Geography
Southern Africa is a beautiful place. Its lush grasslands, breath- taking waterfalls, gorgeous plains and snow cap mountains are some of the many scenes that will greet your eyes if you ever experience Southern Africa. Although, that’s exactly what most people do. They stop after experiencing these amazing places, and do not even think to take a deeper look. These places that seem full of beauty at first glance are some of the most geographically endangered areas in the world. Countries in Southern Africa such as Swaziland, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe are struggling with their environment, because of their countries geographical locations. Currently, Zimbabwe is the most problematic country in the Southern African region (geographically.) Zimbabwe is involved with some geographic problems that people in America could never even fathom, such as: the use of pesticides, deforestation, overpopulation, and water contamination. One of these four issues started with deforestation. When Zimbabwe was first becoming a country, loads and loads of trees were cut down to provide room for the wants and needs of the people. At the very beginning most wants and needs were just land to farm on, so that families could be fed. “The reasoning behind the land becoming farmland is because the forests that were cut down were commonly rain forests and were lesser value to the population,”(Szokol 1). Obviously rain is plentiful in the rain forests, which makes the soil excellent for farming. Deforestation continued to become a big issue throughout the country. Within the farms in Zimbabwe, the use of pesticides turned into a common resort. The pesticides that were used put wildlife in grave danger, such as birds. Some birds even lost the ability to reproduce because of the way they interacted with these pesticides. But are bird’s lives the only lives at stake? Zimbabwe is a country overflowing with people. Too many people. Zimbabwe is a currently overpopulated country. Poor plumbing and the inability to adequately create a safe water supply has caused the vast amount of people to drink contaminated water. This water has become contaminated due to improper sewage treatments. Luckily, these issues are not present in America, but Zimbabwe is still working on overcoming all of these downfalls of geographical luck. Although, Zimbabwe is not the only country facing these dilemmas, place like Swaziland, Zambia and South Africa are just a few of the other countries in Southern Africa standing up to geographical malfunctions. |
Imperialism
The people of South Africa’s past presented the black population. The black population moved into the area as early as 300 A.D. Many groups who spoke Bantu languages lived in eastern South Africa. The Khoikhol, who raised cattle and sheep, and the San, who hunted, occupied the western part of South Africa by 1500. The Portuguese were the very first Europeans to reach the southern tip of the African continent in the late 15th century. For Europeans it promised a sea route to the riches of India. The Portuguese developed fishing settlements across the southern coast. ”In 1652 the Dutch East India Company established a port at the Cape of Good Hope and saw the birth of Dutch settlements across South Africa. Afrikaners (Dutch settlers) and Boers (Dutch Farmers in South Africa) enslaved the native African populations and forced them to work on farms, in mining, and as servants,”(Matt 1). The British saw the value of South Africa’s ports and in part to prevent the French from taking over the colony, but they did in 1806. The British stopped slavery and angered the Dutch populations by doing so. The Dutch began a large scale migration to the more upscale parts of the country in 1837. The Dutch settles on the land of the Zulu peoples, creating issues between the two groups (over control of the land). The Dutch ultimately defeated the Zulu’s and made segregating laws. The discovery of diamonds in 1867 and Gold in 1884 brought conflicts between the British, Dutch, and native African populations to a new level. This discovery in the interior of South Africa encouraged economic growth and immigration. “The discoveries were made on lands in dispute between the Dutch, English, and Africans leading to conflicts between the three groups,” (Matt 3). The British wanted to control the riches of the area, so the British first attacked the Zulu’s in 1879 and the Zulu’s scored early victories over the British under the leadership of Zulu. The British then focused on Dutch lands in the middle of Southern Africa. The Boers resisted the British during the First Boer War but not the second. The British had returned with more numbers and were successful in defeating the Boers in the Second Boer War. The British now had full control over South Africa. In 1934 South Africa was granted their Independence with the white population in control of the country. These acts of imperialism have affected the country for a while and will continue to affect the country forever. |