1. Physical Geography The Big Idea
Southern Africa’s physical geography includes a high, mostly dry plateau, grassy plains and rivers, and valuable mineral resources.
Main Ideas
Southern Africa’s main physical feature is a large plateau with plains, rivers, and mountains.
The climate and vegetation of Southern Africa is mostly savanna and desert.
Southern Africa has valuable mineral resources.

2. Main Idea 1: Southern Africa’s main physical feature is a large plateau with plains, rivers, and mountains.
Plateaus and Mountains
Most of Southern Africa lies on a large plateau.
An escarpment, the steep face at the edge of a plateau, runs along this plateau.
In the east, part of the escarpment is made up of the Drakensberg Mountains.
Other mountains can be found in the northeast and the southwest.
Plains
Grassy plains run along the coast and cover the plateau.
The plains are home to lions, leopards, elephants, baboons, and antelope.

3. Rivers of Southern Africa
The Okavango River flows out of Angola to form a swampy delta in Botswana that is home to many animals.
The Orange River in South Africa flows over many waterfalls before it reaches the Atlantic.
The Limpopo River flows to the Indian Ocean. Waterfalls and other obstacles prevent ships from sailing up the river.

4. Main Idea 2: The climate and vegetation of Southern Africa is mostly savanna and desert.
Open grasslands cover much of the region. In South Africa, they are called the veld.
The Namib Desert is the driest place in the region. It receives as little as one half inch of rain each year.
The Kalahari Desert of Botswana features sandy plains and pans, or low, flat areas.
Tropical Forests
Found in Madagascar, which is known for its lush vegetation
Contains animals not found anywhere else in the world, such as lemurs

5. Main Idea 3: Southern Africa has valuable mineral resources.
Rich in natural resources:
Madagascar has timber.
Rivers provide hydroelectricity.
Farmers grow a variety of crops.
South Africa produces most of the world’s gold.
South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia produce diamonds.
Other minerals include coal, platinum, copper, uranium, and iron ore.
Mining is very important to the economy, but it can be very damaging to the environment.

6. History and Culture The Big Idea
Native African ethnic groups and European settlements influenced the history and culture of Southern Africa.
Main Ideas
Southern Africa’s history began with hunter-gatherers, followed by great empires and European settlements.
The cultures of Southern Africa are rich in different languages, religions, customs, and art.

7. Main Idea 1: Southern Africa’s history began with hunter-gatherers, followed by great empires and European settlements.
The Khoisan were among the earliest people in Southern Africa. They were hunter-gatherers and herders.
The Shona, a Bantu group, built an empire in the 1400s.
The Shona farmed, raised cattle, and traded gold.
They also built Great Zimbabwe, a stone-walled town that was their capital.
Great Zimbabwe was the center of a great trading network.
Trade made the city’s rulers rich and powerful.
The Shona traded with people as far away as China and the East Coast of Africa.
In the 1400s the gold trade declined. By 1500 Great Zimbabwe was no longer a major trading center.

8. Europeans in Southern Africa
Dutch
The Portuguese were the first to explore Southern Africa.
The Dutch were the first to actually settle in the area. They set up a trade station near the Cape of Good Hope.
Afrikaners and Boers
Afrikaners were descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers in South Africa. They developed a language called Afrikaans.
The Boers were Afrikaner farmers who were forced north by the British.
British
As the British forced the Boers to move, they came into conflict with a Bantu group called the Zulu.
The British defeated the Zulu in a long series of battles.
The slave trade ended in the 1830s.

9. Modern History Apartheid Independence
In the early 1900s South Africa’s government became increasingly racist. Nearly all officials were white.
The government set up a policy of separation called apartheid.
Apartheid placed restrictions on how people could live. For example, black South Africans were made to live in tiny clusters of homes called townships.
Independence
Beginning in the 1960s many former colonies gained independence.
Some countries won their freedom peacefully. Others had to fight for it.
Namibia remained under the control of South Africa until 1990.

10. Main Idea 2: The cultures of Southern Africa are rich in different languages, religions, customs, and art.
Hundreds of ethnic groups
Some ethnic groups, such as the Zulu and the Tswana, are very large.
Other groups are small and not native to Africa.
People
Most languages belong to either the Khoisan or Bantu language families.
Khoisan languages are known for the click sounds they include.
More than 200 Bantu languages are spoken today.
English is also common.
Languages

11. Southern African Culture
Europeans introduced Christianity to the region, and many people today are Christian.
Most non-Christians in the region practice traditional religions.
Religion
South Africans celebrate many holidays:
Heritage Day celebrates the country’s diversity.
Christian holidays such as Christmas
The region’s art reflects its many cultures.
South African artists paint ethnic designs.
Artists in Lesotho make tapestries.
Artists in Zimbabwe make stone statues.
Artists in Botswana make ostrich eggshell beadwork.
Celebrations and Art

12. Southern Africa Today The Big Idea
Countries of Southern Africa today are trying to use their governments and resources to improve their economies and deal with challenges.
Main Ideas
South Africa ended apartheid and now has a stable government and strong economy.
Some countries of Southern Africa have good resources and economies, but several are still struggling.
Southern African governments are responding to issues and challenges such as drought, disease, and environmental destruction.

13. Main Idea 1: South Africa ended apartheid and now has a stable government and strong economy.
Other countries put sanctions, or economic and political penalties, on South Africa to convince the government to end apartheid.
People within South Africa also protested against apartheid.
In the 1980s the government began to move away from its apartheid system. It released political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, who was elected president in 1994.
Today all races have equal rights in South Africa. Everyone is free to attend any school or university. However, not everyone is equal economically yet. White South Africans are still generally wealthier than black South Africans.

14. South Africa Today Republic with an elected president
Many officials are working to guarantee both political and economic equality for all races in South Africa.
Government
South Africa has more resources and industry than most African countries.
World’s largest producer of several valuable minerals—gold, platinum, and chromium
Large cities also contribute to the economy:
Johannesburg has Africa’s largest industrial area.
Cape Town attracts many tourists.
Economy

15. Main Idea 2: Some countries of Southern Africa have good resources and economies, but several are still struggling.
Lesotho and Swaziland
Enclaves, small territories surrounded by foreign land
Lesotho has few resources, so it is a poor country.
Swaziland has mineral resources and cattle.
Namibia
Gained independence from South Africa in 1990
Now a republic with its capital at Windhoek
Some of Africa’s richest mineral deposits are in Namibia’s deserts. Despite these resources, most people are poor.

16. Other Countries of Southern Africa
Botswana
Mineral resources (especially diamonds), stable government, cattle ranching, and tourism have led to economic success.
One of the world’s fastest growing economies
Unemployment remains high.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has resources, but inflation and war have severely hurt the economy.
Whites make up less than 1 percent of the population, but own most of the land. The government is working to fix this problem by taking land from white farmers and giving it to black residents.

17. Other Countries of Southern Africa
Mozambique
One of the world’s poorest countries due to years of civil war
Industries include shipping and agriculture
Madagascar
Was ruled for more than 20 years by a socialist dictator
Now has an elected president who wants to improve the economy
Most of the country’s income comes from exporting coffee, vanilla, sugar, and cloves and from tourism.
Comoros
Four tiny islands with few resources
Struggling to improve education and promote tourism

18. Main Idea 3: Southern African governments are responding to issues and challenges such as drought, disease, and environmental destruction.
One of the most serious challenges facing the region is poverty. Droughts often destroy food crops. In addition, many people are unemployed, so they have no way to escape poverty.
Disease is also a problem. Many people in the region are infected with HIV. Governments are working to stop the spread of this disease.
Many countries also face environmental challenges. For example, deforestation is a major problem in Madagascar.
Countries are working to solve these problems. Namibia was the first country in the world to include environmental protection in its constitution.