South Africa Currency 200 Rand banknote 1994 African leopard
South African Reserve Bank - Suid-Afrikaanse Reserwebank
The Famous Big Five animals of Africa
Leopard, African Buffalo, Transvaal Lion, African Elephant, Rhinoceros
Obverse: Close-up of a Leopard head at right and a vignette showing a leopard lying above the branch of a tree at center. Outline drawings of various round geometric figures at the bottom. Outline drawing of round geometric figure with coinciding register, as security measure at lower left corner. The parts printed on the back perfectly match the ones on the front. At the top are the name of the bank in Afrikaans "Suid-Afrikaanse Reserwebank" and in English "South African Reserve Bank" at the bottom. The face value of the banknote in arabic numerals "200" at center, in numerals and words: in English "TWO HUNDRED RAND" at right and Afrikaans "TWEE HONDERD RAND" along the left side of the banknote.
Signature: Chris Stals - President Governor of the South African Reserve Bank. (Dr. Christian Lodewyk Stals, better known as Chris Stals (born 13 March 1935) was the seventh Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, serving from 8 August 1989 to 7 August 1999. He succeeded Dr. Gerhard de Kock who had died in office).
Reverse: The theme of this banknote reverse is Transport and Telecommunications. The Bloukrans Bridge at center. On left side is a big satellite dish, symbolizing telecommunication. Centered, above, are three images: Left one reminds a the turbine of an aircraft, centered image - stylized wheel of car/truck/tractor and right one reminds the wheel of an Electric locomotive - as symbols of Transport. At the top are the name of the bank in Afrikaans "Suid-Afrikaanse Reserwebank" and in English "South African Reserve Bank" at the bottom. The face value of the banknote in arabic numerals "200" at center, in numerals and words: in English "TWO HUNDRED RAND 200" at right and Afrikaans "TWEE HONDERD RAND 200" along the left side of the banknote.
Watermark: The African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) and electrotype 200.
Size: 152 × 70 mm.
Printer: South African Bank Note Company Ltd, Pretoria.
Bloukrans Bridge
The Bloukrans Bridge is an arch bridge located near Nature's Valley, Western Cape, South Africa. Constructed between February 1980 and June 1983, the bridge stands at a height of 216m above the Bloukrans River. Its central span is 272m and the bridge is 451m in length in total. Its primary use is that of a road bridge, carrying national route N2.
Bloukrans Bridge is the site of the world's highest commercial bridge bungee jumping, Bloukrans Bridge Bungy, operated by Face Adrenalin since 1997. The Bloukrans River below forms the border between the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces and is located in the Tsitsikamma region of the Garden Route.
The Famous Big Five animals of Africa
Africa is an environment with a diverse fauna and flora, that captures the hearts and minds of all who visit this beautiful content. A few animals, however, has been awarded a very special award, the Big Five. The famous Big Five refers to five of Africa's greatest wild animals - the Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, and Buffalo.
The term "Big Five" was originally coined by hunters, and referred to the five most difficult animals to hunt on foot in Africa. The Big Five wasn't chosen for their size, but rather for the difficulty in hunting them, and the degree of danger involved.
The term is still used today in most tourist and wildlife guides, and are usually high on the priority list and a real treat for many a visitor to African game reserves.
African Elephant
The African Elephant is a very large herbivore with thick, almost hairless skin. The upper incisors of the elephant forms long curved tusks of ivory.
The African Elephant is difficult to spot because despite its large size, they are able to hide in tall grass, and more likely to charge than other species.
Lion
The Lion is a large carnivorous feline, with a short tawny coat and a tufted tail. Males have magnificent heavy manes around their necks and shoulders.
Considered by many the best of the Big Five, lions are very dangerous animals, and would attack if given a chance.
Cape Buffalo
The African Buffalo is a large horned bovid. Buffalos are considered the most dangerous of the Big Five, reportedly having caused many hunter deaths. Buffalos are known as the "Black Death" in Africa, with wounded animals reportedly ambushing and attacking its pursuers.
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros (also called Rhino for short) are large, thick-skinned herbivores with one or two upright horns on the nasal bridge. Rhinos are able to reach one tonne or more in weight.
Rhinos are listed as "critically endangered" by the IUCN Red List, as they are killed by humans for their valuable horns, which are made of keratin, and wrongly believed by some to act as an aphrodisiac, amongst other things.
Leopard
The Leopard is a large, carnivorous feline with either tawny fur with dark rosetto-like markings, or black fur. Leopards are very difficult to spot as they have nocturnal feeding habits and secretive nature. Leopards are also extremely wary of humans, and will take flight in the face of danger.