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Southern Africa

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

   ██ Southern Africa (UN subregion) ██ geographic, including above
   ██ Southern African Development Community (SADC)
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   ██ Southern Africa ( UN subregion) ██ geographic, including above ██
   Southern African Development Community (SADC)

   Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent,
   variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are
   numerous territories – including the Republic of South Africa, a
   successor country to the South African Republic (Transvaal Republic).

Definitions and usage

   In the UN scheme of geographic regions, five countries constitute
   Southern Africa:
     * Botswana
     * Lesotho
     * Namibia
     * South Africa
     * Swaziland

   The region is often reckoned to include other territories:
     * Angola – also included in Central Africa
     * Mozambique and Madagascar – also included in Eastern Africa
     * Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – sometimes included in Southern
       Africa and formerly of the Central African Federation
     * Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Mayotte, and Réunion – small island
       territories in the Indian Ocean east of the African mainland

   The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania, though more commonly
   reckoned in Central and Eastern Africa respectively, are occasionally
   included in Southern Africa. Apropos, the Southern African Development
   Community (SADC) was established in 1980 to facilitate co-operation in
   the region, which includes all of the above except Comoros (totalling
   15 members).

   The Southern African Customs Union (SACU), created in 1969, comprises
   the five countries in the UN subregion of Southern Africa.

   The term Southern Africa was also used to refer to South Africa and the
   "independent" Bantustans that were re-incorporated into South Africa
   following the end of Apartheid in 1994.

   Another geographic delineation for the region is the portion of Africa
   south of the Cunene and Zambezi rivers – that is, South Africa,
   Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and the southern half
   of Mozambique. This definition is most commonly used in South Africa.

Geography

   The terrain of Southern Africa is varied, ranging from forest and
   grasslands to deserts. The region has both low-lying coastal areas, and
   mountains.

   In terms of natural resources, the region has the world's largest
   resources of platinum and the platinum group elements, chromium,
   vanadium, and cobalt, as well as uranium, gold, titanium, iron and
   diamonds.

Economy

   The region is distinct from the rest of Africa, with some of its main
   exports including platinum, diamonds, gold, and uranium, but it is
   similar in that it shares some of the problems of the rest of the
   continent. While colonialism has left its mark on the development over
   the course of history, today poverty, corruption, and HIV/AIDS are some
   of the biggest factors impeding economic growth. The pursuit of
   economic and political stability is an important part of the region's
   goals, as demonstrated by the SADC. The economey is very poor.

Environmental factors

   The region has a broad diversity of ecoregions including grassland,
   bushveld, karoo, savanna and riparian zones. Even though considerable
   disturbance has occurred in some regions from habitat loss due to human
   overpopulation, there remain significant numbers of various wildlife
   species, including White Rhino, lion, leopard, impala, kudu, Blue
   Wildebeest, Vervet monkey and elephant.

Culture and peoples

   Southern Africa is home to many cultures and peoples. African tribes of
   the area include the Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, Tswana, Pedi, Venda, Sotho,
   San, Tsonga and Shona people (though this list is far from exhaustive).
   The process of colonization and settling resulted in a significant
   population of European and Indian descent in many southern African
   countries.

   Regions of the world
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     Asia   Central • Eastern • Northern • Southern • Southeastern • Western
    Europe  Central • Eastern • Northern • Southern • Western
   Oceania  Australasia • Melanesia • Micronesia • Polynesia
     __________________________________________________________________

    Polar   Arctic • Antarctic
    Oceans  Pacific • Atlantic • Indian  • Southern • Arctic

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Africa"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
