Like much of the African continent south of the Sahara, South Africa's landscape is dominated by a high Central Plateau surrounded by coastal lowlands. This plateau is rimmed by the Great Escarpment which extends northwards to about 10° south of the Equator (i.e. into Angola in the west, and the Muchinga Escarpment in Zambia in the east.
What are the famous landmarks in South Africa?
South Africa's most famous landmark, Table Mountain, is more than just a pile of rocks in the bay. A protected national park, it has some remarkable features that make it a fantastic destination for nature-lovers, deserving of more than just a quick cable car ride to see the view from the top (although that is totally worth it). ...
What are the 10 major landforms in Africa?
- Atlas Mountains. Runs from southwestern Morocco along the Mediterranean coastline to the eastern edge of Tunisia.
- Ethiopian Highlands.
- Great Rift Valley.
- Hoggar (Ahaggar) Mountains.
- Kalahari Desert.
- Namib Desert.
- Nile River System.
- Sahel.
What are important land features in South Africa?
South Africa’s geography and landscape. Most of South Africa’s landscape is made up of high, flat areas called plateaus. These lands are covered with rolling grasslands, called highveld, and tree-dotted plains, called bushveld. To the east, south and west of the plateau lands is a mountainous region called the Great Escarpment.
What is a major landform in southern Africa?
Landforms in South Africa. The length of Orange River is 1,367 miles long. It is one of the longest rivers in the continent of Africa. The river is also 400 ft deep. The height of Table Mountain is 3,558 feet tall. Table Mountain overlooks the city of Cape Town. The height of Dragon Mountain is 3,482 meters tall.
What are 5 major landforms in Africa?
The major landforms in Africa are:Plateaus.Mountains.Rivers.Rainforests.Lakes.Valleys.Grasslands.Deserts.
What are the 4 main landforms in Africa?
The dominant physical features of Africa are the Nile River, Mount Kilimanjaro, Victoria Falls, Lake Victoria, and the Sahara Desert. The Nile River is the longest river on the planet. The highest mountain peak in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro.
What are 5 physical features of south Africa?
Physical features range from bushveld, grasslands, forests, deserts and majestic mountain peaks, to wide unspoilt beaches and coastal wetlands.
What are 3 landforms in Africa?
Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro are both volcanoes. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa. Volcanic activity also produced the Ethiopian Highlands, the Tibesti Mountains in the Sahara, and Mount Cameroon in West Africa. In addition, volcanic rock covers the Great Escarpment in Southern Africa.
What are the main physical features of south Africa?
Along the coast, a narrow strip of sea-level land rests between the oceans and rugged hills. The major physical feature of South Africa's landscape is a large plateau, 1,500- 2,000 meters above sea level, which covers the interior of South Africa. South Africa's interior consists of grassy plains called the “veldt”.
What is the most famous landform in Africa?
These grasslands make up most of central Africa, beginning south of the Sahara and the Sahel and ending north of the continent's southern tip. Among Africa's many savanna regions, the Serengeti (or Serengeti Plains) is the most well-known.
What is South Africa known best for?
South Africa, the southernmost country on the African continent, renowned for its varied topography, great natural beauty, and cultural diversity, all of which have made the country a favoured destination for travelers since the legal ending of apartheid (Afrikaans: “apartness,” or racial separation) in 1994.
Does it snow in South Africa?
Snow is a rare occurrence, with snowfall having been experienced in May 1956, August 1962, June 1964, September 1981, August 2006 (light), on 27 June 2007, accumulating up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in the southern suburbs, and most recently on 7 August 2012.
What is unique to South Africa?
It is the only country in the world to contain an entire floral kingdom. It is home to more kinds of mammals than North and South America combined; or Europe and Asia together. South African grasslands have approximately 30 species per square kilometre, greater than the biodiversity of rainforests.
What are 5 famous landforms?
Major LandformsAspen Mountain (Rocky mountain range, Colorado) - 10,705 ft.Bear Mountain (Kenai mountain range in Alaska) - 4,019 ft.Mount Everest (Himalayan mountain range between Nepal and China) - 29,029 ft.Mount Fuji (Fuji Volcanic Zone) - 12,389 ft.Mount Olympus (Olympus mountain range in Greece) - 9,570 ft.
What are 3 landforms examples?
Mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains are the four major types of landforms. Minor landforms include buttes, canyons, valleys, and basins.
Are there 55 African countries?
There are 54 countries in Africa today, according to the United Nations. The full list is shown in the table below, with current population and subregion (based on the United Nations official statistics).
What are the 4 main landforms and write about them?
Mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains are the four major types of landforms. Minor landforms include buttes, canyons, valleys, and basins. Tectonic plate movement under Earth can create landforms by pushing up mountains and hills.
Where are landforms in Africa?
RIFT VALLEYS AND LAKES The continent's most distinctive landforms are in East Africa. As the continental plates pulled apart over millions of years, huge cracks appeared in the earth. The land then sank to form long, thin valleys—called rift valleys.
What is the major physical landform in Africa?
The Ethiopian Highlands form the largest continuous area of its altitude in the whole continent, with little of its surface falling below 1500 m (4,921 ft), while the summits reach heights of up to 4550 m (14,928 ft). It is sometimes called the Roof of Africa for its height and large area.
What are the main landforms in Central Africa?
The landscapes of Central Africa are most often wide plateaus, which are smooth in the central part and etched at the periphery. The interior basin of the Congo River is joined to the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow neck traversing ridges parallel to the coast.
What is the name of the plateau in South Africa?
This edge of the plateau, as the land drops sharply to the coastal plain, forms a very high, steep escarpment known as the Drakensberg Mountains .
What is the southernmost plateau in Africa?
The Southern African Central Plateau edged by the Great Escarpment. Like much of the African continent south of the Sahara, South Africa's landscape is dominated by a high Central Plateau surrounded by coastal lowlands.
How wide is the Little Karoo?
The Little Karoo is separated from the Great Karoo by the Swartberg mountain range. It lies in a 290 km long, narrow (40–60 km wide) valley in of the Cape Fold Mountains, with the Swartberg range to the north and the Langeberg - Outeniqua range to the south.
What is the highest section of the Great Escarpment?
Panorama of the Giant's Castle region of the Drakensberg, the highest section of the Great Escarpment. Here the Escarpment is capped by a 1,400 m layer of erosion-resistant lava, which once covered most of Southern Africa 182 million years ago.
How much rain does Gauteng receive?
It receives between 400 and 1200 mm of rain annually, and is largely a flat grassland plain. Much of the area is devoted to commercial farming, but it also contains South Africa's largest conurbation in Gauteng Province, the centre of the gold mining industry.
Why is South Africa losing its habitat?
South Africa has lost a large area of natural habitat in the last four decades, primarily due to overpopulation, sprawling development patterns and deforestation during the 19th century. South Africa is one of the worst affected countries in the world when it comes to invasion by alien species with many (e.g. black wattle, Port Jackson willow, Hakea, Lantana and Jacaranda) posing a significant threat to the native biodiversity and the already scarce water resources. The original temperate forest found by the first European settlers was exploited ruthlessly until only small patches remained. Currently, South African hardwood trees like real yellowwood ( Podocarpus latifolius ), stinkwood ( Ocotea bullata ), and South African black ironwood ( Olea laurifolia) are under government protection. Statistics from the South African Environmental Affairs department show a record 1215 rhinos were killed in 2014.
Why is South Africa's coastline so smooth?
The present coastline was therefore once part of the underwater continental shelf, which contains very few deep ravines or gorges. In contrast, a subsiding coastline, like Norway's, tends to become deeply indented where the sea has flooded old river gorges and glacial valleys.
What are the features of Africa's rivers?
Africa's rivers contain many waterfalls, rapids, and gorges. These features make the rivers less useful for transportation than shorter rivers on other continents. The 2,900-mile-long Congo River forms the continent's largest network of waterways.
How high is the plateau in Africa?
It rises inland from narrow lowlands along the coast. Except for the coasts of Mozambique and Somalia, much of the continent lies at least 1,000 feet above sea level. This plateau is Africa's most prominent physical feature.
How deep is Lake Victoria?
These African lakes are unusually long and deep. Lake Tanganyika, the longest freshwater lake in the world, stretches about 420 miles and reaches a depth of more than 4,700 feet. However, Africa's largest lake, Lake Victoria, sits in a shallow basin between two rift valleys. It is the world's second largest freshwater lake but is only 270 feet deep.
What did European colonial rulers do to Africa?
In the 19th and 20th centuries, European colonial rulers developed Africa's natural resources for export to Europe to manufacture goods there. As a result, many African nations have been slow to develop the infrastructure and industries that could turn these resources into valuable products.
What is Africa's wealth?
Africa's Wealth of Resources . The story of Africa's natural resources is at once a story of plenty and one of scarcity. Africa has a huge amount of the world's minerals. But many African countries lack the industrial base and money to develop them.
Where are the Rift Valleys?
These rift valleys stretch over 4,000 miles from Jordan in Southwest Asia to Mozambique in Southern Africa. A cluster of lakes formed at the bottoms of some of these rift valleys.
Where is the vast plateau located?
A Vast Plateau. Africa's shape and landforms are the result of its location in the southern part of the ancient supercontinent of Pangaea, which you read about in Chapter 2. About 200 million years ago, Pangaea began to break up.
What ocean is South Africa in?
South Africa’s coastlines border the Indian Ocean to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest. The country possesses two small subantarctic islands, Prince Edward and Marion, situated in the Indian Ocean about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) southeast of Cape Town.
What is South Africa known for?
South Africa, the southernmost country on the African continent, renowned for its varied topography, great natural beauty, and cultural diversity, all of which have made the country a favoured destination for travelers since the legal ending of apartheid (Afrikaans: “apartness,” or racial separation) in 1994. South Africa.
What is the border between South Africa and Namibia?
Land. South Africa is bordered by Namibia to the northwest, by Botswana and Zimbabwe to the north, and by Mozambique and Swaziland to the northeast and east. Lesotho, an independent country, is an enclave in the eastern part of the republic, entirely surrounded by South African territory.
Which city is the capital of South Africa?
Subscribe Now. South Africa has three cities that serve as capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial). Johannesburg, the largest urban area in the country and a centre of commerce, lies at the heart of the populous Gauteng province.
Is South Africa a stable country?
Today South Africa enjoys a relatively stable mixed economy that draws on its fertile agricultural lands, abundant mineral resources, tourist attractions, and highly evolved intellectual capital. Greater political equality and economic stability, however, do not necessarily mean social tranquility.
Was South Africa a pariah state?
The apartheid regime was disdained and even vehemently opposed by much of the world community, and by the mid-1980s South Africa found itself among the world’s pariah states, the subject of economic and cultural boycotts that affected almost every aspect of life.
What are the three major regions of South Africa?
South Africa is divided into three major geographic regions. The first is the African Plateau in the country's interior. It forms a portion of the Kalahari Basin and is semiarid and sparsely populated. It slopes gradually in the north and west but rises to 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) in the east. The second region is the Great Escarpment. Its terrain varies but its highest peaks are in the Drakensberg Mountains along the border with Lesotho. The third region consists of the narrow, fertile valleys along the coastal plains.
What are some interesting facts about South Africa?
More Facts about South Africa 1 South Africa's population estimates must account for excess mortality due to AIDS and its affect on life expectancy, infant mortality, and population growth rates. 2 South Africa divides its governmental power among three capitals. Bloemfontein is the capital of the judiciary, Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Pretoria is the administrative capital.
What is the administrative capital of South Africa?
South Africa divides its governmental power among three capitals. Bloemfontein is the capital of the judiciary, Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Pretoria is the administrative capital.
What are the natural resources of South Africa?
South Africa has a growing market economy with a plethora of natural resources. Gold, platinum, and precious stones such as diamonds account for nearly half of South Africa's exports. Auto assembly, textiles, iron, steel, chemicals, and commercial ship repair also play a role in the country's economy.
How many wildlife reserves are there in South Africa?
South Africa currently has eight wildlife reserves, the most famous of which is Kruger National Park along the border with Mozambique. This park is home to lions, leopards, giraffes, elephants, and hippopotamus.
What was the purpose of the South African Native National Congress?
In May 1910, though, the two republics and Britain formed the Union of South Africa, a self-governing territory of the British Empire, and in 1912, the South African Native National Congress (eventually called the African National Congress or ANC) was founded with the goal of providing Blacks in the region with more freedom.
How many legislative bodies does South Africa have?
Government of South Africa. Today, South Africa is a republic with two legislative bodies. Its executive branch is its Chief of State and Head of Government—both of which are filled by the president, who is elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly.