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Southern Africa is comprised of the countries
Botswana,
Comoros,
Lesotho,
Madagascar,
Malawi,
Mauritius,
Mozambique,
Namibia,
Seychelles,
South Africa,
Swaziland,
Zambia and
Zimbabwe. The northern region embraces Central and East Africa while the west, south and east coasts face the Mozambique Channel, Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean respectively. Natural features include the Okavango Delta, the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls and the vast Kalahari Desert. The terrain is comprised almost solely of a high plateau and grassy savannah, supporting huge numbers of world famous wildlife in equally famous national parks such as Kruger in South Africa. The islands of the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles lie within the Indian Ocean. These islands are home to an incredible variety of endemic wildlife due to the isolation from the mainland. The total landmass of Southern Africa measures 5,910,870 sq km. Southern Africa was favoured as a profitable land by the early European settlers who discovered the region's potential mineral wealth, exploiting vast quantities of gold, especially within South Africa. It was within South Africa that until as recently as 1994 Apartheid prevailed, and racial separation between blacks and whites was commonplace.
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Africa |
