Transcript Physical Geography of Southern Africa

Southern Africa
Chapter 24
Countries of Southern Africa
Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique,
Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius,
Seychelles, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe,
South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland
Physical Geography of Southern Africa
Landforms
• Southern Africa consists of ten mainland
countries and four island countries.
• Most of Southern Africa sits at a high altitude,
or height above sea level.
• The Great Escarpment, a long cliff that
separates two different altitudes, forms a nearly
unbroken U-shape, starting from the west coast
and curving northeast.
• The land inside the Great Escarpment is mostly
hills and plateaus.
Physical Geography of Southern Africa
Water Systems
• Several rivers run through the area, the
Okavango, the Orange, and the Zambezi Rivers,
although none are fully navigable.
• Although the rivers are not useful for
transportation, they are useful for generating
electricity.
• The rivers support aquatic wildlife such as
hippopotamuses and crocodiles.
Physical Geography of Southern Africa
Climate, Biomes, and Resources
• The coastal areas of Southern Africa have
marine climates that are greatly affected by the
open ocean.
• The Cape of Good Hope and surrounding areas
have a Mediterranean climate, with warm,
dry summers and cool, rainy winters.
• The northern and eastern regions are covered
by the savanna, vast grasslands dotted with
small trees, which is home to the Big Five: lions,
leopards, elephants, Cape buffalo, and
rhinoceroses.
Botswana Video
Answer the Questions on the Video Sheet
Human Geography of Southern Africa
History and Government
• The Bantu people settled Southern Africa about
3,500 years ago and eventually established the
influential city of Great Zimbabwe.
• European colonization varied from colony to
colony.
• The Dutch established colonies in the 1600s
and, after a few generations, referred to
themselves as Afrikaners, meaning “Africans.”
• Shaka was an important Zulu leader in African
history, known for his military might and
strength as a leader.
Human Geography of Southern Africa
Population Patterns
• The population increases as one moves from the
Atlantic to the Indian Ocean because of the
physical geography.
• Natural resources also affect the population
distribution, with people settling near resources.
• Urbanization, or the migration of people from
rural areas to urban areas, continues to affect
the subregion as people search for a better
quality of life.
Human Geography of Southern Africa
Society and Culture Today
• The effects of European colonialism still
permeate life in Southern Africa, including the
main languages used for communication.
• Christianity is the most common religion as a
result of Christian missionaries in the subregion.
• Poverty is prevalent and affects all aspects of
life, even shortening life spans and sometimes
inciting riots.
• Traditional laws often prohibit women from
owning or inheriting property.
Human Geography of Southern Africa
Economic Activities
• The majority of people are farmers, with most
participating in subsistence farming, or smallscale agriculture that provides for the needs of a
family but little more.
• Commercial farming, or growing large
quantities of crops in order to sell them, has
gained importance with the increased influence
of global markets.
• Mining is also important, with minerals and
diamonds being major exports.
Answer the question in
your notes
People and Their Environment: Southern Africa
Managing Resources
• Poverty is the underlying reason behind the
failure to manage resources as people struggle
to survive.
• Commercial logging, poaching, and lack of
access to clean water, are all serious issues.
• Shortages push groups already at odds with
each other into deeper, and sometimes more
violent, conflicts.
• Resource shortages can cause problems that
lead to larger wars across political boundaries.
Answer the question in
your notes
Many homes in Mozambique do not have running water, so girls and women fetch
water from local wells each morning to provide for the day. They must carry—by
hand—enough water for drinking, washing, cooking, and bathing. This chore can
take hours. With limited access to water, incidences of dysentery are growing.
LifeStraw
People and Their Environment: Southern Africa
Human Impact
• Farmers’ policy of shifting cultivation, or
planting a field for several years then
abandoning it to clear a new field, begins to fail
when the population begins to increase
dramatically.
• Richer, more powerful groups often hoard
natural resources, leaving less available to the
poor.
• Most cities have not been able to handle the
rapid population growth, leading to widespread
disease as clean water and sanitation are often
unavailable.
People and Their Environment: Southern Africa
Addressing the Issues
• Many countries are working to combat the
problems of the region.
• South Africa is one of only a few countries that
built environmental rights into its constitution,
showing its commitment to the cause.
• Governments have also adopted action plans
and laws designed to increase sustainable
resources and reduce pollution.
• Nongovernmental organizations are working
directly with people to bypass corrupt officials.
Complete the Cartoon Analysis Sheet