SOUTH AFRICA

Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe

The European influence began with slave trade and quickened later in 19th century, when the discovery of a huge mineral wealth secured South Africa’s economic dominance.

The struggle against the white minority led to conflict in Namibia, Zimbabwe, and the former Portuguese territories of Angola and Mozambique.

South Africa’s apartheid laws, which denied basic human rights to more than 75% of the people, led to international exclusion until 1994, when the democratic elections began a new era of racial justice.

At Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River has cut out a spectacular gorge. A wide range of crops, such as tea, cotton, sisal, tobacco, grapes, citrus fruits, corn, cassava, legumes, and potatoes, are grown here, some with the help of irrigation systems, such as the Orange River Project, which supplements the irregular rainfall.