ErebusFact library / Countries
11 countries in Southern Africa, each with a picture to fix its place, shape or name in your memory.
Malawi, nicknamed "the Warm Heart of Africa", is a long, narrow country with Lake Malawi along much of its eastern side.
Picture it
A long, skinny strip of perfect green LAWN ("ma-LAWN-ee") runs north to south, and along its whole eastern edge glitters a long blue lake. A huge warm heart beats in the middle of the lawn.
Memory hooks
Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa, and its lowest point, about 1,400 m, is the highest low point of any country.
Picture it
In the middle of South Africa sits a high mountain island. A ballerina in a giant TUTU ("le-SOO-TOO") spins on its peak. Even the lowest spot she can step on is higher than many countries' mountains.
Memory hooks
Say it: Lesotho (leh·SOO·too)
Namibia takes its name from the Namib, often called the world's oldest desert; the Caprivi Strip sticks out of its northeast corner.
Picture it
An ancient sand dune, older than any other desert, sits by the Atlantic wearing a NAME tag: "Namib". The country around it borrowed the name. From its top-right corner, a long skinny finger (the Caprivi Strip) points east.
Memory hooks
In 2018 the kingdom of Swaziland changed its name to Eswatini, meaning "land of the Swazis".
Picture it
A king takes the old sign off his small kingdom tucked against South Africa and Mozambique: SWAZILAND goes in the bin. He nails up the new one, "eh-swa-TEE-nee", which means "land of the Swazis" in the local language.
Memory hooks
Say it: Eswatini (eh·swa·TEE·nee)
Mozambique has a long Indian Ocean coastline facing Madagascar across the Mozambique Channel, and its capital is Maputo.
Picture it
A long country stretches down Africa's southeast coast, staring across a channel at Madagascar. A MOSQUITO ("moh-zam-BEEK") buzzes south to the capital, where it lands on a MAP: MAPUTO.
Memory hooks
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Madagascar, off Africa's southeast coast, is the world's fourth-largest island, and its capital is Antananarivo.
Picture it
A huge island floats off Africa's southeast coast, packed with leaping lemurs. One lemur keeps counting: "ANTA, NANA, RIVO!" (Antananarivo).
Memory hooks
Say it: Antananarivo (an·ta·na·na·REE·vo)
Zambia is a landlocked country in southern Africa that shares Victoria Falls with Zimbabwe, and its capital is Lusaka.
Picture it
On the Zambezi River, the water plunges over Victoria Falls with a roar. A ZEBRA ("ZAM-bia") stands on the edge in the spray, then trots off to the capital to get LOOSE (LUSAKA).
Memory hooks
Zimbabwe takes its name from the ancient stone city of Great Zimbabwe, and its capital is Harare.
Picture it
Huge stone walls rise from the savanna: the ancient city of Great Zimbabwe, "houses of stone", which gave the country its name. A HAIRY hare races around them: HARARE.
Memory hooks
Botswana, a landlocked country in southern Africa, contains the Okavango Delta and has its capital at Gaborone.
Picture it
A river flows into a desert and spreads out into a great green swamp, the Okavango Delta, never reaching the sea. A BOAT ("bot-SWAH-na") floats on it, crewed by a GABBY captain: GABORONE.
Memory hooks
Say it: Gaborone (ha·boh·ROH·neh)
South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial).
Picture it
At the southern tip of Africa, the government can't decide where to sit, so it uses three chairs: the president sits in PRETTY-oria, the lawmakers sit by the sea at Cape Town, and the judges sit in a field of BLOOMING flowers at Bloemfontein.
Memory hooks
Angola, on Africa's southwest coast, has an exclave (Cabinda) to the north and its capital at Luanda.
Picture it
An ANGLER casts his line from Africa's southwest coast and hooks a small bit of land to the north, the Cabinda exclave, cut off from the rest of the country. He hauls it in at LOO-AHN-DA, beside the sea.
Memory hooks