@C Erskine: “Purely scientific and objective: England is the most beautiful country on Earth because it contains Old Winchester Hill where I asked my wife to marry me in 1976. Also Eastbourne, where my three children were born and West Sussex where I live close to one of my daughters and her family, with my other family only an hour away. “There’s also the South Downs, Dorset, Cotswolds, Shropshire, Kent and Devon.” @Kiki Deedee: “In my opinion, we Brits have one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Plus, we have so much history. For example, travel the Welsh foothills and you can feel the history all around you. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.” @Malcolm Pirouet: “The most beautiful place on earth is the British Isles. Not because it’s objectively the most beautiful place, but because it’s my home. There’s the chocolate countryside in Oxfordshire, the wild cliffs and moors of Cornwall and our relatively gentle mountain landscapes. Home is home and it touches you more.”
Why South Africa should be ranked higher
Even lower in the ranking was South Africa, which came 29th (below, among others, Germany). Our country expert Pippa de Bruyn says: “It’s the diversity of South Africa’s geography that makes it such an exciting destination. From the Kalahari Desert in the north, where black lions roam the Sienna Dunes, to the Overberg coastline that sees the annual return of Southern Right Whales to give birth and nurse their young. from the majesty of the Drakensberg peaks to the iconic flat-topped mountain that hugs Cape Town’s harbour. This is a great country to which you will want to return again and again, as many do.” Several readers also sang its praises. @Paul Buddery: “South Africa should be up there. It has so much – game reserves, the Drakensberg, spectacular coastlines, Cape Town, the Cape Peninsula, wine estates and wonderful people.” @Paul Sutcliffe: “South Africa is a beautiful country and arguably the most beautiful in Africa. Very few countries are in the same league.” @Genevieve Black: “South Africa is undoubtedly the most beautiful country, with beaches, mountains, forests, vineyards and deserts. Not to mention the huge national parks full of animals that don’t exist on any other continent.”
