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Southern Africa
 
 
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Southern Africa is the south
South

South is one of the cardinal directions and is opposite to the north.By Western world Norm , the bottom side of a map is south; the southern direction has azimuth or bearing of 180?....
ernmost region
Region

Region is a geographical term that is used in various ways among the different branches of geography. In general, a region is a medium-scale area of land or water, smaller than the whole areas of interest , and larger than a specific site A region may be seen as a collection of smaller units or as one part of a larger whole ....
 of the Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
n continent
Continent

A continent is one of several large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents ? they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia ....
, variably defined by geography
Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth"....
 or geopolitics
Geopolitics

Geopolitics is the art and practice of using international political power. Traditionally, the term has applied primarily to the impact of geography on politics, but its usage has evolved over the past century to encompass a wider connotation....
, consisting of numerous territories.

he UN scheme of geographic regions
Subregion

A subregion is a conceptual unit which derives from a larger region or continent and is usually based on location. Cardinal directions, such as south or southern, are commonly used to define a subregion....
, five countries constitute Southern Africa:



The Southern African Customs Union
Southern African Customs Union

The Southern African Customs Union is a customs union among five countries of Southern Africa....
 (SACU), created in 1969, also comprises the five countries in the UN subregion of Southern Africa.

Southern African Development Community
Southern African Development Community

The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states....
 (SADC) was established in 1980 to facilitate co-operation in the region.






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Locationsouthernafrica
Southern Africa is the south
South

South is one of the cardinal directions and is opposite to the north.By Western world Norm , the bottom side of a map is south; the southern direction has azimuth or bearing of 180?....
ernmost region
Region

Region is a geographical term that is used in various ways among the different branches of geography. In general, a region is a medium-scale area of land or water, smaller than the whole areas of interest , and larger than a specific site A region may be seen as a collection of smaller units or as one part of a larger whole ....
 of the Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
n continent
Continent

A continent is one of several large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents ? they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia ....
, variably defined by geography
Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth"....
 or geopolitics
Geopolitics

Geopolitics is the art and practice of using international political power. Traditionally, the term has applied primarily to the impact of geography on politics, but its usage has evolved over the past century to encompass a wider connotation....
, consisting of numerous territories.

Definitions and usage


UN scheme of geographic regions and SACU

In the UN scheme of geographic regions
Subregion

A subregion is a conceptual unit which derives from a larger region or continent and is usually based on location. Cardinal directions, such as south or southern, are commonly used to define a subregion....
, five countries constitute Southern Africa:

  • Botswana
    Botswana

    The Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Citizens of Botswana are called "Batswana" , regardless of ethnicity. Formerly a British protectorate of Bechuanaland Protectorate, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth of Nations on 30 September 1966....
  • Lesotho
    Lesotho

    Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave ? entirely surrounded by the South Africa. Formerly Basutoland, it is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations....
  • Namibia
    Namibia

    Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean coast. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south....
  • South Africa
    South Africa

    The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
  • Swaziland
    Swaziland

    The Kingdom of Swaziland is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south, and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique....


The Southern African Customs Union
Southern African Customs Union

The Southern African Customs Union is a customs union among five countries of Southern Africa....
 (SACU), created in 1969, also comprises the five countries in the UN subregion of Southern Africa.

SADC membership

The Southern African Development Community
Southern African Development Community

The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states....
 (SADC) was established in 1980 to facilitate co-operation in the region. It includes:
  • Angola
    Angola

    Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordering Namibia to the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, and Zambia to the east, and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean....
  • Botswana
    Botswana

    The Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Citizens of Botswana are called "Batswana" , regardless of ethnicity. Formerly a British protectorate of Bechuanaland Protectorate, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth of Nations on 30 September 1966....
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
    Democratic Republic of the Congo

    The Democratic Republic of the Congo , is a country in central Africa with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest list of African countries in order of geographical area....
  • Lesotho
    Lesotho

    Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave ? entirely surrounded by the South Africa. Formerly Basutoland, it is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations....
  • Madagascar
    Madagascar

    Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the List of islands by area, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are Endemism to Madagascar....
  • Malawi
    Malawi

    The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast and Mozambique, which surrounds it on the east, south and west....
  • Mauritius
    Mauritius

    Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, , is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar....
  • Mozambique
    Mozambique

    Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest....
  • Namibia
    Namibia

    Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean coast. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south....
  • South Africa
    South Africa

    The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
  • Swaziland
    Swaziland

    The Kingdom of Swaziland is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south, and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique....
  • Tanzania
    Tanzania

    Tanzania , officially the United Republic of Tanzania , is a country in East Africa that is bordered by Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south....
  • Zambia
    Zambia

    The Republic of Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
  • Zimbabwe
    Zimbabwe

    Zimbabwe , is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo River rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east....


General usage

The region is often reckoned to include other territories:
  • Angola
    Angola

    Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordering Namibia to the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, and Zambia to the east, and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean....
     – part of Central Africa
    Central Africa

    Central Africa is a core region of the African continent often considered to include Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
     in the UN scheme.
  • Comoros
    Comoros

    The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel between northern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique....
    , Madagascar
    Madagascar

    Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the List of islands by area, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are Endemism to Madagascar....
    , Malawi
    Malawi

    The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast and Mozambique, which surrounds it on the east, south and west....
    , Mayotte, Mauritius
    Mauritius

    Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, , is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar....
    , Mozambique
    Mozambique

    Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest....
    , Réunion
    Reunion

    Reunion may refer to:...
    , Seychelles
    Seychelles

    Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an archipelago Country of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
    , Zambia
    Zambia

    The Republic of Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
    , Zimbabwe
    Zimbabwe

    Zimbabwe , is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo River rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east....
     – part of Eastern Africa
    East Africa

    East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN subregion, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
     in the UN scheme.


The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo , is a country in central Africa with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest list of African countries in order of geographical area....
 and Tanzania
Tanzania

Tanzania , officially the United Republic of Tanzania , is a country in East Africa that is bordered by Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south....
, though more commonly reckoned in Central and Eastern Africa respectively, are occasionally included in Southern Africa.

Another geographic delineation for the region is the portion of Africa south of the Cunene
Cunene River

The Kunene River is a river in Namibia. It flows from the Angola highlands south to the border with Namibia. It then flows west along the border until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean....
 and Zambezi
Zambezi

The Zambezi is the List of rivers by length river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its drainage basin is 1,390,000 km? , slightly less than half that of the Nile....
 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.

Some sources consider all of the countries south of the equator as being part of Southern Africa.

Geography

The terrain of Southern Africa is varied, ranging from forest
Forest

File:Stara planina suma.jpgA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on various criteria....
 and grasslands
Grassland

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found....
 to deserts
Désert

?D?sert? is ?milie Simon's debut single, released in October 2002. The song was a huge success both critically and commercially in her homeland....
. 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
Platinum

Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is in Group 10 of the periodic table of elements....
 and the platinum group elements, chromium
Chromium

Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is a steely-gray, Lustre , hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point....
, vanadium
Vanadium

Vanadium is the chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a soft, silvery grey, ductile transition metal. The formation of an oxide layer stabilizes the metal against oxidation....
, and cobalt
Cobalt

Cobalt is a hard, lustrous, grey metal, a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. Although cobalt-based colors and pigments have been used since ancient times, and miners have long used the name kobold ore for some minerals, cobalt was only discovered in 1735 by Georg Brandt....
, as well as uranium
Uranium

Uranium is a silvery-gray metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the chemical symbol U and atomic number 92....
, gold
Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
, titanium
Titanium

Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Sometimes called the ?space age metal?, it has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver colour....
, iron
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
 and diamonds.

Economy

The region is distinct from the rest of Africa, with some of its main export
Export

Export goods or services are provided to foreign consumers by domestic Production theory basics. It is a good that is sent to another country for sale....
s 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
Colonialism

Colonialism is the extension of a nation's sovereignty over Territory beyond its borders by the establishment of either settler or exploitation colony in which Indigenous people populations are direct rule, Population transfers, or Genocide....
 has left its mark on the development over the course of history, today poverty
Poverty

Poverty is the shortage of common things such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life. It may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment which aid the escape from poverty and/or allow one to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens....
, corruption
Political corruption

Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption....
, and HIV
HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that can lead to AIDS , a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections....
/AIDS
AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the HIV ....
 are some of the biggest factors impeding economic growth. The pursuit of economic
Economics

File:Ballard Farmers' Market - vegetables.jpgEconomics is the Social sciences that studies the Production theory basics, Distribution , and Consumption of Good and Service ....
 and political
Politics

Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behaviour within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporation, academia, and religion institutions....
 stability is an important part of the region's goals, as demonstrated by the SADC.

Environmental factors


The region has a wide diversity of ecoregions including grassland
Grassland

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found....
, bushveld
Bushveld

The Bushveld is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of Southern Africa that encompasses most of Limpopo Province and part of the North West Province of South Africa and extends into western Botswana and southern Zimbabwe....
, karoo
Karoo

The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south....
, savanna
Savanna

A savanna, or savannah, is a tropical, subtropical or temperate woodland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the Canopy does not close....
 and riparian zone
Riparian zone

A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a stream. Plant communities along the river margins are called riparian vegetation, characterized by hydrophilic plants....
s. Even though considerable disturbance has occurred in some regions from habitat loss due to human overpopulation
Overpopulation

Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. In common parlance, the term usually refers to the relationship between the world population and its environment , the Earth....
, and there remain significant numbers of various wildlife
Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
 species, including White Rhino, lion
Lion

The lion is a member of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. With exceptionally large males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger....
, leopard
Leopard

The leopard is a member of the Felidae biological family and the smallest of the four "Panthera" in the genus Panthera; the other three are the tiger, lion and jaguar....
, impala
Impala

An impala is a medium-sized African antelope. The name impala comes from the Zulu language. They are found in savannas and thick bushveld in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, northern Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, southern Angola, northeastern South Africa and Uganda....
, kudu
Kudu

The kudus are two species of antelope:*Lesser Kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis*Greater kudu, Tragelaphus strepsicerosEtymology ...
, blue Wildebeest
Blue Wildebeest

The Blue Wildebeest is a large ungulate mammal of the Bovid family and one of two species of wildebeest. It grows to 1.7 meters shoulder height and attains a body mass of up to 380 kilograms....
, Vervet monkey
Vervet Monkey

The Vervet Monkey, sometimes simply known as the Vervet, is the common name of the species Chlorocebus pygerythrus, an Old World monkey in the family Cercopithecidae....
 and elephant
Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals of the order Proboscidea and the family Elephantidae. There are three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant ....
.

Culture and people

Southern Africa is home to many cultures and people. It was once populated by San
Bushmen

The Bushmen, San, Sho, Basarwa, Kung, or Khwe are indigenous people of southern Africa that spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola....
, Namaqua
Namaqua

Nama are an African ethnic group of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. They speak the Nama language of the Khoe-Kwadi language family. The Nama are the largest group of the Khoikhoi people, most of whom have largely disappeared as a group, except for the Namas....
 and Pygmies in widely-dispersed concentrations. Due to the Bantu expansion
Bantu expansion

The Bantu expansion was a millennia-long series of migrations of speakers of the original proto-Bantu languages language group. This group is hypothesized to have originated from the southwestern border of modern Nigeria and Cameroon....
 which edged the previous peoples to the more remote areas of the region, the majority of ethnic groups in this region, including the Zulu
Zulu

The Zulu are the largest South African ethnic group of an estimated 10-11 million people who live mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa....
, Xhosa
Xhosa

The Xhosa people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two centuries throughout the southern and central-southern parts of the country....
, Swazi
Swazi

The Swazi are a Bantu languages-speaking people in southeastern Africa, chiefly in Swaziland and South Africa and some in Mozambique, who speak the siSwati language....
, Ndebele
Ndebele

Ndebele may mean:*The Ndebele people of Zimbabwe, also known as the Ndebele people *The Northern Ndebele language spoken in Zimbabwe, also known as Matabele...
, Tswana
Tswana

Tswana is the name of a Southern African people. The Tswana language, also called Setswana, belongs to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo languages....
, Sotho, and Shona people
Shona people

Shona is the name collectively given to several groups of people in Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique. Numbering about nine million people, who speak a range of related dialects whose standardized form is also known as Shona language ....
, BaLunda
BaLunda

The BaLunda arose in what is now DR Congo along the Kalanyi River and formed the Lunda Kingdom in the 17th century under their ruler, Mwata Yamvo, with their capital at Musumba....
, Mbundu
Mbundu

The Mbundu people are the largest ethnic group in Angola. About one half of Angola's population is of Mbundu origin ; however, a smaller percentage of Mbundu people speak the Umbundu and Kimbundu languages in favor of the Portuguese language, because of strong Portuguese influence in Mbundu territory....
, Kikuyu
Kikuyu

The Kikuyu are Kenya's most populous ethnic group. 'Kikuyu' is the anglicised form of the proper name and pronunciation of Gikuyu although they refer to themselves as the Agikuyu people....
 and Luo
Luo

Luo may refer to:*Luo , a group of related African ethnic groups.*Luo , a people of Kenya and Tanzania, part of the above named group*Luo languages...
, speak languages which share common Bantu language
Bantu languages

The Bantu languages constitute a grouping belonging to the Niger-Congo languages family. This grouping is deep down in the genealogical tree of the Bantoid grouping, which in turn is deep down in the Niger-Congo tree....
 traits. The process of colonization and settling resulted in a significant population of European (Afrikaners, Anglo-African
Anglo-African

Anglo-Africans are people of primarily Sub-Saharan Africa whose first language is English language. Most are of British people descent, although they can be of any ancestry, with Irish people, French people Huguenot, Jewish, and Italian people being rather prevalent minority ones....
s, Portuguese Africans
Portuguese Africans

Portuguese Africans are Portuguese people born or permantely settled in Africa . The largest Portuguese African population lives in South Africa , while there are important minorities living in Namibia and the Portuguese-speaking African countries ....
, etc.) and Indian descent (Cape Malays
Cape Malays

The Cape Malay community is an ethnic group or community in South Africa, taking its name from what is now known as the Western Cape of South Africa and the people originally from the Malay archipelago, mostly Javanese from Indonesia, who started this community in South Africa....
, Koreans
Koreans in Africa

Koreans in Africa form a very small population, estimated at only 7,900 people as of 2005. However, they are very widespread; South Korean nationals can be found in 49 countries of Africa, including the continent and its surrounding islands; they have established schools in 19 of those countries....
, Tamils
Tamil South Africans

Tamil South Africans are South Africans of Tamil people descent. Amongst the language groups represented among the Indian immigrants who came from India to Natal, South Africa, from 1860 onwards, are Tamil language, Telugu, Hindi, and Gujarati language, with Tamil people forming the majority....
, etc.) in many southern African countries.

See also

  • History of Southern Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
    Sub-Saharan Africa

    Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara....