Southern Africa

This article concerns the region in Africa. For the present-day country in this region, see South Africa; for the former country, see South African Republic.

██ 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). 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. ^{[citation needed]}

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. ^{[citation needed]}

Background

Geographically, South Africa is defined through a series of plateaus that stretch across South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana and the central portion of Angola. Within the plateaus, a wide variety of notable ecoregions exist, ranging from the grasslands in southern Zimbabwe to the vast Kalahari desert. The Kalahari desert is featured in the South African plateau, and eventually rises to become the Great Escarpment. The area is defined by the sharp line of the Great Escarpment, which continues almost unbroken from the Zambezi River to Angola. Another notable mountain range in the region is the Drakensberg range. This range boasts the highest point in South Africa, found at Mount Ntlenyana in Lesthoso.

South Africa hosts a wide variety of wildlife, although the animal population varies depending on the location within the region. In the semiarid plateaus that cover most of the region, Southern Africa exhibits much of the big game wildlife seen in the northeastern portions of the African continent ,in particular antelopes, gazelles, zebras, elephants, and the big cats. Coastal areas of southern Africa do not host the same varieties of big game that can survive on the plateaus.

In terms of natural resources, the region has the world's largest resources of platinum and the elements chromium, vanadium, and cobalt. The region also boasts uranium, gold, titanium, iron deposits and diamonds.

Culture and Religion

The population of Southern Africa can be divided based on language, with the overwhelming majority of inhabitants speaking either Khoisan or Bantu. Each language is attached to a distinct cultural identity, and unfortunately, the two cultural groups have often been at odds with one another. The first group, Khoisan speakers, were the first cultural group in the area and have called Southern Africa their home since the habitation in the region first began. Recently, Bantu speakers have began to outnumber the Khoisan speakers, resulting in a displacement of the minority group.

Colonialism had a significant effect on the population of Southern Africa by altering the traditional cultural balance in the region. European settlers in the mid 17th century brought to Southern Africa distinct ideas about cultural values and traditional kinship groups. While the Europeans were never the majority, they exercised considerable influence on the politics of the region. The most poignant impact of the European settlement was the legalized apartheid in South Africa that seperated the native population along kinship lines. Apartheid was dissolved in 1994.

Currently Southern Africa, like much of the African continent, is attempting to combat the AIDS epedemic sweeping the region. Because the political governments in Southern Africa are forced to fight the disease on such a large scale, as well as finance programs to combat poverty, valuable resources are being diverted away from the government. The financial drain is aided by corrupt politicans, a problem faced in many countries throughout Africa. Southern Africa has recently taken strides to rectify the problems of political corruption and poor economics that have hindered development in the region by developing the South African Development Community (SADC for short) in 1980.

History

Scholars often have difficulty defining the history of Southern Africa along the traditional linear lines of history. The continuaosly changing politcal scene has jumbled the historical archives with a variety of sources, all written from a different point of view. As with any historical record pieced together from a variety of sources it must be remembered that the authors of the historical records in the region all had seperate agendas for recording the past, which changes with every passing political regime.

Southern Africa was the home to Homo Erectus, an early hominid species with uprigth posture and hands and teeth resembling modern humans, according th archaelogical teams thathave canvassed the region looking for evidence of early life. While many people feel the the Homo Erectus was a vital link in the evolution of mankind, the connection between Homo Erectus and modern day humans is still disputed. While followers of the theory of evolution point to the find as a huge step in discovering the human past, there are many who do not choose to belive that humans underwent a process of evolution. The debate regarding the presence of evolution is deeply intertwined with the history of Southern Africa, as the remains that are being found in the region often date prior to the Early Stone Age ( about 2,500,000 to 150,000 years ago). The remains cement the debate over the validity of evolution and bring it down from theoretical heights to the tangible. If evolution exists, the Homo Erectus bones found in Southern Africa document an early form of humans who called the region their home. If not, the remains point to a seperate species that, like the other wildlife of the region, found the landscape suitable for carving out a livilihood.

The remains of early Homo sapiens in Southern Africa document human civilizations reaching back 120,000 to 80,000 years ago. The most significant find for dating early human occupation was found at Klasies River Mouth Cave in Eastern Cape. The existence of early humans in Southern Africa led to an overall diversification, where humans were forced to adapt to a variety of different circumstances. This is most clearly seen through tools, as different areas across South Africa show a variety of tools that have been adapted to meet the most pressing needs of the area. Some scholars also agrue that early Homo sapiens brought about a agricultural revolution and shifted the society from hunting and gathering to settled production.

When European explorers first reached the region, they were unable to differentiate between those individuals who continued to practice a hunting and gathering lifestyle and those who practiced settled, agricultural cultivation. The divisions between lifestyles was particularly difficult to distinguish near the Cape of Good Hope, located on the southernmost tip of Africa. In an attempt to classify the people met on their travels the Europeans simply called all inhabitants of the region Khoisan.

In the 15th century C.E. the Portuguese established a presence in Southern Africa whil seeking a way to open up naval trade with India. The first, and prohaps most famous, Portuguese adventurer to reach Southern Africa was Vasco De Gama who sailed along the entire coast of Africa on his way to India. The first Portuguese incursions in the central portions of Southern Africa was the work of churches who were set on converting the native population. Soon after the missionaries made contact with Southern Africa, slave traders entered the region. With the Portuguese slave traders always willing to enter the market, the Kongo developed a complete monopoly over the slave exportation out of the southern portion of the African continent.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Davidson, Basil. West Africa Before the Colonial Era: A History to 1850. Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 1998. ISBN 0582318521
• Lewis, Brenda Ralph. Great Civilizations. Bath: Parragon Book Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0752561413
• Costantino, Maria. The Illustrated Flag Handbook. New York: Gramercy Books, 2001. ISBN 0517218100
• Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved July 13, 2007.

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