Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

childrens_illustrated_encyclopedia_template_UK_layer_v4

474

South Africa 474-

Find out more

Africa

Africa, history of

Elephants

Farming

National parks

AFricA’s southErNmost lANd, south Africa is immensely rich in

natural resources, with a varied landscape and diverse animal species. in

the 17th century, the cape town region was settled by dutch colonists, who

were soon followed by the British. From the 1830s, the dutch (or Boers)

began to penetrate the interior. here, they clashed with the black majority,

particularly the Zulus, a disciplined and effective fighting force. in the

20th century, south Africa was dominated by the white minority. the black

population was deprived of the vote until 1994, when south Africa held its

first multiracial, democratic elections. south Africa’s diverse economy is

based on mining and agriculture. it is just beginning to exploit its tourist

potential. two independent countries, lesotho and swaziland, marooned

within south Africa, are economically dependent on their neighbor.

towNships

until 1994, the “apartheid”

system enforced the

separation of the black

majority from the ruling

white minority. many

black people were

forced to live in purpose-

built “townships,” and still

live there today. soweto is a

sprawling group of townships with

a population of about two million.

it is situated outside Johannesburg,

where most of its inhabitants work,

forcing them to travel long distances each day.

cApE towN

cape town, home to the south African

parliament, is situated along the southwestern

shores of table Bay. the town is dominated by the

distinctive shape of table mountain, which rises to

3,300 ft (1,005 m). cape town was the first place

to be settled by dutch colonists in the 17th

century. it was strategically placed on the main

shipping routes between Europe and Asia. today,

it is still a major port and commercial center.

situated at the southern tip of the

African continent, south Africa is

bordered by both the Atlantic and

indian oceans. much of the

country consists of a broad plateau,

bordered in the northeast by the

arid Namib and Kalahari deserts,

and in the south by mountains and

a sandy, coastal plain.

A fertile lAnd

south Africa, with its fertile soils

and warm climate, is ideally

situated for agriculture. the main

crops grown for export are wheat,

sugar cane, potatoes, peanuts,

citrus fruits, and tobacco.

sheep and cattle graze the veld.

European settlers brought vines to

south Africa in the 17th century.

the cape province is a major wine-

producing area, and south African

wine is exported all over the world.

miNErAls

south Africa is the world’s largest

gold producer. it also exports large

quantities of diamonds, manganese,

chromium, and platinum.

thE drAKENsBErg

the drakensberg, or dragon

mountains, are a large range in the

southeast of south Africa. they form a

steep escarpment, reaching the height

of 11,424 ft (3,482 m), which rises out

of south Africa’s central plateau. much

of south Africa’s interior is dominated

by tableland. this is an area of dry,

rolling grassland (veld), with scattered

trees. in places it is more than 3,900 ft

(1,200 m) above sea level. it is grazed by

both sheep and cattle.

sErviNg Food

wooden vessels are

used throughout the

African continent.

Bowls like this one

from lesotho are

traditionally carved

from a single block of wood.

US_474_South_Africa_1.indd 474 22/01/16 4:48 pm