The Geography of South Africa - Assignment Example

South Africa Geography Geographic Setting: South Africa is regarded as one of Africa’s geographically divergent country, due to its distinct vegetation, landscapes and climate. The country lies in the sub-tropical region with the Atlantic Ocean bordering on the west, Indian Ocean on the southern as well as the eastern sides, and countries of Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana bordering on the north. The country has varied geographical regions ranging from fertile plains, plateaus and savannas to the dry deserts and mountains. The landscape of the country is comprised of three major regions - the wide central plateau, the long escarp of mountains and a narrow strip of low-lying coastal plains. The rolling grasslands of the Highveld at the central plateau, the bountiful farms and vineyards, the red sandy plains of the Kalahari deserts make the country an abundant land of natural diversity. In addition, the country has some of world’s most renowned wildlife reserves and dozens of national parks as part of its geography. The country’s water resources are mainly sourced by the rivers, Orange and Malibamatso, rising from the mountains of Lesotho Drakensburg. Lying right below the Tropic of Capricorn, the country’s climate varies considerably over different regions. With the sub-tropical belt of high pressure, the country has a dry climate with abundant sunshine. At the same time, as it is surrounded by the oceans in its three sides, the warm and cold currents influence the country’s climate moderately. The arid rainfall, which is often unreliable and unpredictable, is sufficient for the dry land farming in its plains. Geographic influence on culture: South Africa is well known for its diversity in ethnic and cultural aspects, with geography playing an influencing role. With a population of more than forty million, the country has different ethnic groups, comprising of black Africans, white Europeans, mixed whites and Asian descendants. Their cultural heritage, languages and religious beliefs are greatly preserved by the majority of the African black inhabitants in the rural areas. Historically speaking, the geographical setting particularly its landscapes and climate played a part in colonialism and the subsequent segregation of people on the basis of race. The country’s resources and vegetation in certain parts have led the people to settle in particular region for meeting their occupational needs. Agriculturists settled in the eastern part of the country which has sufficient rainfall to support farming while the pastoralists settled along the river Orange and the western highlands. “South Africa’s natural resources, along with its geography and climate, have influenced the development of the country and where people have settled.” (“Country Perspectives”) The diversity in culture as well as the landscape of South Africa necessitates that new products have to be launched with a focus on the lifestyles and preferences of the people, in the rural as well as urban areas. This product, noise cancellation headphones would produce enough satisfaction to the consumers among the urban regions, as they are more commonly exposed to high intensity sounds in form or other. The rural communities in the country may not have the purpose or the expectation to use this device. Considering this perspective, the business sectors like electronic media, when introducing products in geographically induced culturally diverse environment like South Africa, have to focus on the way in which the people would perceive the new products like noise cancellation headphones. In the urbanized regions of South Africa, people maximally follow a modern lifestyle with great passion towards music as well as sports, and in this lifestyle, the noise cancellation headphones can play a active role to enhance their auditory experience. Any place where there exists irresistible noise, like the sports stadiums, music concerts, other forms of festivals, etc., this pair of headphones would bring better clarity enhanced with noise cancellation feature. As electronic devices take the lion’s share in the consumer goods sector of the country, these audio devices will become one of the most popular products among the urban people. According to a recent study, changing cultural trends, “growing urbanization and increased number of economically active individuals are expected to augur well for South Africa’s retail industry.” (“Emerging Market Spotlight”). Even though expensive and obtrusive, this product would be welcomed by the urban society, due to the high consumer spending nature of the people particularly relating to their geographic location and cultural lifestyle. Thus, when the product is focused from geographical perspective, it is clear that in the urban areas, this product would be greatly favored for getting better theatrical experience. However, among the rural communities of the country, there may not be heightened enthusiasm for this product. Aesthetics: Cultural Activities: South African culture is endowed with various art forms such as music, visual arts, literature, audio-visual media sector, traditional crafts and much more. In addition, South Africa is a country of rich cultural heritage with various festivals and traditions among the different ethnic groups. During these festive occasions, traditional folklores as well as dramas are conducted, accompanied with dances like ethnic dances, classical opera and ballet on stages and theatres. “Multitude of festivals takes place across the country all year round, offering an almost bewildering range of theatrical experiences.” (“South African Theatre”). In South Africa, certain provinces like Gauteng and Johannesburg have an aesthetic mix of ethnic and western cultures, and that is particularly visible in their art and other activities. This blend of culture and traditions is reflected in their theatres activities, and other open-air cultural arenas of the society. “The province blends cultures, colors and first and third-world traditions in a spirited mix, flavored by a number of foreign influences.” (“Gauteng province”). When such cultural festivals are greatly relished by the African people, our product would certainly take a prominent place on these occasions for experiencing better quality of sound, with little cluttering of external noises. The passion for music is great among the South African people, covering multiple genres, especially gospel and kwaito. Since the country’s music industry is a growing sector, it looks forward to implement new methods for improving the quality of its music and sound events. The tendency of the people to get quality sound effects and improved recordings will certainly pave way for our product to get a competitive edge. Soccer is one of the most popular sports of the country, with people particularly the black sections of the population exhibiting great passion to it. During the recently hosted 2010 FIFA World Cup, the incessant buzzing of the vuvuzelas disturbed a sizable section of the viewers, and they even preferred watching the matches on Television instead of stadiums. This created a great desire for noise cancellation headphones among the sports aficionados, in order to gain a better sound experience while watching their favorite sports at the stadium. Since both music and sports related events and activities could be highly enhanced with our product, the above discussed country’s cultural environment would provide better opportunities for this noise cancellation headphone. Apart from these sports and music related activities, the updated versions of this product could connect with the satellites and radio services, thereby providing wide-ranging broadcasts in different languages, which would be beneficial for wider section of the population. Symbols, packaging and advertising: South Africa’s national symbols like seal, motto, flag, anthem, coat of arms, as well as its natural symbols are good representations for its rich cultural heritage and diversity. When these symbolic representations are used in our product packages and logos, it would certainly play a prominent role in building a sense of pride and belonging among the customers. One of the best ways to display the product in South African market is by using the divergent and attractive colors of the South African flag, which will greatly elicit the attention and pride of the people. When it comes to advertising the product, it could be preferable to meet the interest and expectations of the end users, particularly their relevant colors, symbols and content. Designing and advertising sector needs to give a lot of focus while coming up with the launching and marketing campaign, so that it matches up with the people’s ideas and perceptions. This is one of the “crucial means of enhancing the value of the products whose marketability and effectiveness would otherwise be lessened.” (“Creative South Africa”). It is also advisable to take care of the linguistic diversity of the country, when coming up with advertising campaigns for the products, so that nothing is lost in translation. Also, the diversity of the population in South Africa has to be taken into consideration, and balance the inter-group sensibilities, by providing a neutral packaging and color style for the product, so that it is not overtly offensive or odd to neither of the ethnic groups. In addition, effective advertising could also build an emotional connection towards the product when done through relevant media that is quite accessible to the targeted population. When all these factors are considered, the noise cancellation headphones can make a strong impact, thereby helping to build a sustained growth for our product in the land of South Africa. Works Cited “Creative South Africa: A Strategy for Realising the Potential of the Cultural Industries.” The Cultural Strategy Group, Nov 1998. Web. 26 Feb 2013. “Country Perspectives.” Exploring Africa, Web. 26 Feb 2013. “Emerging Market Spotlight Retail in South Africa: Making an Impression.” Thomas White Global Investing, July 2011. Web.26 Feb 2013. “Gauteng province, South Africa.” SouthAfrica.info, Web. 26 Feb 2013. “South African theatre.” MediaClubSouthAfrica.com, Web. 26 Feb 2013. Read More