slideshow

Madiba naming mania

The number of places named after Nelson Mandela is staggering --- worldwide his name graces road signs, buildings, stadiums, and more. We take a look at a few.

Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, Johannesburg is home to restaurants and shops and everyone's not-so-favourite bronze Madiba statue. (AFP)
Nelson Mandela bridge in Johannesburg city centre adds a colourful neon flair to the city skyline. (Lucky Nxumalo, Gallo)
South Africa isn’t the only country to name a bridge after Mandela, here is another one in Zoetermeer in the Netherlands. (Isabel Fagg)
The icon also has a protea named after him. The Protea cynaroides cultivar is known as 'Madiba' and was named after Nelson Mandela on the occasion of his 80th birthday in 1998.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is home to Port Elizabeth (pictured here), Uitenhage and Despatch and is the only metropolitan area that was allowed by the former president to bear his name. (AFP)
The Nelson Mandela Bay stadium was built in Port Elizabeth ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. (Rainer Schimpf, Gallo)
And here's another one -- the Mandela National Stadium of Namboole, in Uganda. (Michele Sibiloni, AFP)
While Port Elizabeth was on a roll, naming everything after Madiba, the city's university was also renamed to Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
Rhodes University in Grahamstown named one of their newest residential halls after Nelson Mandela.
Then there are the roads, drives, avenues of all shapes and sizes named after the great man. Nelson Mandela Drive in Bloemfontein (pictured here) and every other province of South Africa has roads named after him. This trend extends to the UK, Europe and India. (Google street view)
The swanky Mandela Rhodes hotel in central Cape Town is a hit with the tourists.
We even noted the Madiba restaurant in New York, which brings traditional South African food to the Big Apple.
Nelson Mandela chats with a 2008 Mandela Rhodes Scholar. The Nelson Mandela Foundation manages Madiba's affairs and is responsible for the prestigious Mandela Rhodes scholarship. The scholarship is awarded on the basis of high academic merit and leadership potential. (Alexander Joe, AFP)
Nelson Mandela was born in Umtata in the Eastern Cape. Here, the appropriately named Madiba trail gives structure to the area for visitors who want to explore his history. The route starts in King Williams Town, moves through Bhisho to Umtata and the Nelson Mandela Museum. The museum is spread over three locations - Umtata, Qunu and Mveso.