5. South Africa lies in the warm temperate zone of the
Southern Hemisphere . This region experiences a mild
climate . This is due to the altitude of the plateau, the
presence of oceans on three sides and the cold Benguela
current which flows along the west coast .
In the High Veld, the summers are warm and wet and the
day temperature reaches upto 22 °C . Most of the rainfall
occurs during the summer and it decreases from south to
north and also from east to west . The winters are cold and
dry and the temperatures vary from 5 °C and 10 °C . July
is the coldest month. Rainfall is scanty and droughts can
occur during June ,July and August.
6.
7. There are limited forests in this region due to semi – arid
climatic conditions . A major part of the Plateau is covered
with grass . Red grass grows in bush Veld. Acacia and mural
grows in the high Veld.
The bush lands and the grasslands in the High Veld have
one major handicap – the elevation of the grazing lands is
between 1000 m and 2000 m, this results in frost for a
period of about 100 days in a year.
11. The Veld is rich in minerals. Gold is found in the
Witwatersrand. The mining of gold and diamonds
have attracted the Europeans to South Africa.
The discovery of iron and steel industry.
Johannesburg the gold capital of the world, is an
important industrial and commercial centre.
Kimberley is famous for diamonds.
