Minerals: Diamonds, gold, coal, iron ore, chrome, copper, emerald, fluorspar, ilmenite, lead, manganese, nickel, phosphate, silica, tin, vanadium, uranium, zinc and zircon. Independence: 31 May 1910 Area: 1,221,037 km2 Mining fact: The Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa is the largest gold resource in the world.This is also where the world's …Web