In celebration of 60 years of publishing in South Africa, the June edition of Reader's Digest South Africa features 60 reasons for us to remember why South Africa is unique. Here they are:

1. Everything Nelson. At last count, 91 streets all over the world are named after Mandela. At 295 metres, the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg is the largest cable-stayed bridge in southern Africa. Nelson Mandela has been honoured in many ways, with everything from spiders to nuclear particles, universities and scholarships bearing his name.

2. Best memory. April is the month to remember those thrilling days when we stood uncomplaining in queues to vote in the country's first democratic elections.

3. Best fashion statement. Shweshwe fabric was brought to SA by German settlers, but has become a favourite among Xhosa women, and lately among the country's trendy designers.

4. The Cradle of Mankind is a World Heritage site with fossils dating back millions of years. Other World Heritage sites include Robben Island and Mpungubwe.

5. Best stitchwork. The entrance to SA's Parliament is given warmth and character thanks to a 120-metre Keiskamma Tapestry, the work of 100 previously unemployed women.

6. Best noisemaker. The Vuvuzela is designed to inspire fear in the opposition.

7. Best bush. Rooibos is a uniquely South African tea now exported all over the world.

8. Best sandpile. One by one the mine dumps of Johannesburg have disappeared. Now the giant Top Star dump is due to undergo processing but the Provincial Heritage Resource Authority of Gauteng is fighting to preserve it.

9. Best headgear. Makaraba are colourfully decorated helmets said to have originated 40 years ago as way to protect the head from flying bottles thrown by enraged fans.

10. Best pastime. Beware of your opponents trying to eat your cows — that is if you're playing a game of Ijuva, which along with other indigenous games is making a comeback.

11. Best everyday nosh. Includes Marula berries, Amadumbes and Mopani worms which are now being marketed by a Bloemfontein based co-operative.

12. Best audience participation art. The public arm-wrestling podium in Church Street, Cape Town.

13. Best Boerekos. No community festival is complete without a Potjiekos competition.

14. Best instrument. For over 100 years cash-strapped SA guitarists have made their own instruments using old oil cans.

15. Best bash. The Mother City Queer Party.

16. Best views of the stars. Sutherland in the Karoo.

17. Best high jumps. The Bloukrans Bridge is the world’s third highest bungee jump.

18. Best foefie slide. Mpumalanga's Graskop offers the world's highest cable gorge swing.

19. Best down-down. The world's deepest pub is located in the old mine shaft at Gold Reef City.

20. Best park. The Kruger National Park covers nearly two million hectares.

21. Best big hole. Kimberley's Big Hole has yielded 2722kgs of diamonds.

22. Best wood. The Sagole Baobab in Limpopo and an Indian Rubber tree in Cape Town share the title of SA's biggest tree.

23. Best teeth. The Carcharodontosaurus is one of 26 fascinating beasts in the book Famous Dinosaurs of Africa.

24. Best flower. The Erica, E. recurvata is a plant that had not been seen for over 200 years. It was re-discovered in the crevice of a rock last year.

25. Best amphibian. Only two centimetres long, the micro frog is found in Betty's Bay and Kenilworth in Cape Town.

26. Best mountain. Table Mountain in Cape Town can be seen from 200 kilometres out to sea.

27. Best caves. At three kilometres, the Cango Caves is the longest cave sequence in the world.

28. Best trees. Johannesburg, once a grassland with only a few scattered shrubs, is now an urban forest with an estimated 4.8 million trees.

29. Best breeding. One hundred years after the death of the last Quagga, scientists have revitalised the species.

30. Best beasts. The big seven? Elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard, rhino, the southern right whale and the Great White Shark.

31. Best water feature. The PlayPump which uses children's playful energy to pump water from a borehole.

32. Best bedroom accessory. The Condom Applicator won SA's Most Beautiful Object at the 2007 Design Indaba.

33. Best wind-up. The Freeplay radio.

34. Best hook-up. The Komhiso — a rotatable wheel with a handle that simplifies parking of your caravan in a tight spot.

35. Best protector. The 3Pee (Pin-Plug-Puller) which fits over any plug, making it easier to pull out of the wall socket without the danger of shocking yourself.

36. Best suck-up. The Kreepy Krauly is still one of SA's most successful inventions.

37. Best whimsy. Ardmore Ceramics is an empowerment project involving 70 artists.

38. Best roller. The Hippo Water Roller is a labour-saving invention helping rural people transport water.

39. Best craft. Making use of the ancient African art of creative beadwork.

40. Best twist. Creative wirework is exported all around the world.

41. Desmond Tutu

42. Lucas Radebe

43. Pieter Dirk Uys

44. Gary Player

45. Charlize Theron

46. Ryk Neethling

47. David Kramer

48. Mark Shuttleworth

49. Zola

50. Nadine Gordimer

51. Miriam Makeba

52. 'Baby Jake' Matlala

53. William Kentridge

54. Bryan Habana

55. Best tent. The Theatre of Dreams, a tent imported from Belgium, which houses Madam Zinagara's restaurant in Cape Town.

56. Best green design. Discarded plastic containers become exquisite balls of light and colour in the hands of sculpture Heath Nash.

57. Best adventure. Two SA endurance athletes were the first people to run the length of the Great Wall of China.

58. Best fine dining. Le Quartier Francais has been named as one of the world's 50 best restaurants for the past three years.

59. Best ice men. Alex Harris and Sibusiso Vilane were the first South Africans to walk unassisted to the South Pole.

60. Best recycler. Jan 'Outa Lappies' Schoeman, the Prince Albert artist who decorates everything from himself to local buildings with recycled materials.

To read the entire article buy the June edition of Reader's Digest or visit www.readersdigest.co.za