Southern Africa

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Southern Africa

• Preview
• Section 1 Natural Environments
• Section 2 History and Culture
• Section 3 The Region Today
• Chapter Wrap-Up

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Section 1 Natural Environments

• Read to Discover
• What are the main landforms and rivers of
  southern Africa?
• What climates, biomes, and natural resources are
  found in the region?

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Section 1 Natural Environments
Landforms and Rivers

• Narrow coastal plain
• High plateau covers most of the region
• EscarpmentSeparates plain from plateau includes
  Drakensberg range
• Orange RiverFlows west to Atlantic
  hydroelectricity, irrigation
• Limpopo (Crocodile) RiverTo Indian Ocean
• Zambezi RiverVictoria Falls

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Section 1 Natural Environments
Climates and Biomes

• Tropical wet and dry and semiarid climates
  Mediterranean at Cape Town
• MadagascarTropical rainforest biome, with many
  species
• Desert biomesNamib (beetles, lizards, snakes),
  Kalahari (many animals, including antelope,
  elephants)
• Okavango SwampsRich in plants and animals
• Grassland (veld) of South AfricaEast of the
  Kalahari

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Section 1 Natural Environments
Question What resources can be found in
southern Africa?
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Section 1 Natural Environments
Resources of Southern Africa
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Section 2 History and Culture

• Read to Discover
• What are some important events in the history of
  southern Africa?
• What are the regions cultures like?

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Section 2 History and Culture
Question What are some of the important events
in southern Africas history?
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Section 2 History and Culture
Late 1400s Portuguese arrive.
18991902 Boer War is fought.
1960s Most British colonies gain independence.
1980 Zimbabwe and Zambia gain independence.
1652 Dutch arrive.
1910 South Africa gains independence.
1990 Nelson Mandela is released from prison.
1970s Portuguese colonies gain independence.
1800s British take over Cape area.
1912 ANC is established.
1800s Sotho kingdom flourishes.
1975 Angola becomes communist.
1994 Mandela is elected president of South
Africa.
1948 Apartheid is established.
Late 1800s Diamonds and gold are discovered.
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Section 2 History and Culture
History

• First inhabitants were hunter-gatherers and
  animal herders
• Bantu migrations, beginning around A.D. 100
• Arrival of Portuguese traders in the 1400s
• Dutch settlement at Cape Town (1652), followed by
  other Europeans
• Boer War (18991902) between British and Dutch
  settlers
• IndependenceSouth Africa (1910), Angola and
  Mozambique (1970s), Zimbabwe (1980)
• Civil wars in Mozambique and Angola
• End of apartheid in South Africa election of
  Nelson Mandela (1994)

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Section 2 History and Culture
Cultural Features

• Bantu languages widely spoken white population
  speaks English and Afrikaans governments often
  rely on European languages
• ReligionTraditional practices, Christianity,
  Islam, Hinduism
• Denser population in wetter eastern portion
• African traditions are strongest in rural areas
  and small towns
• Traditional villages surround kraal (cattle pen)
• Cities have European origins

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Section 3 The Region Today

• Read to Discover
• What are the main economic activities in southern
  Africa?
• What are the regions cities like?
• What challenges face the people of southern
  Africa?

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Section 3 The Region Today
Question What activities influence southern
Africas economies?
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Section 3 The Region Today
Mineral Exports
Tourism
Farming
Informal Sector
Game parks in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa,
and Zimbabwe Tropical islands of Comoros,
Mauritius, and Seychelles
Subsistence, local markets, commercial
Tobacco, coffee, vanilla, corn, fruit, wheat
Foods and fruits, souvenirs Services such as
car repair Found in the regions large cities
Gold in South Africa Oil in Angola Diamonds
in Botswana Copper in Zambia
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Section 3 The Region Today
Economic Activities

• South Africa is the most developed and
  diversified Mozambique is the least.
• Farming is the chief activity, mostly subsistence
  but some commercial.
• Oil and minerals are increasingly importantgold,
  diamonds, copper.
• Informal sector (people who do not work for
  formal businesses) plays a key role.
• Tourism is importantwild game parks, beaches.

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Section 3 The Region Today
Cities

• Great contrastsWealthy suburbs, modern downtown
  areas, large slums
• ShantytownsDespite poverty, many are
  well-organized
• Greater JohannesburgLargest urban area
  industrial center
• TownshipsApartheid-era areas for non-white South
  Africans

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Section 3 The Region Today
Challenges

• Poverty and its effects
• UrbanizationOvercrowding and pollution
• Droughts and floods
• Deforestation and species loss in Madagascar
• Disease, spread of HIV

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Chapter Wrap-Up Understanding the Main Ideas
1. What are two reasons the western part of
southern Africa is drier than the eastern
parts? 2. Which Europeans settled in what is now
South Africa? How did these peoples interact with
each other? 3. What was the apartheid system?
When did it end? 4. What are some features that
attract tourists to southern Africa? 5. Why has
life expectancy in southern Africa dropped in
recent years? How do you think such changes might
affect future population growth in the region?