> What’s the currency used in South Africa?And the answer: rand. Photo courtesy: VCG ImageThe rand takes its name from the Witwatersrand, whichtranslates to "white waters' ridge," and is where Johannesburg was built. A banknote featuring the image of Nelson Mandela is commonly referred to as a"randela."South Africa is home to an ancient and rich cultural history. Signs of humaninhabitance in the region date back millions of years. In fact, some of theoldest human fossils have been discovered in a cave formation near Johannesburgnow known as the "Cradle of Humanity." There are even hunter-gatherer tribesthat originally moved into the region about 24,000 years ago still living aroundthe Kalahari Desert in the northwest of the country, as their ancestors did. South Africa is nicknamed the "rainbow nation" on account of its colorfulcultural milieu. The nation has 11 official languages, and many more unofficial,as well as a diverse and steadily changing population. Much of this success canbe attributed to revolutionary and South African president Nelson Mandela, whochanged the face of the nation forever with his successful but hard-won effortsto end the oppressive state of apartheid in 1993. Mandela and former SouthAfrican president Frederik Willem de Klerk reached a peaceful agreement on thefuture of South Africa at the end of the year, an achievement for which theyjointly received the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.Contained within South Africa's borders are Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Tswana, Ndebele,Khoisan, Hindu, Muslim, and Afrikaner peoples, to name a few. Though varied,each identity who calls South Africa home is a necessary contribution to thecountry’s heritage and culture. Music is an essential element of South African culture. Check out the videobelow for a taste of South African house music.