South Africa voted one of the most beautiful countries in the world

South Africa was voted number 10 in the ranking of the most beautiful countries worldwide. This is according to a ranking by Rough Guides, an online trip-planning company.

HOW DID THE VOTING TAKE PLACE?

The voting process involved people from around the world participating in this yearly ranking by Rough Guides aimed at identifying the world’s top 20 most beautiful countries. Various categories such as the landscapes, culture, people, architecture, and food, were taken into account when rating a country.

This year, New Zealand claimed the top spot being voted as the world’s most beautiful country. In the second place, is last year’s winner, Italy, according to Business Tech. According to participants, “the contrast in scenery between the mountains and beaches and beauty to be found in the people and culture,” is what places New Zealand at the top of the list.

THE TOP 10

With New Zealand in the top spot and Italy in the second place, here are the other countries that made the top 10:

3. Canada

4. Switzerland

5. France

6. United Kingdom

7. Norway

8. Australia

9. Greece

10. South Africa

What voters love the most about South Africa is the diversity, landscapes, culture, wine, people, and food. Although Namibia received a fair amount of nominations, South Africa was the only country in Africa to make the top 20.

WHAT MAKES SOUTH AFRICA BEAUTIFUL?

Different.org, an online crowdfunding philanthropy platform that funds projects in South Africa, lists the following reasons for South Africa being a beautiful country:

• Natural and man-made wonders, e.g. Table Mountain
• Beautiful coastal drives, e.g. the Garden Route
• Diverse ecosystems and wildlife, e.g. whales and grazing elephants
• Floral tapestry, e.g. the King Protea.
• Spectacular sunsets – no matter where you are in South Africa, the skies are decorated with beautiful hues and colours at sunset

COUNTRIES THAT MADE THE TOP 20

The countries that made Rough Guides’ top 20 are:

11. United States of America

12. Chile

13. Iceland

14. Argentina

15. Croatia

16. India

17. Indonesia

18. Portugal

19.Slovenia

20. Japan

SA: WINNER OF THE 2023 TELEGRAPH AWARDS

Almost 30 000 readers of The Telegraph newspaper crowned South Africa as their favourite country in the world in the 2023 Telegraph Travel Awards. They highlighted Cape Town (mentioning Table Mountain in particular), the Garden Route, the Drakensberg range, Stellenbosch and its wine regions, and Kruger National Park as top destinations in the country.