18.1 Southern Africa’s Physical Geography

Southern Africa’s Physical Geography: 

Southern Africa’s Physical Geography Chapter 18 Section 1

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Southern Africa has some amazing scenery. On a visit to the region, you might see grassy plains, steamy swamps, mighty rivers, rocky waterfalls, and steep mountains and plateaus.

Plateaus and Mountains: 

Plateaus and Mountains Most of the land in Southern Africa lies on a large plateau. Escarpment: the steep face at the edge of a plateau In Eastern Southern Africa, part of the escarpment is made up of a mountain range called Drakensburg.

Escarpment: 

Escarpment

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Southern Africa’s narrow coastal plain and the wide plateau are covered with grassy plains. These flat plains are home to animals such as lions, leopards, elephants, baboons, and antelope.

The Okavango River: 

The Okavango River flows from Angola into a huge basin in Botswana- the water never reaches the ocean. It forms a swampy inland delta that is home to crocodiles, zebras, & hippos. This is a huge tourist area!

The Orange River: 

The Orange River passes through Augrabies (oh- krah -bees) Falls as it flows to the Atlantic Ocean. When the water is high, the falls are several miles wide and tumble down 19 separate waterfalls.

The Limpopo River: 

The Limpopo River A nother major river of the region. It flows into the Indian Ocean.

These rivers have a major impact on the people and economies of Southern Africa. Features (characteristics) such as waterfalls and other obstacles block ships from sailing up these rivers. However, the rivers do allow irrigation for farmland in an otherwise dry area.: 

These rivers have a major impact on the people and economies of Southern Africa. Features (characteristics) such as waterfalls and other obstacles block ships from sailing up these rivers. However, the rivers do allow irrigation for farmland in an otherwise dry area.

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Vegetation of the Region Looking at the map, can you infer what climate types Southern Africa has?

Veld, or Savanna: 

Veld , or Savanna A large savanna covers most of Southern Africa. Shrubs and short trees grow on the grassy plains of the savanna. In South Africa , the savanna area is known as the Veld.

Deserts: 

Deserts Satellite View Namib Desert One of the world’s most unusual deserts, the Namib lies on the Atlantic coast in Namibia. As this satellite image shows, the land there is extremely dry. Some of the world’s highest sand dunes stretch for miles along the coast. In spite of its harsh conditions, some insects have adapted to life in the desert. They can survive there because at night a fog rolls in from the ocean. The insects use the fog as a source of water. The Kalahari Desert Occupies most of Botswana North gets enough rain to support grasses and trees, but most of the Desert is covered in dunes with scattered shrubs Ancient streams have drained into low, flat areas, called pans. Minerals left behind in these pans have formed a glittering white layer

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Tropical Forests!

Tropical Rainforests: 

Tropical Rainforests Madagascar is home to lush vegetation and tropical forests. It has animals that are not found anywhere else such as 50 species of lemurs that only live on the island. The destruction of the forests are endangering many of the island’s animals.

Resources: 

Resources Madagascar’s forests provide timber Rivers provide hydroelectricity & water for irrigation Where rain/irrigation is plentiful, farmers can grow a wide range of crops Minerals: regions most valuable resources Mines in South Africa produce most of world’s gold Productive diamond mines Coal, Platinum, Copper, Uranium, Iron Ore Although mining is very important to the economy, the mines have damaging effects on the surrounding environments.