ABSTRACT
Southern Africa comprises ten countries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe (see Figure 2.1). The reader will avoid some potential confusion in what follows by noting the distinction between the region, known as southern Africa, and one of its constituent countries, South Africa, or the Republic of South Africa. All the countries of the region have experienced significant changes in their political, economic and social geography in the past thirty years. Many changes are similar to those which occurred elsewhere south of the Sahara in the same period, but one theme distinguishes this region from the rest of the continent. This is the extensive influence of South Africa on all the countries in the region. Southern Africa has experienced massive political, economic and military destabilization since the mid-1970s which, in different countries, has been largely or partly inspired by South Africa. In addition South Africa has strong economic links with the rest of southern Africa in the form of trade, transport and migrant labour.
