Overall Geography
The geography of Southern Africa is very important in understanding the culture. Most of the land is covered in many plateaus, but there are a variety of valleys as well.
The main river flowing through Southern Africa is the Orange River. Generally, the southern region flows toward the Indian Ocean. Another note-worthy river is the Limpopo which flows from South Africa to Mozambique into the Indian Ocean.
More information on Southern Africa Geography
Image: Creative Commons | Creator: Wikimedia Commons | Title: Graphic Lab Map
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The geography of Southern Africa is very important in understanding the culture. Most of the land is covered in many plateaus, but there are a variety of valleys as well.
The main river flowing through Southern Africa is the Orange River. Generally, the southern region flows toward the Indian Ocean. Another note-worthy river is the Limpopo which flows from South Africa to Mozambique into the Indian Ocean.
More information on Southern Africa Geography
Image: Creative Commons | Creator: Wikimedia Commons | Title: Graphic Lab Map
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Kalahari Desert
The Kalahari desert makes up a large part of the Southern Africa plateau (pictured at left). It spreads throughout Botswana, Nambia, and South Africa. The sand dunes of the desert make up some of the largest straight ranges of sand in the world. Many groups of hunters and gatherers lived in this desert in the past, but it is still a very relevant area currently. Although it is not common for the people to live solely in the desert, many people live in the outskirts and still use the area and resources often. There are many resources found in the Kalahari with a wide variety of purposes. Some commonly found natural resource within the Kalahari desert include diamonds, nickel, copper, and coal. Each of these resources has a variety of uses. Unfortunately, to this day, many of the resources have remained undeveloped (KalahariDesertInfo, 2012). |
Image: Creative Commons | Creator: WikiImages | Title: Pixabay
Climate in Southern Africa
The climates of Southern Africa are seasonal so the temperatures range a lot depending on the time of year. This is important because it affects the crop and plant growth a lot. During 1950-1980, there were no major droughts in Southern Africa.
The climate regulates the flow of the rivers in Southern Africa. In the summer, there are many more rainy days than in the winter which causes the rivers to flow faster and stronger. This makes it harder for the native people to pass through the rivers making travel by foot difficult. The extra rain in the summer causes some of the waterways to overflow and run into the crops (Orange-Senqu, 1978). At times, this has ruined the entire crops of people causing them to lose a lot of money. In the winter season, there are more sunny hours which allows the laborers in the field to get more work done.
Since the weather varies so much based on the time of year, many people had seasonal jobs. This means they haddifferent jobs depending on the time of year (Orange-Senqu, 1978).
Climate in Southern Africa
The climates of Southern Africa are seasonal so the temperatures range a lot depending on the time of year. This is important because it affects the crop and plant growth a lot. During 1950-1980, there were no major droughts in Southern Africa.
The climate regulates the flow of the rivers in Southern Africa. In the summer, there are many more rainy days than in the winter which causes the rivers to flow faster and stronger. This makes it harder for the native people to pass through the rivers making travel by foot difficult. The extra rain in the summer causes some of the waterways to overflow and run into the crops (Orange-Senqu, 1978). At times, this has ruined the entire crops of people causing them to lose a lot of money. In the winter season, there are more sunny hours which allows the laborers in the field to get more work done.
Since the weather varies so much based on the time of year, many people had seasonal jobs. This means they haddifferent jobs depending on the time of year (Orange-Senqu, 1978).
Image: Stock Vector | Creator: Kristina Voronina | Title: Seasonal Climate Info graphics
This image is not Creative Commons, but it is being used for educational purposes. |
Image: Stock Vector | Creator: Kristina Voronina | Title: Seasonal Climate Info graphics
This image is not Creative Commons, but it is being used for educational purposes. |
*Let it be noted that the geography of Southern Africa has not changed since the 1950-1980 so the information presented is from current day websites*