What countries are there in South Africa? Southern African countries

South Africa from A to Z. Population, countries, cities and resorts of South Africa. Map, photos and videos, descriptions and reviews of tourists.

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South Africa in terms of tourism is national parks plus rock paintings and other evidence of the spiritual maturation of primitive man, as well as all the interesting things associated with diamond mining - from inexpensive viewing of mines to the acquisition of precious stones that requires determination and will. An additional bright touch in this portrait is the rich heritage of the colonial regime in the form of a developed tourist infrastructure, entertainment cities, well-equipped museums and a whole bunch of enjoyable holiday activities - from diving and windsurfing to fishing and safaris. In a word, exoticism and primitiveness (in the most literal sense of the word) with a European sauce.

South Africa is a small region. Geographically, this includes only five countries and one overseas territory of France. It must be said that the region's tourism fortunes have been very successful - not least thanks to the diamond deposits, to which businessmen from the Old World flocked like moths to a lantern. Of course, their difficult life in a foreign land consisted not only of drilling stubborn rock, but also of all kinds of amusements with “diamond” money - this is how beach resorts, wine valleys and entertainment complexes appeared in the once dense countries.

The most popular South African tourism destinations today are Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Lesotho and Swaziland clearly do not yet reach the level of their neighboring countries, and the Eparse Islands are given over to the rule of the French tourist fraternity.

A distinctive feature of trips to the “lower edge” of Africa is, alas, the invariably high cost, with a large share of the money spent on a flight with at least two, and often three, transfers.

In addition, these directions are more than exotic - after all, further only is the edge of the world - so the situation obliges. Botswana, for example, maintains a traditionally high price bar due to a policy of limiting mass tourism (which, given the incredibly beautiful - and fragile - nature, is very reasonable).

Nature of Botswana

South Africa's natural resources seem to have been created first by the Creator - with a generous hand, bright colors, generously and with love. Diversity is the hallmark of local landscapes. Here you can ply a canoe across the Okavango Delta, and just a couple of hours later you can walk along the cracked, lifeless surface of the “ghost valley” of the Kalahari. Special attention should be paid to the numerous cave sites of primitive people, the remains of which date back 2 million (!) years, and various evidence of ancient creativity - rock paintings, petroglyphs, etc. And South Africa also has its own Grand Canyon - Fish River , the depth of which reaches half a kilometer.

Safari in South Africa

Those who prefer everything at once (and at the same time with the “luxury” mark), flock to the Republic of South Africa. Let us not lie when we say that there really is everything here - the golden coast of Port Elizabeth and the picturesque Garden Route, the kingdoms of the Zulu and one of the best entertainment complexes in the world Sun City, wine regions and tropical forests of the Limpopo province... Well, Of course, the city of Kimberley is the diamond capital of the world, where you definitely need to make some thoughtless purchase. And for those who are ready to exchange all the sights of the world for the open spaces of the sea, the blue surface of the ocean stretches - from the Cape of Good Hope to Antarctica itself. In short, South African pleasures - for every taste, you just need to choose yours!

Africa is a part of the world with an area of ​​30.3 million km 2 with islands, this is the second place after Eurasia, 6% of the entire surface of our planet and 20% of the land.

Geographical position

Africa is located in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres (most of it), a small part in the Southern and Western. Like all large fragments of the ancient continent, Gondwana has a massive outline, with no large peninsulas or deep bays. The length of the continent from north to south is 8 thousand km, from west to east - 7.5 thousand km. In the north it is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, in the northeast by the Red Sea, in the southeast by the Indian Ocean, in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Africa is separated from Asia by the Suez Canal, and from Europe by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Main geographical characteristics

Africa lies on an ancient platform, which causes its flat surface, which in some places is dissected by deep river valleys. On the coast of the mainland there are small lowlands, the northwest is the location of the Atlas Mountains, the northern part, almost entirely occupied by the Sahara Desert, is the Ahaggar and Tibetsi highlands, the east is the Ethiopian Highlands, the southeast is the East African Plateau, the extreme south is the Cape and Drakensberg mountains The highest point in Africa is the Kilimanjaro volcano (5895 m, Masai plateau), the lowest is 157 meters below ocean level in Lake Assal. Along the Red Sea, in the Ethiopian Highlands and to the mouth of the Zambezi River, the world's largest crustal fault stretches, which is characterized by frequent seismic activity.

The following rivers flow through Africa: Congo (Central Africa), Niger (West Africa), Limpopo, Orange, Zambezi (South Africa), as well as one of the deepest and longest rivers in the world - the Nile (6852 km), flowing from the south to north (its sources are on the East African Plateau, and it flows, forming a delta, into the Mediterranean Sea). Rivers are characterized by high water content exclusively in the equatorial belt, due to the large amount of precipitation there; most of them are characterized by high flow rates and have many rapids and waterfalls. In lithospheric faults filled with water, lakes were formed - Nyasa, Tanganyika, the largest freshwater lake in Africa and the second largest lake in area after Lake Superior (North America) - Victoria (its area is 68.8 thousand km 2, length 337 km, maximum depth - 83 m), the largest salty endorheic lake is Chad (its area is 1.35 thousand km 2, located on the southern edge of the world's largest desert, the Sahara).

Due to Africa's location between two tropical zones, it is characterized by high total solar radiation, which gives the right to call Africa the hottest continent on Earth (the highest temperature on our planet was recorded in 1922 in Al-Aziziya (Libya) - +58 C 0 in the shadow).

On the territory of Africa, such natural zones are distinguished as evergreen equatorial forests (the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, the Congo basin), in the north and south turning into mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, then there is a natural zone of savannas and woodlands, extending to Sudan, East and South Africa, to In northern and southern Africa, savannas give way to semi-deserts and deserts (Sahara, Kalahari, Namib). In the southeastern part of Africa there is a small zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains there is a zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs. Natural zones of mountains and plateaus are subject to the laws of altitudinal zonation.

African countries

The territory of Africa is divided between 62 countries, 54 are independent, sovereign states, 10 dependent territories belonging to Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and France, the rest are unrecognized, self-proclaimed states - Galmudug, Puntland, Somaliland, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). For a long time, Asian countries were foreign colonies of various European states and only gained independence by the middle of the last century. Depending on its geographical location, Africa is divided into five regions: Northern, Central, Western, Eastern and Southern Africa.

List of African countries

Nature

Mountains and plains of Africa

Most of the African continent is plain. There are mountain systems, highlands and plateaus. They are presented:

• the Atlas Mountains in the northwestern part of the continent;
• the Tibesti and Ahaggar highlands in the Sahara Desert;
• Ethiopian Highlands in the eastern part of the mainland;
• Drakensberg Mountains in the south.

The highest point of the country is the Kilimanjaro volcano, 5,895 m high, belonging to the East African Plateau in the southeastern part of the continent...

Deserts and savannas

The largest desert zone of the African continent is located in the northern part. This is the Sahara Desert. On the southwest side of the continent is another smaller desert, the Namib, and from there into the continent to the east there is the Kalahari Desert.

The savannah territory occupies the bulk of Central Africa. In area it is much larger than the northern and southern parts of the mainland. The territory is characterized by the presence of pastures typical of savannas, low shrubs and trees. The height of herbaceous vegetation varies depending on the amount of precipitation. These can be practically desert savannas or tall grasses, with a grass cover from 1 to 5 m in height...

Rivers

The longest river in the world, the Nile, is located on the African continent. The direction of its flow is from south to north.

The list of major water systems of the mainland includes the Limpopo, Zambezi and Orange River, as well as the Congo, which flows through Central Africa.

On the Zambezi River is the famous Victoria Falls, 120 meters high and 1,800 meters wide...

Lakes

The list of large lakes on the African continent includes Lake Victoria, which is the second largest freshwater body of water in the world. Its depth reaches 80 m, and its area is 68,000 square km. Two more large lakes of the continent: Tanganyika and Nyasa. They are located in faults of lithospheric plates.

There is Lake Chad in Africa, which is one of the world's largest endorheic relict lakes that have no connection with the world's oceans...

Seas and oceans

The African continent is washed by the waters of two oceans: the Indian and the Atlantic. Also off its shores are the Red and Mediterranean Seas. From the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part, the waters form the deep Gulf of Guinea.

Despite the location of the African continent, the coastal waters are cool. This is influenced by the cold currents of the Atlantic Ocean: the Canary in the north and the Bengal in the southwest. From the Indian Ocean, the currents are warm. The largest are Mozambique, in northern waters, and Agulhas, in southern...

Forests of Africa

Forests make up a little more than a quarter of the entire territory of the African continent. Here are subtropical forests growing on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains and the valleys of the ridge. Here you can find holm oak, pistachio, strawberry tree, etc. Coniferous plants, represented by Aleppo pine, Atlas cedar, juniper and other types of trees, grow high in the mountains.

Closer to the coast there are cork oak forests; in the tropical region, evergreen equatorial plants are common, for example, mahogany, sandalwood, ebony, etc...

Nature, plants and animals of Africa

The vegetation of the equatorial forests is diverse, with about 1000 species of various types of trees growing here: ficus, ceiba, wine tree, oil palm, wine palm, banana palm, tree ferns, sandalwood, mahogany, rubber trees, Liberian coffee tree, etc. . Many species of animals, rodents, birds and insects live here, living directly on the trees. On the ground live: brush-eared pigs, leopards, African deer - a relative of the okapi giraffe, large apes - gorillas...

40% of Africa's territory is occupied by savannas, which are huge steppe areas covered with forbs, low, thorny bushes, milkweed, and isolated trees (tree-like acacias, baobabs).

Here there is the largest concentration of such large animals as: rhinoceros, giraffe, elephant, hippopotamus, zebra, buffalo, hyena, lion, leopard, cheetah, jackal, crocodile, hyena dog. The most numerous animals of the savannah are herbivores such as: hartebeest (antelope family), giraffe, impala or black-footed antelope, various types of gazelles (Thomson's, Grant's), blue wildebeest, and in some places rare jumping antelopes - springboks - are also found.

The vegetation of deserts and semi-deserts is characterized by poverty and unpretentiousness; these are small thorny bushes and separately growing tufts of herbs. The oases are home to the unique Erg Chebbi date palm, as well as plants that are resistant to drought conditions and salt formation. In the Namib Desert, unique plants such as Welwitschia and Nara grow, the fruits of which are eaten by porcupines, elephants and other desert animals.

Animals here include various species of antelopes and gazelles, adapted to the hot climate and capable of traveling vast distances in search of food, many species of rodents, snakes, and turtles. Lizards. Among the mammals: spotted hyena, common jackal, maned sheep, Cape hare, Ethiopian hedgehog, Dorcas gazelle, sabre-horned antelope, Anubis baboon, wild Nubian ass, cheetah, jackal, fox, mouflon, there are resident and migratory birds.

Climatic conditions

Seasons, weather and climate of African countries

The central part of Africa, through which the equator line passes, is in an area of ​​low pressure and receives sufficient moisture; the territories north and south of the equator are in the subequatorial climate zone, this is a zone of seasonal (monsoon) moisture and an arid desert climate. The far north and south are in the subtropical climate zone, the south receives precipitation brought by air masses from the Indian Ocean, the Kalahari Desert is located here, the north has minimal precipitation due to the formation of a high pressure area and the characteristics of the movement of trade winds, the largest desert in the world is the Sahara, where the amount precipitation is minimal, in some areas it does not fall at all...

Resources

Natural Resources of Africa

In terms of water resources, Africa is considered one of the poorest continents in the world. The average annual volume of water is only sufficient to satisfy primary needs, but this does not apply to all regions.

Land resources are represented by large areas with fertile lands. Only 20% of all possible lands are cultivated. The reason for this is the lack of adequate water volume, soil erosion, etc.

African forests are a source of timber, including valuable species. The countries in which they grow, export raw materials. Resources are being used unwisely and ecosystems are being destroyed little by little.

In the depths of Africa there are deposits of minerals. Among those sent for export: gold, diamonds, uranium, phosphorus, manganese ores. There are significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

Energy-intensive resources are widely available on the continent, but they are not used due to the lack of proper investment...

Among the developed industrial sectors of the countries of the African continent, the following can be noted:

• the mining industry, which exports minerals and fuels;
• the oil refining industry, distributed mainly in South Africa and North Africa;
• chemical industry specializing in the production of mineral fertilizers;
• as well as the metallurgical and engineering industries.

The main agricultural products are cocoa beans, coffee, corn, rice and wheat. Oil palm is grown in tropical regions of Africa.

Fishing is poorly developed and accounts for only 1-2% of the total agricultural output. Livestock production indicators are also not high and the reason for this is the infection of livestock by tsetse flies...

Culture

Peoples of Africa: culture and traditions

There are approximately 8,000 peoples and ethnic groups living in 62 African countries, totaling approximately 1.1 billion people. Africa is considered the cradle and ancestral home of human civilization; it was here that the remains of ancient primates (hominids) were found, which, according to scientists, are considered the ancestors of people.

Most peoples in Africa can number several thousand people or several hundred living in one or two villages. 90% of the population are representatives of 120 nations, their number is more than 1 million people, 2/3 of them are peoples with a population of more than 5 million people, 1/3 are peoples with a population of more than 10 million people (this is 50% of the total population of Africa) - Arabs , Hausa, Fulbe, Yoruba, Igbo, Amhara, Oromo, Rwanda, Malagasy, Zulu...

There are two historical and ethnographic provinces: North African (the predominance of the Indo-European race) and Tropical African (the majority of the population is the Negroid race), it is divided into such areas as:

• West Africa. Peoples speaking the Mande languages ​​(Susu, Maninka, Mende, Vai), Chadian (Hausa), Nilo-Saharan (Songai, Kanuri, Tubu, Zaghawa, Mawa, etc.), Niger-Congo languages ​​(Yoruba, Igbo, Bini, Nupe, Gbari, Igala and Idoma, Ibibio, Efik, Kambari, Birom and Jukun, etc.);
• Equatorial Africa. Inhabited by Buanto-speaking peoples: Duala, Fang, Bubi (Fernandans), Mpongwe, Teke, Mboshi, Ngala, Como, Mongo, Tetela, Cuba, Kongo, Ambundu, Ovimbundu, Chokwe, Luena, Tonga, Pygmies, etc.;
• South Africa. Rebellious peoples and speakers of Khoisani languages: Bushmen and Hottentots;
• East Africa. Bantu, Nilotes and Sudanese people groups;
• Northeast Africa. Peoples speaking Ethio-Semitic (Amhara, Tigre, Tigra), Cushitic (Oromo, Somali, Sidamo, Agaw, Afar, Konso, etc.) and Omotian languages ​​(Ometo, Gimirra, etc.);
• Madagascar. Malagasy and Creoles.

In the North African province, the main peoples are considered to be Arabs and Berbers, belonging to the southern European minor race, mainly professing Sunni Islam. There is also an ethno-religious group of Copts, who are direct descendants of the Ancient Egyptians, they are Monophysite Christians.

The region occupying the southern part of the African continent is called South Africa. South Africa includes the following countries: South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Madagascar and Malawi.

General characteristics of the region

The area of ​​South Africa exceeds 6 million km2. Five states of South Africa are members of the South African Customs Union. South Africa is located on the African Plate, most of the territory is a plateau.

The climate of South Africa is tropical trade wind. The largest rivers in this region are the Zambezi and Limpopo, which flow into the Indian Ocean. South Africa is famous for its flora and fauna.

This is where the rarest species of large animals such as hippos and giraffes live. Southern Africa includes the island of Madagascar, the largest island in the world.

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a large state located in the very south of the African continent. The population of South Africa reaches 52 million people. The total area of ​​the territory is 1.2 million km2.

South Africa is one of the most developed world powers. The basis of the economy is the extraction of oil, diamonds and gold. Despite the arid climate, agriculture is quite well developed in South Africa.

The state is a major importer of Angora goat wool. The country's GDP level ranks 24th in the world. For twenty years, the population has not changed, despite the fact that AIDS is progressing in South Africa.

South Africa is a country of social contrasts: about 15% of the population belongs to the upper class, while 40% are below the poverty line. The state has a high level of urbanization.

The rural population is moving en masse to large centers - Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg. Cape Town is the cultural and industrial capital of the state. It is here that the main cultural, entertainment and industrial centers of South Africa are concentrated.

Mozambique

Mozambique is an African state located on the coast of the Indian Ocean. The area of ​​Mozambique is 0.8 million km2. Mozambique has a tropical climate - heavy rains are rare here. The agricultural production sector suffers from this.

More fertile soils are located in the north of the state. Mozambique exports products such as nickel, aluminum, citrus fruits and cotton. Close economic ties have been established with South Africa, Holland and Zimbabwe.

Mozambique has a fairly low level of urbanization - the urban population is only 30%. Due to the low level of the economy, famine and epidemics are very common in the state.

More than 13% of the population are HIV carriers. Mozambique has the 6th highest child mortality rate in the world. More than 50% of the population is illiterate.

The lower part of the continent, washed on three sides by ocean waves, is where the southernmost point of Africa is located - Cape Agulhas in South Africa. In the north it is separated from other regions by the Congo River basin. This is South Africa, on whose territory (according to different qualifications) there are from five to twelve states. The main “backbone” united in the customs union is South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana and Namibia.

Climate and its impact on the natural world

Topographically, the subcontinent is dominated by numerous plateaus, plateaus and mountains, the entire territory is generously covered with a network of tectonic cracks and faults. Also South Africa dotted with fairly deep “blue arteries”, the Orange River, Limpopo and Zambezi flow here with the world famous tourist attraction - Victoria Falls.

The climate is predominantly tropical; on the east coast it is very humid - trade winds reign here, bringing large amounts of precipitation from the expanses of the Indian Ocean. In the west it is somewhat cooler - this is due to the winds from the Atlantic. From October to March, daytime temperatures rise to +35 °C, although it can become noticeably cold at night. Autumn is short and relatively dry, and winter is mild, but surprisingly variable: it is warm in the valleys, and snowfall is quite possible in the mountains.

This climatic variability affects the richness of flora and fauna - the countries of Southern Africa boast an amazing diversity of flora and fauna. There are areas of sultry deserts, mountain ranges and meadows, palm groves and steppes covered with low-growing bushes, savannas and even swamps. Safari lovers can meet lions, rhinoceroses, buffalos, giraffes, hyenas and leopards in these places, as well as a host of other large and small mammals.

Economic development and prospects

During colonial times South African countries were actively populated by European settlers who were interested primarily in the development of agricultural land and pastures. The entire region is covered by a dense network of small and large farms. These lands are also rich in minerals, the most important of which are gold and diamonds. However, the level of economic stability on the subcontinent is not uniform; some states are significantly dependent on subsidies.

The most developed and attractive country for investment is South Africa. Despite pronounced racial discrimination and the terrible poverty of the indigenous population, this state is considered the most promising on the entire continent. Botswana and Namibia (one of the largest uranium producers) are developing quite successfully.

List of countries in South Africa

Below is a list of countries in this region and more complete information about them:

• Botswana
• Lesotho
• Namibia
• Swaziland
• South Africa