southern africa botswana, south africa, and zimbabwe
TRANSCRIPT
Southern Africa
Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe
Republic of Botswana
Botswana Geography
• Size of Texas or France
• 80% covered by Kalahari Desert
• Cattle outnumber people
Botswana History/ People
• Tswana people migrated into the region in 1500s
• Wars w/ white settlers (Boers) during 1800s, sought protection from British
• Became a British colony in 1885
• Gained independence in 1966
• President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA – Elected April 2008
Botswana Economy
• Stable economy• Diamonds= 80% of
exports• Also copper, beef, and
nickel• Cattle is the traditional
measurement of wealth• HUGE rich/ poor gap• Unemployment rate=
45%
The Jwaneng mine, in Botswana, is the most valuable diamond mine in the world. Its 1995 production of about 10.5 million carats had a value of about $1.2 billion.
A stamp
Botswana Government• Stable!• Parliamentary republic
(like UK)• Traditional village councils
are male-dominated, govern schools and health clinics
• Unlike most African nations- never had a coup or been ruled by a dictator!– Mainly due to Tswana
ethnic cohesion and stable economy
Botswana Education
• 75% adult literacy rate
• All students attend school, no fees
• Learn English
Who receives an education?
Botswana Health Care
• Infant mortality relatively low- 38 per 1000 births
• Other diseases: malaria, sleeping sickness, schistosomiasis– Can cause anemia,
diarrhea, pain, fatigue and malnutrition
• Over 1/3 of adults infected with HIV/AIDS • Has decreased life expectancy to 40 years
-down from 65 only 10 years ago!
Republic of South Africa
Thabo Mbeki
South Africa Geography• Slightly larger than
TX, OK, and NM combined!
• Completely surrounds two other nations– Lesotho– Swaziland
• Many rivers• Drakensberg
Mountains-get snow
History of South Africa• 1652- Dutch established a
trade station @ Cape Town• Dutch colonists came to be
known as Boers – enslaved Africans
• British gained possession of Cape Town in 1814– Boers moved northward,
gaining land (Great Trek)
• 1899-1902- Boer War– Between British and Dutch
Boers– over gold and diamonds– British won
• 1948-Apartheid began• 1961- Independence from
Britain
South African Leaders• Nelson Mandela
– fought against Apartheid system
– Jailed for 27 years
• 1993-Won Nobel Peace Prize w/ FW de Klerk – began reforms in gov’t in
1989
• 1994- elected President (until 1999)
• Jacob Zuma: current Pres.
Economy/ Natural Resources• Richest country in
Africa• Big gap between
white and non-white incomes
• World’s largest producer of platinum and gold
• diamonds, chrome, and coal
• High unemployment= 30-40%
South Africa Government• Voting age=18• Parliamentary
Republic• 1994 election: first
time indigenous South Africans could vote!
South Africa Education/Health Care
• Kids go to school until age 15
• 19 universities• Public hospitals open to
all• Free health care to
pregnant women and kids under 6
• ½ lack basic sanitation• 1/3 lack potable
(drinkable) water
Diseases• Highest # of HIV-positive citizens in world!
(5.3 million today)• 1 in 9 (1 in 4 adults) is infected with HIV• World’s largest tuberculosis infection rate
Republic of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Geography
• Slightly larger than Montana
• Landlocked
• Known for “balancing rocks”
• Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe History
• Great Zimbabwe- early trading empire
• Zimbabwe means “stone houses”
• 1888- Cecil Rhodes granted charter to colonize– 1923-became Br. Colony of
Southern Rhodesia– Desired to build a railroad
from Cairo to Capetown• 1965-declared
independence- sparked a civil war
Zimbabwe Gov’tRobert Mugabe- elected
Pres. in 1980– Has ruled ever since– Corrupt government
• Claims to be a Parliamentary Republic but is really a dictatorship!
• Voting age= 18
• 2002 & ’06 elections were rigged and fraudulent
• 2008: shares power w/ Morgan Tsvangirai
Economy/ Natural Resources• 2/3 of population in agriculture
– problem w/ droughts
• Tobacco and cotton= 40% of exports– Corn, tea, and sugar
• Manufacture footwear and furniture• Unemployment= 60%• Suffers from hyper-inflation
Zimbabwe Education/ Health care
• Education: very high literacy rate
• Almost all kids go to school
• Malaria, cholera, bilharzia (schistosmiasis)
• People often use traditional healers
• 2nd highest HIV infection rate in world
other DISEASES• Malaria:
– kills three times as many children in Africa as HIV/AIDS
– spread by mosquitoes• Sleeping Sickness:
– Tsetse fly– 20,000 new cases a year
amongst ppl– kills 1000s of cattle a year
MARBURG VIRUS
• Marburg Virus– outbreak in Angola– over 250 died– Ebola like virus– begins w/
• high fever• head/body aches
– w/i 5-7 days:• liver & kidney failure• spontaneous bleeding• death
FAMINE• Famine is caused by:
– periods of drought– heavy reliance on foreign
imports– armed conflicts– locusts and crop eating
insects• Problems related to getting aid
for famine regions:– African leaders resistance
to admitting food shortages exist
– Resistance to genetically modified food aid
– Difficulty of transporting food aid to areas hit by famine
BRAIN DRAIN• Brain Drain - the emigration of African
professionals to western nations– Searching for better working conditions
and pay– Private agencies are actively recruiting
African workers– High crime, violence, and human rights
abuses– Failing economies and high unemployment
• Causes of African economic crisis:– Western exploitation of natural resources– Poor soil & weather patterns– Dictators & conflicts
• Solution:– Western countries cancel & forgive debts