Sun City

Sun City is a resort in the North West Province, quite near the city of Rustenburg and about 2 hours from Johannesburg by car. It opened in December 1979 and offered people the chance to gamble in the casinos, something which was illegal in the rest of the country. The reason people were allowed to gamble here is because the government declared the state of Bo'phuthats'wana independent from the rest of South Africa and so it could have different laws.

Many famous international performers came to do concerts here, but more famously a large group of artists refused to come in protest against the apartheid government of the time. They even recorded a song in 1985 called 'Sun City' in which they expressed their opposition to apartheid.

However, the resort was an immediate success and continues to be so today. There are 4 hotels and 2 international golf courses, designed by South Africa's greatest ever golfer Gary Player. On the thirteenth hole of one of the courses lives a group of crocodiles. If you hit your ball into the lake there, it's a good idea to leave it where it is or risk being eaten by a happy crocodile.

So, here are some facts and figures on South Africa's most famous resort:

• The farm next to the resort which supplies it with fruit and vegetables grows 17 different varieties of lettuce.
• It has a wave pool where you can even go surfing!
• The gardens in the Lost City resort contain more than 1 million trees and plants.
• To build the Lost City they used more than 30 million bricks.
• The elephant tusks at the entrance are nearly 6 metres high but aren't real - they are in fact made of wood and weigh 2 tons each.
• 5000 people worked to build the resort and finished it in just over 16 months.
• The entertainment centre opened in 1981 and the first person to perform there was Frank Sinatra.
• The first golf tournament played there was won by - Gary Player, the man who designed the course!