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How much do you know about the region of southern Africa?
Test your knowledge with these tidbits from CultureGrams:
- South Africa is the largest producer of what two precious metals?
- The largest delta in the world, found in Botswana, is named what?
- Swaziland has what form of government?
- Which South African president desegregated public facilities, freed Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners, and gave the African National Congress legal status after taking office in 1989?
- Which African island is the world's fourth largest?
- What product makes up 90 percent of Angola's exports?
- Which two sovereign nations are almost completely surrounded by one larger country?
- To which southern African country did the Dutch bring sugarcane, a crop the economy relied on almost exclusively from the 19th century until relatively recently?
- What is the official language of Zimbabwe?
- What is the name of the one-string violin unique to Malawi?
Answers:
1) Platinum and gold. 2) The Okavango Delta. 3) An absolute monarchy with no written constitution. 4) Frederik Willem (F. W.) de Klerk. 5) Madagascar. 6) Oil. 7) Lesotho and Swaziland (surrounded by South Africa). 8) Mauritius. 9) English. 10) The zeze.
Did you know...
- In Maritius among Hindu families, the mother of a newborn is bathed in saffron and lilac leaves. The newborn's head is shaved, prayers are offered, and a dinner is held at the home with the immediate family. Hindus are given three names: an official name (which is recorded by the birth registry and otherwise never used except for legal issues), a nom criee (the name by which they are known to most people), and a nom gate (a more intimate name used only by immediate family).
- In Namibia, traditional housing made of local materials is still common in rural areas. A compound belonging to an extended family consists of several huts with tree-branch frames and thatched roofs. Several huts are for sleeping, one is for socializing, and an open-air hut is for cooking. Surrounding the compound is a fence made from branches. Furniture is minimal, usually just beds and plastic chairs. The vast majority of rural houses do not have electricity, though access is increasing. Some families run televisions using car batteries. Villagers retrieve water from a well or tap connected to a water tower or borehole.
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