Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent. Its landscape is varied, ranging from forest and grasslands to deserts. The region has both low-lying coastal areas, mountains and extensive desert areas of the Namib and Kalahari. Namibia lies on the Atlantic coast and the landlocked states of Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana extend through to Mozambique on the Indian Ocean coast. In northeast Botswana the Okavango Delta, the world's largest inland delta, is formed where the Okavango River empties onto a swamp in the Kalahari Desert.
The Republic of South Africa is an important country in the politics and economy of the region. Dense urban areas, especially around Johannesburg, contrast with the sparsely-populated areas in the northwest. South Africa is culturally and ethnically diverse and has eleven official languages. It has an abundant supply of natural resources, and well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors.
Development is focused around the four main economic centres of Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, and Pretoria/Johannesburg. Development elsewhere is marginal and poverty is still prevalent.
The independent kingdom of Lesotho is entirely enclosed within South Africa.