3. Physical Features
• Amazing scenery
• Grassy plains, steamy swamps, mighty
rivers, rocky waterfalls, & steep mts. and
plateaus
4. Plateaus & Mountains
• Most of land lies on large plateau
• Land rises sharply from narrow coastal
plain
• Escarpment: the steep face at the edge of
a plateau or other raised area
• Drakensberg Mt. range make up
eastern escarpment
• Inyanga Mts. separate Zimbabwe &
Mozambique
5. Plains & Rivers
• Plains:
• Grassy & home to lions, leopards, elephants,
baboons, & antelope
• Rivers:
• Okavango River
• Never reaches the ocean; forms inland delta
that is home to crocodiles, zebras, hippos, &
other animals
• Orange River
• Passes through Augrabies Falls
• 19 separate waterfalls
• Limpopo River:
• Flows into Indian Ocean
• Waterfalls & other obstacles block ships
• Allow irrigation for farmland
6. Climate & Vegetation
• Climate varies from east to west
• East coast:
• Wet & rainy
• West:
• Very dry
• Deserts w/ semiarid & steppe climates
7. Savanna & Deserts
• Savanna
• Cover much of South Africa
• Shrubs & short trees
• Grassy plains (veld)
• Namib Desert
• Some parts get ½ inch of rainfall per
year
• Plants get water from dew & fog
• Kalahari Desert
• Northern part gets rain to support
grasses & trees
• Mostly covered with scattered shrubs
8. Tropical Forests
• Madagascar
• Lush vegetation & tropical forests
• Species of animals only found here
• 50 species of lemurs
9. Resources
• Rich in natural resources
• Forests provide timber
• Rivers supply hydroelectricity and
irrigation
• Minerals
• Most valuable
• Gold, diamond, coal, platinum,
copper, uranium, & iron ore
• Mines are good to the economy, but
can be damaging to the environment
11. Early History
• Landscape & climate have influenced
history
• Monsoon winds blow different
directions depending on time of year
• Ancient ships used these winds to
make regular trading voyages
between Africa & Asia
12. The Khoisan
• 18,000 B.C. The Khoisan hunter-gatherers
lived in the region.
• Left paintings of people & animals on
rock surfaces
• Some descendants live today &
Khoisan language is used (unusual
click sounds)
• Bantu Migrations
• 1,500–2,000 years ago Bantu
migrations spread from central Africa.
• Today there are more than 200 Bantu
languages
• Early Bantu people introduced the use
13. Shona & Swahili
• A.D. 1000 Bantu group Shona built an
empire
• Farmed, raised cattle, & traded gold
• Constructed stone-walled towns called
zimbabwe
• Traded with Swahili speaking people
• Adopted Islam and other Arab customs
by A.D. 1100s
• Sailors & traders
• Also traded in Asia
14. Madagascar
• 1st settlers came from Asia, A.D. 700
• Culture shows influence from both Africa &
Asia
• Malagasy is the official language, & it is
related to languages spoken in Indonesia
• Many root words from the Bantu
language
15. Mozambique
• 1500s Portugese set up forts in
Mozambique
• Hoped to take over gold trade
• Established large estates along the
Zambezi River & used slaves
• 1700s & 1800s became an important part
of the slave trade
• Slaves were captured & sent as slaves to
Brazil & other parts of the world
16. Dutch, British, & Portuguese
• Cape of Good Hope
• Lacked gold & copper, but had
Mediterranean climate & no mosquitoes
• 1652 Dutch set up trade stations near the
Cape
• Became know as Cape Town
• Provided supplies for ships
• Slaves brought in to work
• Afrikaners & Afrikaans
• new languages developed in Cape Town
• Afrikaners = white descendents of the
original colonists
• Colureds = descendents from
Malays, Khoisan, or a mixture of these with
Europeans
17. British Colony
• Afrikaner frontier farmers called Boers spread
out from the original colony
• 1800s British took over the Cape
• Boers resisted British colonial government
• Many moved farther east & north
• Movement called the Great Trek
• Bantu speaking Zulu became a powerful
fighting force
• Conquered surrounding African peoples,
creating their own empire
• Zulu & Boers clashed at the time when
Boers moved into their territory
• Zulu challenged by the British & defeated
after a series of battles
18. Changing Trade Patterns
• British banned slavery in empire in 1833
• Angola & Mozambique remained main
Portuguese slave markets
• Late 1800s slave trade ended
• Focus moved to ivory
• Elephant populations were wiped out in
some parts of Africa
• Then to diamonds & gold
19. Apartheid
• Dividing people into 4 groups based off of
race
• White, blacks, Coloureds, & Asians
• Each group given rural “homeland”
• Not good for farming, mining, or did
not have natural resources
• Blacks: had bad housing, healthcare, &
schools
• Whites: had best stuff
• Coloureds: ok, better than blacks
• Townships:
• Where blacks lived
• Overcrowded clusters of tiny home
21. Culture
• Diverse culture created
• Both European & African influences
• 100s of different ethnic groups
22. Language
• Many different languages
• Related to Khoisan or Bantu
• Khoisan: series of click sounds; live
in remote areas of Botswana and
Namibia
• Bantu: 200 languages; 11 are official
languages of South Africa
• European languages are spoken as
well
23. Religion
• Europeans brought Christianity
• Traditional African religions
• Ancestors & spirits of dead have divine
powers
• Mix of Christianity & traditional African
religion
24. Celebrations and Art
• Day of independence celebrated
• Christian holidays are important
• Many cultures reflected in art
• Ethnic designs in
clothing, lamps, linens, etc.
25. Diamonds, Gold, & Colonies
• 1860s diamonds were discovered
• 1886 gold was discovered in Transvaal, a
Boers controlled area
• Thousands of British & others came
• Railroads were built to connect the
interior with the coast
• As the British moved north the Boers
moved north into Botswana
• Botswana rulers asked the British for
protection from the Boers
• 1885 Botswana came under British
control
• Southern Africa became divided between
26. South Africa
• 1899 tensions over land & mineral wealth
led to war between the Boers & British
• Usually out numbered Boers held off
British armies for three years
• 1920 following the defeat of Germany in
WWI Namibia was placed under South
Africa’s control
29. South Africa
• Stable gov’t &
strong economy
• New rights &
freedoms
• Resolving
problems from
the past
• Still many
challenges
30. End of Apartheid
• Has been biggest challenge
• People around the world objected to
apartheid laws
• Sanctions were imposed on South
Africa
• Banned trade, refused to invest
money, scientific & sports
organization excluded South
Africans in meetings & competitions
• Isolated South Africa
• Protest within increased
• African National Congress (ANC)
outlawed
• Formed to protect the rights of black
31. • Protests continued
• 1980s
• South Africa began to move away from
apartheid system
• 1990
• Political prisoners released (i.e.: Nelson
Mandela)
• Mandela became president in 1994
• Today
• All races have equal rights
• Schools, universities, hospitals, &
transportation open to all
• Economic equality is moving slower
32. Government & Economy
• Positioned to create better future for country
• Republic & elected president
• Constitution emphasizes equality & human rights
• Government is trying to create jobs & better
working conditions
• Especially black workers & farmers
• Most of industries still controlled by wealthy
whites
• Fear of rapid reform could weaken the economy
• Drive educated & wealthy whites to leave the
country
• Resources
• Coal & hydroelectric power
• Uranium mines provide fuel for nuclear power
plants
• Gold & diamonds, copper, platinum, iron ore, &
33. Other Countries of Southern Africa
• Lesotho & Swaziland
• Influenced by South Africa
• Both enclaves: small territory surrounded by foreign
territory
• Lesotho has few resources or ag. Land
• Many work in South Africa
• Highest female literacy rate in Africa
• Swaziland
• Mineral deposits & industry
• Cattle raising & farming
• Good transportation system helps with foreign trade
• Both are kingdoms
34. Namibia
• Gained independence from South Africa in
1990
• Republic w/ elected president & legislature
• Few live in the deserts
• Deserts have rich mineral deposits
• Diamonds, copper, uranium, lead, &
zinc
• Fishing in Atlantic Ocean & sheep
ranching are important sources of income
• Strong economy, but most people are poor
35. Botswana
• Big Success story
• Thanks to: Mineral resources & stable
democratic gov’t
• Main economic activities
• Diamond mining & cattle ranching
• International industries built recently
• Tourism is increasing
• High unemployment rate, but world’s
highest rates of economic growth since
1960s
36. Zimbabwe
• Poor economy & political instability
• Does not lack resources
• Gold & copper mines and agriculture &
manufacturing
• High inflation, debts, & war have hurt
economy
• Much inequality
• Whites make up less than 1% of population
but own most of large farms & ranches
• 2000 gov’t program started to take land
away from white farmers & give to black
residents
• Many white farmers have left
country & caused food shortages
• Land reform attempt, poor economy, & violent
acts against political opponents have made
people upset w/ president
37. Mozambique
• One of world’s poorest countries
• Economy damaged by civil wars, but is
improving
• Ports ship products from interior of Africa
• Taxes on shipments is important part of
economy
• Plantations grow cashews, cotton, & sugar
for export
• Imports more than it exports
• Relies on foreign aid
38. Madagascar & Comoros
• Madagascar
• Ruled by socialist dictator for more than 20
years
• Today elected president working to
improve economy
• Income comes from exports of
coffee, vanilla, sugar, & cloves
• Some manufacturing
• Tourism is important
• Comoros
• Made up of 4 tiny islands
• Lack of resources & political instability
• Struggling to improve education &
promote tourism
39. Issues & Challenges
• Poverty is a serious challenge of the region
• Droughts often destroy food crops
• Many people are unemployed
• Disease
• High number of people w/ HIV
• Gov’t trying to educate people to slow the
spread
• Environmental destruction
• Deforestation = soil erosion
• African Union working to promote
cooperation among African countries
41. Namibia
• Most live in savannas of the north or in the
cooler central highlands
• 6% is white mainly German descent
• Rest of population is divided among several
ethnic groups
• Most are Christian
• English is the official language
• 1990 white farmers held most of the productive
land
• Income from mining of
diamonds, copper, lead, zinc, & uranium
• Fishing & sheep ranching also important
• Culture show many different influences
• Ancient rock engravings & paintings of Khoisan
• Beer & pastries reflect German colonization
42. Botswana
• Large, landlocked, semiarid country
• Mineral resources & stable politics have made it successful
• Cattle ranching & mining of copper and diamonds are main
economic activities
• International companies have set up factories here
• Belongs to the Organization of African Unity (OAU)
• Founded in 1963, tries to promote cooperation between African
countries
• 79% belong to Tswana ethnic group
• Most live in savanna & steppe climate in east & south
• 15% are Christian
• Rest follow traditional African religions
• Okavango River flows through Botswana
• Home to elephants, crocodiles, antelope, lions, hyenas
• Tourists come to see these animals
• Ostrich-eggshell beadwork & woven baskets are traditional
crafts
43. Zimbabwe
• 1980 became independent
• Has since struggled to create a equal distribution
of land & wealth
• 1% whites
• Still own most of large farms & ranches
• Exports:
gold, copper, chrome, nickel, tin, tobacco, corn, s
ugar, & beef
• Manufactures: shoes, batteries, radios
• AIDS epidemic has killed hundreds of thousands
• Make economic growth harder
• Malaria & Tuberculosis are also deadly diseases
• Tensions exist between Shona & Ndebele ethnic
groups
44. Mozambique
• One of world’s poorest countries
• Economy: badly damaged by civil war
• Ports ship products from interior Africa
• Taxes from shipments helps countries
revenue
• Energy: coal & hydroelectric dams
• Plantations grow
cotton, cashews, sugar, & tea
• Various Bantu ethnic groups found
here
• Each with own language
• 30% are Christian & 20% are Muslim
• Famous for pepper or periperri sauces
45. Madagascar
• Former French colony
• Socialist dictator rules until 1990s
• New political system struggled with countries poverty
• Voted former dictator back into power
• People are very poor
• Little industry
• Economy based on exports of coffee, sugar, vanilla, &
cloves
• Depend on subsistence farming
• Animals
• Many found no where else
• 40 species of lemurs
• Destruction of rain forests threatens many animals
• Malagasy & French are the spoken languages
• 52% follow traditional African religions
• 41% are Christian
• 7% are Muslim
