Forest covers only a small proportion of South Africa. Most of the patches, in which it occurs, are to be found in the eastern and moister half : (I) Along a sub-tropical coastal belt from Port Elizabeth through Natal proper, and widening when traced northward through Zululand, was formerly a low forest which in Natal and in much of Zululand, has largely been destroyed and replaced by sugar plantations. (2) Along the slopes of the Drakensberg and Stormberg, and on the ridges which extend from them, patches of forest occur at altitudes of from 3,00o to 8,000. They are generally found on slopes, which face between south-east and south-west, and which are therefore turned toward the rain-bearing winds, and away from the hot, desiccating winds.
(3) In the Cape Province forests grow on the seaward slopes of the Outeniqua, Langkloof and Zitzikamma mountains. In all these patches of forest the trees are mostly evergreens. They in clude the yellowwoods (Podocarpus latifolia, P. elongata), black ironwood (Olea laurifolia), assegai wood (Curtisea faginea), white pear (Apodytes dimidiata), black stinkwood (Ocotea bul lata), etc. In the sub-tropical regions species with tropical affini ties occur. Here are to be found the umzimbiti (Milletia caffra), flat crown (Albizzia fastigiata), red ivory (Rhamnus Zeyheri), etc. In the Cape forests the witels (Platylophus trifoliatus) is well represented.
Many trees of foreign origin have been introduced, and grow well in the country. The black wattle of Australia (Acacia de curreus var. mollis) is cultivated on a large scale in the midlands of Natal, where its plantations cover over 200,000 ac., and in parts of the Transvaal. The gums are now widely spread in plan tations, about farms and along the streets of many towns. Oak trees are planted for ornamental purposes and to provide shade. Well-grown examples line the streets of Stellenbosch, George, Kok stadm, etc. In Natal, and in parts of the high Veld, the beautiful jacaranda tree is grown, while some of the streets of Durban are lined with flamboyants, which are definitely restricted to the sub-tropical districts.
Scattered bush occupies much of the northern, central and eastern regions of South Africa. (I) The East Coast bush occurs along a narrow littoral strip from East London to the north of Natal. It is dense, and has many climbing plants. The trees rarely exceed 3o ft. in height. The most characteristic plants are the palms (Hyphaene crinita, and Phoenix reclinata) and the wild banana (Stretitzia augusta). Other common trees are the red milkwood (Mimusops caffra), Kafirboom (Erythrina caifra), Amatungula (Carissa grandiflora), white pear (Apodytes dimidi ata), etc. ; aloes also occur. (2) The Limpopo bushveld covers much of the basin of the Limpopo in Portuguese East Africa, southern Rhodesia, the Transvaal and south-east Bechuanaland.
Most of it lies below 3,00o feet. This is a park-like country. The trees, which are from 3o to 5o ft. high, are fairly well spaced with bushes and shrubs growing between them. In the east many of the trees are evergreen, but toward the west deciduous trees are common. Among the components of this bush are the baobab (Adansonia digitata), mahogany (Afzelia quanzensis), mopane (Copaifera mopane), and several species of acacia. Palms grow
near the rivers and vleis. Toward the south the bush is less luxu riant where it merges into the High Veld. (3) The Kalahari Thorn Veld extends over much of central South Africa as far as the Orange river. It is well developed over a great part of Bech uanaland and the Damara plateau. It consists of bush and scat tered trees. The dominant tree is the camel thorn (Acacia giraf fae), but several other species of acacia also occur. The chief grasses include species of Eragrostis, especially E. superbus, Aris tida, Pennisetum, etc. (3) The scrub, or Macchia, in the south west of the Cape Province is found throughout the area bounded on the west by the Olifants river, by Van Stadens mountains on the east, and on the north by the Cedarberg, Cold Bokkeveld, Hex River mountains, Zwartberg and Elandsberg. Its chief corn ponents are low bushes and shrubs, from 1 to 6 ft. high, with small dull greyish green, leathery leaves. Among them are species of Proteaceae, Ericaceae, Restiaceae, Thymelaeaceae, etc. Large tracts are covered by the rhenoster bush (Elyptropappus rhino cerotis). Bulbous and tuberous plants belonging to the Iridaceae, Liliaceae and Oxalidaceae are common. (See CAPE COLONY.) The Cape flora appears to be more closely related to that of south west Australia than to that of the Mediterranean area.
Zoologically South Africa belongs to the Ethiopian region, and is characterized by the absence of bears and deer, and by the presence of a great variety of antelopes, which range in size from the diminutive blue buck or mipiti to the eland. Some of the more strictly tropical forms are unrepresented, such as the go rilla, chimpanzee and many of the parrots. Some animals, as for example the lion, crocodile, and some antelopes, have a continu ous distribution from the Sudan, along the East African corridor between the great equatorial forests and the coast belt down to South Africa. On the other hand the country may be regarded as a distinct sub-region of the Ethiopian area on account of a num ber of forms which are peculiar to it. Among these are the spring buck, black wildebeest, the long-tailed sugar bird, which appears to have a distribution closely related to that of the Proteaceae, and a great variety of insects, adapted to the Cape flora. Since the white man entered the country with his rifle, his enclosures and his domestic animals, the numbers of the larger native ani mals have been enormously reduced. A few species like the quagga have become extinct. Several species of buck only survive in a semi-domesticated state on some of the large farms, or in game reserves. The white rhinoceros, which occurs about the sources of the Nile, and which used to be common in the area between the Zambesi and the Orange rivers, is now represented only by a few individuals about the Umfolosi in Natal. The elephant still survives in the Knysna forest, the Addo bush and the game re serve in the north-eastern Transvaal and in Bechuanaland, and a herd of about 400 mountain zebra is preserved in Cape Colony.