEOR STRIKES HERE

HAVE HELPED RESHAPE
THE LANDSCAPE.

♪

TO THE NORTH IS ANOTHER
SPECIES-RICH ENVIRONMENT--

THE SOUTPANSBERG MOUNTAINS.

IT IS NICKNAMED "THE PANTRY"
FOR ITS ABUNDANT FOOD SOURCES.

VULTURES SOAR OVER A REGION
RICH WITH LIFE.

♪

THIS ABUNDANT GARDEN WOULD HAVE
PROVIDED A GREAT SOURCE OF FOOD

FOR EARLY MAN.

AN ACCIDENT OF INDUSTRY
MIGHT PROVE IT.

IN THE 1920s,

MINERS WERE BLASTING AWAY
ON THIS MOUNTAINSIDE

WHEN A CURIOUS MATH TEACHER
IN SEARCH OF FOSSILS

DISCOVERED SHARDS OF BONE.

HE SENT THEM AWAY
FOR VERIFICATION,

AND THEY WERE CONFIRMED
AS AN ANCIENT HUMAN ANCESTOR.

IT TRIGGERED A FOSSIL RUSH--

THE SCIENTIFIC VERSION
OF A GOLD RUSH.

OTHER DIG SITES
DOT THE LANDSCAPE--

EACH REPRESENTING A SLOW,
PAINSTAKING EFFORT

TO PIECE TOGETHER
THE STORY OF LIFE.

HOWEVER, THIS STORY
IS PUNCTUATED

WITH SUDDEN, VIOLENT,
AND DEADLY INTERRUPTIONS.

220,000 YEARS AGO, A METEOR
ROARED THROUGH THE SKY

AND SLAMMED INTO THE EARTH HERE

WITH THE IMPACT
OF 100 ATOM BOMBS,

CREATING THE TSWAING CRATER.

WHILE IT OBLITERATED LIFE
IN ALL DIRECTIONS,

IT NOW SUSTAINS LIFE
AS A NATURAL RESERVOIR.

THERE ARE EVEN OLDER SCARS
ON THE EARTH

THAT HAVE BECOME
NATURAL MAGNETS FOR LIFE.

TODAY, SAFARI BALLOONS HOVER

OVER A 200-MILLION-YEAR-OLD
VOLCANIC CRATER.

IT’S CALLED THE PILANESBERG,
AND OVER THE EONS,

NATURE HAS RETURNED
WITH A VIVACIOUS DISPLAY.

TOURISTS ARE HELD IN SUSPENSE
OVER THE MAJESTIC AFRICAN PLAIN,

KNOWN AS THE BUSHVELD.

THE SILENT BALLOONS DRIFT
LIKE VULTURES ON THE WING,

SCOURING THE LAND FOR ANIMALS.

UNSUSPECTING WILDLIFE
ARE DIGITALLY SNAPPED UP

AND INSTANTLY UPLOADED
TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE.

AFTER THEIR MORNING
BALLOON SAFARI,

TOURISTS GET TO RELAX
AT A RESORT

CALLED THE PALACE
OF THE LOST CITY,

RIGHT OUTSIDE THE PARK’S BORDER.

IT WAS BUILT TO RESEMBLE
AN ANCIENT AFRICAN PALACE

HIDDEN IN THE JUNGLE--

THOUGH ANCIENT AFRICAN PALACES

PROBABLY DIDN’T HAVE
18-HOLE GOLF COURSES.

ADAM SANDLER AND DREW BARRYMORE

SHOT THE ROMANTIC COMEDY
"BLENDED" IN THE HOTEL.

ITS 5-STAR AMENITIES INCLUDE
SWIMMING POOLS, A WATER PARK,

LUXURY SHOPPING,
AND A CONFERENCE CENTER--

ALL OF IT NESTLED INSIDE
AN ANCIENT VOLCANIC CRATER.

SOME CRATERS ARE NATURAL--
AND SOME ARE MANMADE.

THIS DRAMATIC HOLE IN THE GROUND
IS REALLY A DIG FOR RICHES--

A DIAMOND MINE.

THE CULLINAN MINE
IS THE MAIN SOURCE

OF THE WORLD’S BLUE DIAMONDS

AND OCCASIONALLY PRODUCES
GLITTERY ROCKS

THE SIZE OF PING PONG BALLS.

IN 1905, ONE WAS FOUND
THAT WAS THE SIZE OF A FIST.

IT WAS NICKNAMED
"THE GREAT STAR OF AFRICA."

TODAY, THE TOWN BUMPS
RIGHT UP AGAINST THE MINE.

JARACANDA TREES NEAR THE EDGE
SHOW OFF THEIR PURPLE BLOOMS--

NOT AS SPARKLY AS A DIAMOND,
BUT BEAUTIFUL IN THEIR OWN WAY.

THIS MANMADE CRATER
AT PHALABORWA

IS MORE THAN A MILE WIDE,
1,500 FEET DEEP,

AND CAN CLEARLY BE SEEN
FROM SPACE.

COPPER HAS BEEN MINED HERE
SINCE AT LEAST 400 A.D.,

WHERE IT WAS SMELTED
INTO 20-INCH-LONG INGOTS

TO USE AS MONEY.

NOW THESE MINES PRODUCE 60,000
TONS OF COPPER EVERY YEAR.

♪

MINING IN SOUTH AFRICA
IS AN UNMISTAKABLE PRESENCE.

IT ALTERS THE LANDSCAPE,
FUELS THE LOCAL ECONOMY,

AND SPARKS GLOBAL INNOVATION.

PLATINUM IS ANOTHER
PRECIOUS METAL,

AND MOST OF IT IS MINED
HERE AT RUSTENBURG.

90% OF THE WORLD’S SUPPLY STILL
LIES BURIED IN THESE HILLS.

IT MAY LOOK LIKE DIRTY BUSINESS,

BUT PLATINUM IS A KEY INGREDIENT
TO A GREENER FUTURE.

THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY USES IT
FOR CATALYTIC CONVERTERS--

REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS
FROM EVERY CAR.

PLATINUM IS ALSO REQUIRED
TO MAKE HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS--

WHICH SOMEDAY MAY REPLACE
THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

SO THIS COULD BE
ONE OF THE EPICENTERS

OF ENERGY’S HOPEFUL FUTURE--

CLEAN AND GREEN.

DIRTY ENERGY IS ALREADY
PROVIDING RELICS TO REPURPOSE.

HERE IN ORLANDO SOWETO,

A DECOMMISSIONED COAL PLANT
IS NOW AN ENTERTAINMENT CENTER--

INCLUDING THE WORLD’S
FIRST BUNGEE JUMP

BETWEEN TWO COOLING TOWERS.

THE TOWER’S MURALS
TOOK SIX MONTHS TO PAINT.

ONE IS A GIANT AD FOR A BANK,

BUT THE OTHER
IS AN ORIGINAL DESIGN

DEPICTING THE CULTURAL ENERGY
OF SOWETO.

THE ENERGY HERE HELPED
TO ALTER THE COURSE

OF SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY.

NELSON MANDELA ONCE LIVED
IN THIS CORNER HOUSE

ON VILAKAZI STREET.

HE WORKED IN SOWETO
AS A LAWYER AND ACTIVIST

BEFORE BEING ARRESTED IN 1962.

WHEN HE WAS FINALLY RELEASED
IN 1990,

HE WALKED THE STREETS OF SOWETO
AS A HERO.

HE HELPED DISMANTLE APARTHEID,
SHARED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE,

AND BECAME THE NATION’S
FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT.

IN 1994, HE TOOK
THE OATH OF OFFICE

HERE AT THE UNION BUILDINGS
IN PRETORIA--

THE SEAT OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN
GOVERNMENT.

TODAY, A BRONZE STATUE OF
MANDELA IMMORTALIZES THE MOMENT.

HE WAS SURROUNDED BY THE LARGEST
GATHERING OF WORLD LEADERS

SINCE JOHN F. KENNEDY’S FUNERAL.

IT WAS BROADCAST LIVE
AROUND THE GLOBE--

AND VIEWED
BY TWO BILLION PEOPLE.

AFTER HIS DEATH AT AGE 95,
THE BIGGEST MEMORIAL EVENT

WAS HELD HERE
AT FNB STADIUM IN JOHANNESBURG.

HE HAD PACKED THIS STADIUM
23 YEARS BEFORE,

WHEN 100,000 PEOPLE CAME TO HEAR

ONE OF HIS FIRST SPEECHES
AS A FREE MAN.

NOW THEY CAME IN MOURNING...

BUT ALSO IN CELEBRATION.

FEW PEOPLE HAVE BENT
THE ARC OF HISTORY

TOWARDS JUSTICE AND FREEDOM
LIKE NELSON MANDELA.

BUT HE IS NOT THE ONLY MAN

TO SHAPE THE LANDSCAPE
OF MODERN SOUTH AFRICA.

IN THE EARLY 1800s,
THE INDIGENOUS ZULU TRIBE

CONTROLLED A GROWING EXPANSE
OF TERRITORY--

LED BY THEIR AMBITIOUS KING,
SHAKA ZULU.

THROUGH CUNNING STRATEGY
AND BRUTAL WARFARE,

HE EXPANDED ZULU TERRITORY
INTO A VAST KINGDOM.

IN THE WEST, HE WAS KNOWN
AS THE "BLACK NAPOLEON."

HIS KINGDOM WAS FILLED
WITH NATIVE ANIMALS.

BUT BETWEEN WARFARE
AND UNCHECKED HUNTING

BY ZULUS AND WHITE OUTSIDERS,

GAME ANIMALS DWINDLED QUICKLY.

IN JUST 50 YEARS,

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS
WERE KILLED.

ELEPHANTS WERE HUNTED
FOR THEIR IVORY...

AND KIDNAPPED TO BECOME
WORKING ANIMALS.

LIONS WERE DECIMATED,

MANY BY HUNTERS WHO VALUED
THEIR TROPHY HEADS.

BOTH BLACK AND WHITE RHINOS
WHERE THREATENED,

BUT THE WHITE RHINO WAS ALMOST
COMPLETELY WIPED OUT.

BY 1890 THERE WERE ONLY
ABOUT 20 LEFT,

THE LAST REMAINING ON EARTH.

IN 1895 THIS DIRE LOSS
OF WILDLIFE

LED TO THE CREATION OF THE FIRST
GAME RESERVE IN SOUTH AFRICA,

CALLED HLUHLUWE IMFOLOZI.

SOME SPECIES WERE SNATCHED BACK
FROM THE JAWS OF EXTINCTION.

OTHERS WERE REINTRODUCED.

BUT THE WHITE RHINO
STRUGGLED TO COME BACK.

BEGINNING IN THE 1950s,
DR. IAN PLAYER,

BROTHER OF PRO GOLFER
GARY PLAYER,

SPEARHEADED OPERATION RHINO--

A DESPERATE EFFORT
TO SAVE THE SPECIES.

HE BRED RHINOS IN CAPTIVITY
IN THIS PARK.

THEN WITH THE HELP
OF MODERN TRANSPORTATION,

HE REINTRODUCED THEM
BACK INTO THE WILD--

HERE AND AT OTHER RESERVES
ACROSS AFRICA.

THANKS TO THEIR
TIRELESS EFFORTS,

THERE ARE NOW AROUND 20,000
WHITE RHINO IN THE WORLD.

BUT THE THREAT REMAINS.

POACHERS EVADE PARK OFFICIALS

AND KILL, ON AVERAGE,
THREE RHINOS PER DAY.

FEMALES CAN ONLY GIVE BIRTH
TO NEW CALVES

EVERY THREE OR FOUR YEARS.

SO THE MATH DOES NOT FAVOR
THE WHITE RHINO.

BETWEEN GLOBAL CONSERVATION
EFFORTS AND LOCAL ENFORCEMENT,

THE WHITE RHINO’S SURVIVAL
HANGS IN THE BALANCE.

THERE IS ANOTHER BALANCING ACT

PLAYING OUT
IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN LANDSCAPE--

ENERGY.

MINING FOSSIL FUELS
FEEDS THE ECONOMY

BUT SCARS THE ENVIRONMENT.

HERE, COAL IS THE DOMINANT
ENERGY INDUSTRY.

DEPOSITS ARE SHALLOWER
THAN MOST

AND REVEAL THEMSELVES
IN THICK SEAMS,

MAKING IT CHEAPER TO MINE.

INEXPENSIVE COAL MAKES
A VERY VALUABLE EXPORT,

AND THE RICHARDS BAY
COAL TERMINAL

IS THE TRANSFER POINT.

THIS SITE PROVES THAT COAL
IS NOT JUST BIG BUSINESS--

IT’S SIMPLY BIG.

THIS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST
COAL TRANSFER FACILITIES

IN THE WORLD--

COVERING AN ENTIRE SQUARE MILE.

♪

NEARBY ARE TWO
ALUMINUM SMELTING PLANTS,

WHICH USE MASSIVE AMOUNTS
OF COAL POWER

TO TURN RAW ORE INTO ALUMINUM.

COAL POWER PLANTS LIKE THESE

DOT THE LANDSCAPE
ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA.

COAL FUELS OVER 75%
OF SOUTH AFRICA’S ENERGY NEEDS.

THE COUNTRY ALSO DISTRIBUTES
ELECTRICAL POWER

TO 14 AFRICAN COUNTRIES.

IT HAS HELPED TURN TOWNS
INTO CITIES.

THE PORT CITY OF DURBAN
WAS FOUNDED IN 1824.

IT IS RENOWNED
FOR GREAT WEATHER,

WITH AN AVERAGE OF 320 DAYS
OF SUNSHINE PER YEAR.

THEY CALL THIS STRETCH OF COAST
"THE GOLDEN MILE,"

WHERE THE WARM OCEAN DELIVERS
PERFECT WAVES YEAR ROUND.

THE LAND IT WAS BUILT UPON

WAS CEDED TO SEAFARERS
BY KING SHAKA ZULU,

WHO HAD BEEN TRADING SKINS
AND IVORY WITH THE NEWCOMERS.

PEOPLE ARE STILL COMING.

SURFERS, HOLIDAY MAKERS,
AND BUSINESS TRAVELERS

MAKE DURBAN A COSMOPOLITAN HUB.

THE OCEAN IS A BIG DRAW.

BUT FOR THOSE TOO SKITTISH
TO FROLIC IN THE SHALLOWS

WHERE SHARKS ARE KNOWN TO VISIT,

THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS NEARBY.

THIS IS USHAKA MARINE WORLD,

THE LARGEST OCEANIC WATER PARK
IN AFRICA.

IT HOUSES SEA CREATURES RANGING
FROM THE TINY TO THE TERRIFYING.

TOURISTS CAN EVEN DIVE
WITH THE SHARKS--

BEHIND THE PROTECTION
OF SHARK CAGES.

WHILE WATER ATTRACTS TOURISTS,
IT ALSO ATTRACTS SHIPPING.

DURBAN BAY IS ONE
OF THE FEW NATURAL HARBORS

IN THIS PART OF AFRICA.

IT GREW INTO THE LARGEST PORT
ON THE ENTIRE CONTINENT

AND ONE OF THE TOP TEN BUSIEST
IN THE WORLD.

BUT BEFORE ALL OF THIS,

THE HARBOR WAS ACTUALLY
AN AIRPLANE RUNWAY.

IN THE 1940s,

THE FIRST COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS
BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICA AND EUROPE

WERE MADE IN SEAPLANES,

AND THEY LANDED RIGHT HERE AFTER
A GRUELING 20-STOP, 5-DAY TRIP.

TODAY, GIANT CARGO SHIPS
DOMINATE THE HARBOR.

BUT NEARBY, THERE IS STILL ROOM
FOR SMALLER BOATS.

BETWEEN BIG-PORT COMMERCE
AND SMALL-BOAT RECREATION,

DURBAN HAS BECOME
A REGIONAL POWERHOUSE,

WITH A SKYLINE TO MATCH.

A RECENT ADDITION
TO THIS SKYLINE

IS MOSES MABHIDA STADIUM,

BUILT FOR THE 2010
WORLD CUP SOCCER TOURNAMENT,

THE FIRST ONE PLAYED
ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT.

WHEN SOUTH AFRICA WON THE RIGHT
TO HOST THE WORLD CUP,

THE RACE WAS ON TO BUILD
AND UPGRADE OTHER STADIUMS

AROUND THE COUNTRY.

PETER MOKABA STADIUM
IN POLOKWANE

WAS NAMED AFTER A LEADER IN
THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

WHO SERVED IN PARLIAMENT
AFTER THE FALL OF APARTHEID.

ORLANDO STADIUM IN SOWETO
IS AN OLDER STRUCTURE

THAT WAS UPGRADED FOR THE CUP.

IT’S THE HOME TURF
OF THE ORLANDO PIRATES,

A PROFESSIONAL SOCCER TEAM
THAT IS THE PRIDE OF SOWETO.

ELLIS PARK IN JOHANNESBURG

IS KNOWN MORE FOR RUGBY
THAN SOCCER.

IN 1995, THE RUGBY WORLD CUP
FINAL WAS PLAYED HERE

AND WON BY SOUTH AFRICA’S TEAM,
CALLED THE SPRINGBOKS.

COMING JUST AFTER THE FALL
OF APARTHEID,

IT WAS A MILESTONE MOMENT
FOR A NEWLY UNIFIED COUNTRY.

MANY FIELDS HOST
BOTH SOCCER AND RUGBY.

LOFTUS VERSVELT STADIUM
IN PRETORIA

HOSTED WORLD CUP MATCHES,

BUT IS HOME FIELD
OF THE BLUE BULLS,

A PROFESSIONAL TEAM IN
THE SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY UNION.

THE MBOMBELA STADIUM IS ALSO
KNOWN AS THE GIRAFFE STADIUM.

THE GIANT SUPPORTS
ARE SHAPED LIKE GIRAFFES,

AND THE BLACK AND WHITE SEATS
LOOK LIKE ZEBRA SKIN.

WILDLIFE CONTINUES TO SHAPE
THE IDENTITY OF SOUTH AFRICA

AND ATTRACT TOURISM.

BUT OUTSIDERS BEWARE--

SOME ANIMALS ARE WILD
AND UNPREDICTABLE.

♪

THE PEOPLE ON THIS BOAT
ARE LUCKY TO BE ON THE RIVER,

NOT IN IT.

ITS HIDDEN DANGERS
ARE LEGENDARY.

THIS RESERVE IS NAMED

AFTER THE ZULU WORD
FOR "MIRACLE AND WONDER"--

ISIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK.

IT IS THE LARGEST RIVER ESTUARY
IN AFRICA--

AND HOME TO THE DEADLY
NILE CROCODILE.

THIS SPECIES CAN GET
UP TO 20 FEET LONG

AND WILL HIDE FOR HOURS
IN THE BRACKISH WATER,

WAITING FOR AN AMBUSH.

THEY ARE NOT PICKY
ABOUT WHAT THEY EAT.

BEING ON A SAFARI BOAT

IS THE SAFEST WAY
TO SCAN THE PARK FOR LIFE.

ANOTHER ANIMAL
IS A MORE COMMON SIGHT--

THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.

WHILE THEY LOOK CUTE,
IT’S BEST TO SEE ONE FROM AFAR.

THEY ARE ONE OF AFRICA’S
MOST DANGEROUS ANIMALS.

HIPPOS CAN RUN
ALMOST 20 MILES AN HOUR

AND WEIGH AS MUCH AS AN SUV.

AROUND HERE, HIPPOS ARE KNOWN

FOR TAKING A NIGHTLY STROLL
THROUGH TOWN.

IN 2012, A MAN LOST HIS LEG

AFTER HE WAS ATTACKED
BY A HIPPO--

IN HIS OWN GARDEN.

LUCKILY, SOME OF THE PARK’S
OTHER WILDLIFE

IS FAR SAFER TO VIEW--

AND BREATHTAKING TO BEHOLD.

♪

A FLOCK OF PELICANS CREATES
A WAVE OF MOTION AND SOUND.

THEY SIGNAL THE TRUE WEALTH OF
THE ISIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK.

THE PARK SUPPORTS
500 BIRD SPECIES,

INCLUDING FLAMINGO.

AT LEAST 48 AVIAN SPECIES
CALL IT HOME--

IT’S THEIR BREEDING GROUND.

HERE MIGRATORY BIRDS STOCK UP

ON RICH SHRIMP AND MOLLUSKS
ON THE MUDFLATS

BEFORE HEADING BACK OUT

ON WHAT IS KNOWN
AS THE EAST COAST FLYWAY.

♪

THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARED
THE PARK A WORLD HERITAGE SITE

IN 1999.

THE BIODIVERSITY HERE
IS HARD TO MATCH.

♪

ICONIC LAND ANIMALS LIVE
SIDE BY SIDE

WITH SEA CREATURES--

AND SOME OF THEM
ARE QUITE A SURPRISE.

♪

THE COELACANTH WAS
A PREHISTORIC LOBE-FINNED FISH

THAT SCIENTISTS THOUGHT WAS
EXTINCT FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS.

BUT IN 1938 A NET SNAGGED
A FIVE-FOOT-LONG SPECIMEN.

IT WAS HAILED AS THE MOST
IMPORTANT ZOOLOGICAL FIND

OF THE CENTURY.

IN THE YEAR 2000, DIVERS
MANAGED TO PHOTOGRAPH ONE

WHILE DIVING HERE
AT SODWANA BAY.

BUT OTHER FISH
ARE A MORE COMMON SIGHT--

OVER 1,200 SPECIES SWIM
AMID THE RICH CORAL BELOW.

♪

STRETCHING UP THE COAST
FROM SODWANA BAY

ARE ANCIENT DUNES
THAT DATE BACK 25,000 YEARS.

THEY FORM THE BACKBONE OF
THIS DELICATE COASTAL HABITAT,

WHICH IS HOME TO ONE OF THE LAST
REMAINING SWAMP FORESTS

IN SOUTH AFRICA.

THE AREA IS SO LUSH
THAT THE CAPE VIDAL LIGHTHOUSE

IS PAINTED
A BRIGHT ORANGE-YELLOW

TO HELP IT STAND OUT

AGAINST THE GREEN FOREST RESERVE
BEHIND IT.

CENTURIES HAVE BROUGHT
LITTLE CHANGE TO THIS FOREST.

IT PROVIDES HABITAT
FOR THE SAMANGO MONKEY--

WHICH LIVES MOSTLY IN TREES
AND IS RARELY SEEN.

A MORE COMMON SIGHT IS
THE MISCHIEVOUS VERVET MONKEY--

WHICH IS GOOD AT SNEAKING UP

ON UNSUSPECTING CAMPERS
RESTING IN THE SHADE--

AND STEALING THEIR LUNCH.

HERE, THE PRISTINE BEACH
IS A NESTING SITE

FOR THE ENDANGERED
LEATHERBACK TURTLE,

A PERFECT INCUBATOR
FOR TURTLE EGGS.

THE BLACK COLOR IN THE SAND
IS ILMENITE,

ONE OF THE NECESSARY INGREDIENTS
TO MAKE TITANIUM.

THE DARK MINERAL
KEEPS THE SAND WARM,

AND IT’S TEMPERATURE
THAT DICTATES

WHETHER A TURTLE EGG WILL HATCH
MALE OR FEMALE.

IF THE SAND REMAINS TOO COOL,

ALL THE HATCHLINGS
WOULD BE MALE,

EFFECTIVELY DOOMING
THE LOCAL POPULATION

OF THIS ENDANGERED SPECIES.

AS A RESULT, MINING
HAS BEEN BANNED HERE.

LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE
IS A MODERN CHALLENGE.

BUT HERE, INDIGENOUS TRIBES
HAVE BEEN DOING IT

FOR OVER 700 YEARS--

NOW FROM SMALL TOWNS
NESTLED IN THE GREEN.

♪

THIS IS KOSI BAY NATURE RESERVE.

IT’S A TROPICAL EDEN

OF COOL TURQUOISE WATER
AND EMERALD GREEN MARSHLAND.

THERE ARE RAFFIA PALM TREES,
MANGROVE SWAMPS,

AND SYCAMORE FIG FORESTS.

DESPITE ITS NAME,
IT’S NOT REALLY A BAY.

IT’S FOUR LAKES THAT ARE LINKED
BY SNAKING WATERWAYS.

THE RESERVE IS HOME
TO OVER 250 BIRD SPECIES--

SOME AS COMMON AS THE FLAMINGO,

AND OTHERS AS RARE
AS THE TRUMPETER HORNBILL,

WHOSE CALL SOUNDS
LIKE A NEWBORN BABY

CRYING FOR ITS MOTHER.

THIS RESERVE PROTECTS
MORE THAN ANIMALS--

IT PROTECTS A WAY OF LIFE.

THE INDIGENOUS
TEMBE-THONGA PEOPLE

CONTINUE CENTURIES-OLD
TRADITIONS ON THE WATER.

THESE ARE THONGA FISH TRAPS,

A CONCEPT THAT SURVIVES
FROM THE STONE AGE.

AT HIGH TIDE, THE FISH
WASH OVER THESE REEDS,

AND AS THE TIDE RECEDES,
THEY ARE TRAPPED.

THE TRAPS ARE SHAPED TO HERD
THE FISH INTO A SMALL AREA

SO THE TEMBE-THONGA
CAN SPEAR THEM.

♪

THIS PRACTICE IS
ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE.

ONLY BIG FISH ARE TRAPPED
AND KEPT FOR THE COOKFIRE,

WHILE SMALLER FINGERLINGS

DASH THROUGH THE GAPS
IN THE REED WALLS.

FROM ABOVE, THE TRAPS LOOK LIKE
A GIANT COLLECTION OF JEWELRY--

NECKLACES,
HEART-SHAPED PENDANTS,

AND FRIENDSHIP RINGS.

BUT THEY HAVE A MORE LASTING
VALUE FOR THE TEMBE-THONGA--

FOOD TO EAT,
AND TRADITION TO KEEP.

THIS TRADITIONAL WAY OF LIFE
HAS NOT BEEN EASY TO PRESERVE.

EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM
OF THE LATE 1800s

TRIED TO DISPLACE THEM.

BUT THEY REMAINED RESOLUTE
AND CONTINUE TO PROSPER,

NOW THAT THEIR VIEWS
ON WILDLIFE SUSTAINABILITY

ARE BACK IN VOGUE.

THE ANCESTRAL HOME
OF THE TEMBE PEOPLE

IS PRIME ELEPHANT HABITAT.

SO THEY HELPED CREATE AND MANAGE
THE TEMBE ELEPHANT RESERVE,

WHICH SHARES CONSERVATION LAND

WITH MOZAMBIQUE.

THIS AREA USED TO BE CALLED
THE IVORY ROUTE--

INFAMOUS FOR THE TRANSPORT
AND TRADE OF ELEPHANT TUSKS.

SOME THINK THERE ARE STILL
OLD CACHES OF HIDDEN IVORY

THAT NEVER MADE IT OUT.

WHILE THE TRADE IS NO LONGER
LEGAL IN SOUTH AFRICA,

IVORY IS STILL IN DEMAND.

POACHERS ARE A CONSTANT THREAT.

IN JUST THE YEAR 2013,

OVER 20,000 AFRICAN ELEPHANTS
FELL TO POACHERS.

IN THE LAST DECADE,

THEIR POPULATION
HAS BEEN CUT IN HALF.

THE ELEPHANTS IN THIS RESERVE

ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST
IN THE WORLD,

WHICH MAKES THEM A PRIME TARGET.

POACHERS SNEAK IN
WITH AUTOMATIC WEAPONS,

AND ARMED TEMBE RANGERS
TRY TO INTERCEPT THEM

BEFORE A GIANT FALLS.

THIS DEADLY WAR OFTEN PLAYS OUT
IN THE DEEP AFRICAN DARKNESS.

OTHER PARKS FACE
THE SAME THREAT--

EVEN THE BIGGEST, MOST FAMOUS
PARK IN THE COUNTRY.

A STATUE OF FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN
PRESIDENT PAUL KRUGER

GREETS VISITORS AT THE GATE OF
THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST RESERVE--

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK.

THE PARK SPANS
MORE THAN 7,523 SQUARE MILES

OF PRISTINE AFRICAN BUSHVELD.

LOCALS SIMPLY CALL IT
"THE KRUGER."

IT IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S
MOST DIVERSE GAME RESERVES

AND A LEADER
IN SPECIES PRESERVATION.

ANIMALS LIKE ELEPHANTS
HAVE ROAMED HERE

LONG BEFORE PEOPLE
CREATED A PARK.

AND BEFORE THEY WERE PROTECTED,
THEY WERE WIDELY POACHED.

IN THE 1800s THERE WAS RAMPANT
KILLING FOR SKINS AND IVORY.

PAUL KRUGER CONVINCED PARLIAMENT
TO BEGIN PROTECTING THE AREA,

AND BY 1926 IT WAS DESIGNATED
A NATIONAL PARK IN HIS NAME.

THE FIRST MOTORISTS
ENTERED THE PARK

FOR A FEE
OF ONLY ONE BRITISH POUND.

NOW, OVER 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE
VISIT THE KRUGER EVERY YEAR.

BECAUSE IT IS SO VAST,

ONE CAN ONLY VISIT
A SMALL PORTION AT A TIME.

BUFFALO GATHER
AT THE SAND RIVER,

KNOWN AS ONE OF THE BEST
GAME-VIEWING AREAS IN THE WORLD.

IT IS A PERENNIAL RIVER THAT CAN
RUN DRY DURING WINTER MONTHS.

BUT DURING THE DRY SEASON,

ELEPHANTS USE THEIR TRUNKS
TO DIG INTO THE RIVERBED,

LOOKING FOR WATER BELOW GROUND.

AFTER THE ELEPHANTS
HAVE QUENCHED THEIR THIRST,

OTHER ANIMALS, LIKE WATERBUCK,
ARE ATTRACTED TO THE WATERHOLES.

AND ALL THIS ATTRACTS TOURISTS.

THE SAND RIVER RUNS
THROUGH A PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

THAT BORDERS THE KRUGER,
CALLED MALAMALA.

THIS LAND USED TO BE
A HUNTING AREA,

BUT NOW THE PROTECTED ANIMALS
ARE ONLY SHOT WITH CAMERAS.

THE LODGES WITHIN MALAMALA
WERE PIONEERS

IN THE AFRICAN SAFARI INDUSTRY.

THERE ARE NO FENCES BETWEEN
MALAMALA AND THE KRUGER.

IT’S ALL ONE ECOSYSTEM
TO THE ANIMALS.

SPECIES CAN ROAM
BETWEEN THE RESERVES,

AND THAT FREEDOM
BENEFITS ELEPHANTS.

THEY OFTEN WALK
SEVERAL MILES A DAY--

AND UP TO 50 IF FOOD AND WATER
ARE SCARCE.

PEOPLE TRAVEL
A LOT FURTHER THAN THAT

TO STAY AT THE TSHUKUDO LODGE,
WHICH BORDERS THE KRUGER.

THE LODGE OFFERS AN OASIS
OF COMFORT IN THE BUSH.

GUESTS OFTEN SPOT WILDLIFE
AT A NEARBY WATERHOLE

WHILE SWIMMING IN THE POOL.

THE LODGE ISN’T JUST FOR PEOPLE.

IT IS RESPECTED WORLDWIDE FOR
REHABILITATING ORPHANED ANIMALS

AND RELEASING THEM
BACK INTO THE WILD.

BUT RIGHT NEARBY, THE LANDSCAPE
HAS BEEN COMPLETELY TAMED.

TZANEEN IS A FARMING REGION
NEAR THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK.

BEYOND ROW AFTER ROW
OF CITRUS TREES,

THERE IS 8,000 SQUARE MILES
OF CROPS

LIKE MANGOES, AVOCADOS,
AND BANANAS.

RESTAURANTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

SERVE TOMATOES GROWN
IN THIS REGION.

180,000 TONS
OF THE TANGY SWEET FRUIT

ARE PLANTED, PICKED,
AND PACKAGED FOR EXPORT.

FURTHER SOUTH,
NEAR THE TOWN OF NELSPRUIT,

ONE FRUIT FARM HAS STOOD
THE TEST OF TIME.

THE HALL’S FRUIT FARM

WAS FOUNDED IN THE 1850s
BY HUGH HALL.

BY 1940 HALL BECAME WELL KNOWN

FOR OFFERING THE FIRST
MAIL ORDER DELIVERY SERVICE

OF FRESH PRODUCE
VIA THE RAILWAYS

TO HOUSEHOLDS
ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA.

HALL’S CONTINUES
TO DIVERSIFY ITS BUSINESS

AS ONE OF THE LARGEST
FRUIT PRODUCERS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

FOLLOW THE COUNTRYSIDE
FRUIT STANDS,

AND EVENTUALLY YOU’LL FIND
NELSPRUIT,

A BLOSSOMING CITY THAT IS A HUB

FOR ALL OF THE NEARBY
AGRICULTURE.

THERE ARE CANNING
AND JUICING FACILITIES

TUCKED INTO THE CITYSCAPE.

BUT NELSPRUIT, AND ALL
OF THIS REGIONAL AGRICULTURE,

RUNS UP AND DOWN
THE WESTERN FLANK

OF KRUGER NATIONAL PARK.

HAVING THE WILD AND THE TAME
SO CLOSE TOGETHER

IS AN UNPREDICTABLE MIX.

WILD ANIMALS OFTEN WREAK HAVOC
ON CROPS AND LIVESTOCK.

MONKEYS CAN STEAL FRUIT,
AND LIONS CAN KILL CATTLE.

SOME FARMERS USE CYANIDE
TO POISON INVADING PREDATORS.

ONCE POISON
IS IN THE FOOD CHAIN,

OTHER ANIMALS LIKE VULTURES
PAY THE PRICE.

BUT THE TROUBLE FLOWS BOTH WAYS.

THE NATURAL WATERWAYS
OF THE REGION FLOW EASTWARD--

FROM HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
INTO THE KRUGER.

SO BY THE TIME WATER FLOWS
INTO THE PARK,

IT’S OFTEN CONTAMINATED
WITH AGRICULTURAL PESTICIDES

AND EVEN HUMAN WASTE.

WATER IN SOUTH AFRICA
IS AN EVER-CHANGING STORY.

BUT NEARBY, THERE’S A LANDSCAPE

THAT HASN’T CHANGED
FOR MILLENNIA.

THIS HILLSIDE IS COVERED
WITH NATURE’S LIVING FOSSILS.

THEY ARE CALLED CYCAD TREES.

SOME THINK THE TREE
HAS BEEN AROUND

SINCE THE TIME OF THE DINOSAURS.

EACH ONE CAN LIVE
UP TO 1,000 YEARS.

SOME OF THEM CAN GROW
TO ALMOST 40 FEET.

THE SEED CONES ARE HUGE

AND UP TO
TWO AND A HALF FEET LONG

AND WEIGHING UP TO 75 POUNDS.

THE MODJADJI CYCAD RESERVE

IS A WINDOW INTO THIS OVERSIZED,
PREHISTORIC WONDERLAND.

ANOTHER ANCIENT SYSTEM--
THIS TIME, OF GOVERNMENT--

LIES TUCKED BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICA
AND MOZAMBIQUE--

THE TINY NATION OF SWAZILAND.

IT IS ONE OF THE FEW REMAINING
MONARCHIES IN AFRICA.

THE KING RULES
WITH ABSOLUTE POWER,

THOUGH PEOPLE DO ELECT
SOME MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.

SWAZILAND
IS THE SMALLEST COUNTRY

IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE.

BUT IT PUNCHES WELL ABOVE
ITS WEIGHT IN ECONOMIC OUTPUT,

THANKS TO THE WORLD’S
STEADY DEMAND FOR SUGAR.

THE COUNTRY PRODUCES

ALMOST 750,000 TONS
OF SUGAR CANE EVERY YEAR.

ONE REASON
FOR THIS PRODIGIOUS OUTPUT

IS AN OBSCURE AMERICAN
NAMED FRANK ZYBACH.

SUGAR CANE FARMERS USED TO RELY
ON FLOOD IRRIGATION--

A PASSIVE AND INEFFICIENT WAY
TO WATER CROPS.

IN 1949 ZYBACH INVENTED THE
CENTER-PIVOT SPRINKLER SYSTEM.

PUMPED WATER
POWERS A SINGLE SPOKE

THAT GOES AROUND IN CIRCLES
AND IRRIGATES THE FIELD.

THE CROP CIRCLE WAS BORN.

THEY ARE NOW COMMON
ALL OVER THE WORLD

AND CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE.

THE KINGDOM HAS BEEN
SO SUCCESSFUL GROWING SUGAR CANE

THAT COCA-COLA
IS A MAJOR CUSTOMER.

SWAZILAND IS NOW THE LARGEST
EXPORTER OF COKE PRODUCTS

IN SOUTHEASTERN AFRICA.

BUT SUGAR ISN’T THE ONLY SOURCE
OF WEALTH IN SWAZILAND.

IN 1884, A FRENCH PROSPECTOR
NAMED WILLIAM PIGG

FOUND GOLD HERE IN SWAZILAND.

WITHIN A THREE-MILE RADIUS,

30 OTHER GOLD REEFS
WERE UNCOVERED.

A GOLD RUSH WAS ON.

USUALLY, THAT MEANS TRAMPLING
ANYTHING IN THE WAY.

BUT HERE, IT LEFT
A MORE UNEXPECTED LEGACY.

THE PROSPECTORS
NEEDED MORE TIMBER

TO MAKE STRUTS AND SUPPORTS
FOR MINING TUNNELS.

SO THEY PLANTED ACRES
OF TREES...

BLACK WATTLE, PINE,
AND EUCALYPTUS.

THEY ARE NOW SOME OF THE LARGEST
MAN-MADE FORESTS IN THE WORLD.

FOREIGNERS TOOK
LARGE AMOUNTS OF GOLD

OUT OF THE COUNTRY

AND LEFT A SMALL FORTUNE
OF TIMBER BEHIND.

BUT THE MINERS FACED
ANOTHER CHALLENGE--

MOVING HEAVY ORE OVER
THE MOUNTAINS FROM SWAZILAND

TO THE GOLD MARKET
IN SOUTH AFRICA.

♪

THE PROMISE OF PROFITS
DEMANDED A QUICK FIX.

SO THEY CONSTRUCTED A 12-MILE
CABLEWAY ACROSS THE BORDER,

INTO THE SOUTH AFRICAN TOWN
OF BARBERTON.

TODAY, REMNANTS
OF THE CABLE LINE

STILL LOOM OVER THE TOWN.

BUT MANY PARTS HAVE BEEN POACHED
FOR THE METAL.

HISTORY DECAYS
WHILE THE FUTURE PUSHES ON.

TODAY, THE DRAW IS SCENERY.

PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER

TO TRAVEL A STUNNING PATH
CALLED THE PANORAMA ROUTE.

PANORAMA IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

THE SWADINI BUTTRESS IS THE
HIGHEST CLIFF OF THE CANYON--

SOME 3,200 FEET HIGH.

THE GRAND CANYON IN ARIZONA
MAY BE THE LARGEST,

BUT THE BLYDE RIVER CANYON
IS THE GREENEST.

AT SOME SPOTS
IT’S ALMOST A MILE DEEP

AND A HALF A MILE WIDE.

SUBTROPICAL FOLIAGE
PAINTS THE STEEP GORGES

AND WELCOMES WILDLIFE
FROM ANTELOPE TO HIPPOS.

THE CANYON IS PART OF THE
NORTHERN DRAKENSBERG ESCARPMENT,

WHERE GAPING RIPS IN THE EARTH
APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE.

STEEP, FORESTED SLOPES
AND CASCADING WATERFALLS

LINE THE SHARP,
FOREBODING RIDGE-LINE.

ONE VIEWPOINT
IS CALLED GOD’S WINDOW.

HERE MAJESTIC CLIFFS PLUNGE DOWN
OVER 2,000 FEET.

HIKERS EXPLORE
THE MOUNTAINTOP FOREST

AND ON A CLEAR DAY CAN SEE
ALL THE WAY TO KRUGER PARK

FROM THESE
CLIFF-SIDE VIEWPOINTS.

BUT IT’S NOT THE ONLY VERTICAL
ATTRACTION ALONG THE ESCARPMENT.

PINNACLE ROCK
IS A HUNDRED-FOOT SPIRE

THAT APPEARS TO BE
STANDING GUARD OVER THE VIEW.

THE LANDSCAPE WAS FORMED

WHEN ANTARCTICA BROKE FREE
FROM AFRICA

200 MILLION YEARS AGO,

CAUSING THE BROKEN EDGE
OF THE CONTINENT TO TILT UP.

♪

IT NOT ONLY CREATED
STUNNING VIEWS--

IT ALSO REVEALED THE GOLD

THAT SPARKED THE FOREIGN
STAMPEDE IN THE 1800s.

THE NAMES OF WATERFALLS

REFLECT THE NATIONS WHO
CASHED IN AND THEN CHECKED OUT.

HERE, MAC-MAC FALLS IS NAMED
AFTER SCOTTISH MINERS

WHO BLASTED AWAY ROCKS
TO UNCOVER GOLD DEPOSITS.

LISBON FALLS, NAMED
AFTER THE PORTUGUESE CAPITAL,

IS THE HIGHEST WATERFALL
IN THE AREA,

PLUMMETING OVER 300 FEET.

WHEREVER THEY FOUND GOLD,
NEARBY TOWNS BOOMED.

♪

THIS IS THE TINY TOWN
OF LEYDSDORP.

IN THE MID-1880s
IT WAS A COSMOPOLITAN TOWN

OF 3,000 MINERS AND OPPORTUNISTS
FROM ALL OVER--

FROM KALGOORLIE TO THE KLONDIKE.

NO FEWER THAN EIGHT PUBS
SLAKED THEIR THIRST.

CHARACTERS NAMED MICA BILL,
PARAFFIN JOE, BRANDY SMITH,

AND THE HEAVENLY TWINS,

MINED CLAIMS CALLED
THE OLD BIRTHDAY,

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, ANTELOPE,
AND BLUE JACKET.

LEYDSDORP HAS SHRUNK BACK
TO A POPULATION OF LESS THAN 10.

IT CALLS ITSELF "THE SMALL TOWN
WITH A BIG CEMETERY."

MALARIA ACCOUNTED FOR MOST
OF THE NAMES IN THIS GRAVEYARD.

LIONS AND BARROOM BRAWLS
LAID THE REST TO REST.

BUT IN THE HEART OF SOUTH AFRICA
LIES A GOLD RUSH TOWN

THAT GREW OUT OF NOTHING
AND KEPT RIGHT ON GROWING.

♪

ONCE ALL OF THIS
WAS OPEN SAVANNAH,

UNTIL THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD
IN 1884.

WITHIN 10 YEARS, THERE WERE
100,000 PEOPLE MINING NEW CLAIMS

ALL OVER THE BURGEONING TOWN.

THE NEW COMMUNITY
QUICKLY NEEDED A NAME.

HISTORY IS UNCLEAR,
BUT MANY THINK IT WAS NAMED

AFTER ONE OF THE MANY DUTCH MEN
THAT RUSHED IN.

THEY NAMED IT JOHANNESBURG.

TODAY, IT IS WIDELY KNOWN
AS SIMPLY "JOBURG."

IN JUST 100 YEARS,

IT BURST INTO THE BIGGEST CITY
IN SOUTH AFRICA.

JOHANNESBURG SITS

ON TOP OF THE WORLD’S
MOST PRODUCTIVE GOLD REEF.

ALL THIS MINERAL WEALTH
CONTRIBUTED TO THE MAKING

OF AN EXTREMELY
PROSPEROUS CITY--

PRODUCING 20% OF AFRICA’S
ECONOMIC OUTPUT.

THE BOOM THAT GOLD BEGAN
SIMPLY HASN’T STOPPED.

BUT THERE HAVE BEEN PLENTY
OF BUMPS ALONG THE WAY.

THE TELKOM JOBURG TOWER IS
THE TALLEST STRUCTURE IN AFRICA

AT 883 FEET.

SINCE 1971 IT HAS WITNESSED

THE RISE, FALL, AND RENEWAL
OF DOWNTOWN JOBURG.

WHEN DOWNTOWN BECAME CHIC
IN THE 1970s,

IT WAS EXCLUSIVE URBAN LIVING.

BUT IT WAS FOR WHITES ONLY.

APARTHEID LAWS SEGREGATED
APARTMENTS IN THE CITY,

NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD.

BUT WHEN THE NATION
WAS ON THE CUSP OF DEMOCRACY

IN THE EARLY ’90s, WHITES
STARTED MOVING OUT OF DOWNTOWN.

THE CITY COUNCIL
STOPPED MANAGING THE AREA.

ENTIRE BUILDINGS WERE ABANDONED,

AND CRIMINAL ELEMENTS
STARTED TAKING CONTROL

IN BLOCK-BY-BLOCK ANARCHY.

ONE FAMOUS APARTMENT BUILDING
CALLED THE PONTE

BECAME WHAT ONE NEWSPAPER CALLED

"THE TALLEST AND GRANDEST
URBAN SLUM IN THE WORLD."

UNDER FULL DEMOCRACY,

THE NEIGHBORHOODS
HAVE MADE THEIR WAY BACK--

ALLOWING DOWNTOWN
TO SLOWLY RE-MAKE ITSELF

INTO A MIXED-RACE, MIXED-USE,
VIBRANT CITY CENTER.

AS THE CITY EXPANDED,

SUBURBS BEGAN TAKING ON
THEIR OWN IDENTITY.

THE SUBURB OF SANDTON IS
THE MANHATTAN OF SOUTH AFRICA

AND AFRICA’S RICHEST
SQUARE MILE.

IT IS THE HEADQUARTERS FOR THE
WORLD’S BIGGEST MINING HOUSES

AND THE JOHANNESBURG
STOCK EXCHANGE.

BUT JOHANNESBURG
HASN’T LEFT NATURE BEHIND.

IT IS KNOWN AS THE LARGEST
MAN-MADE URBAN FOREST

IN THE WORLD.

THERE ARE OVER 10 MILLION TREES
IN THE CITY.

NEW YORK CITY
HAS ABOUT HALF AS MANY.

IN JOBURG, AS IN THE REST
OF SOUTH AFRICA,

DYNAMIC TENSION
MOVES EVERYTHING FORWARD.

URBAN AND RURAL...

WILD AND TAME...

BLACK AND WHITE.

THIS NATION CAN BALANCE IT ALL

AND PROPEL ITSELF INTO PLACES
NO ONE EXPECTED...

BY EMBRACING
THE SPIRIT OF UBUNTU...

A QUALITY THAT INCLUDES
THE ESSENTIAL HUMAN VIRTUES

OF COMPASSION AND HUMANITY.

FROM THE CRADLE OF HUMANKIND...

TO THE CITY OF GOLD...

THESE VIRTUES ARE SHARED...

MOLDED GENTLY INTO ITS PEOPLE
BY THE HANDS OF A GIANT.

NELSON MANDELA’S LEGACY
IS UBUNTU BROUGHT TO LIFE.

♪

♪

♪