The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-10-07
Southwest
Africa IS

ATTIC
of the product Of the first of &c
IN, manys efforts to obtain a C.
IT, lonial place In the SUM-" It We
as on this huge territorial bone" tbs
the empire, unused to overseas DO.
sessions, cut the teeth of It's coIonia
IL policy, later used effectively In othe
VI parts OF the world. Since the Worl,
"a war the region has been under man
D. date from the League of Nations to tn,
T Union OF South Africa. The consti
q tuition recently granted to the man
dated territory was conferred by the
parliament of the union and Ia only
the forerunner, according to South
African political leaders, of a still
broader charter.
Germany became interested In col
onies In the eighties of the Nineteenth
century after most of the desirable
areas In Africa had been staked out
by other European powers. Along
the Atlantic coast, Southwest Africa
then generally known as Damara-
land) was practically the only unap-
proprlated region between the Cane of
GOOD Hope and Gibraltar; and Great
britain looked upon this region even |
as more or less hazily within her
sphere OF influence Undoubtedly II
had remained unappropriated largely
because OF its utterly desolate appear
ance from the sea. Seeing only its sea
aspect one traveller described II ms
without question, "the least attractive
part OF Africa, except only the Sa-
hara."
Southwest Africa has an area of 800
400 square miles, and so is two-thirds
as large as the four states of the union
together. Beginning in the south at :
the Orange river, it extends northward :
past the Tropic of Capricorn and on =
10 the southern border of the Portu-
guese colony of Angola, marked by tbe
hunene river. The total frontage on
me Atlantic is approximately SOO
MES distance equal to that from :"
ne island Of Jamaica to central Flori- a.
ID and In corresponding ATTITUDES. In -
ne north the territory is $40 miles "a "a
'lde, extending inland to within litt1a vi
lore than 100 miles of the middle line ti'
<xt
I the continent. The territory he 81
ONES narrower to the soutb and Of Is
ne southern boundary is only 22O 50
lies wide. The most striking and no TO
iiler feature of Southwest Africa as at
appears on map is the long mar Pc
w 'nnger' Of territory that extends INK
stward from the northeast corner tor
lis corridor, only about 80 miles wide wo
tends for nearly 300 miles 70 tho the
moezi river which 1t reaches only We W.,
v miles above Victoria falls. GIN
Coastal Desert Is DesoIate. lili'
southwest Africa's worst foot, which ~ an
,sal desert E. .ne A'iahtic-the otht
,. Few coast regions of the earth Co..
more desolate.s Shallow water, vo,o
uesert Islands, absence of har- NIT
s. and dry, sandy shore. devoid So
vegetation, combined to make tho 80.
ION SO inhospitable to seamen that 49,,
always gave 1t wide berth. Tho -,
d, mostly blown into dunes or &c
is inland from ten to forty miles. ~
tne barren, desert character of s.onS
strip Is marked from the southern are
ldary for about 600 miles north sec'i'
Few stream beds that have been .ooae
INTO the Namib during the ages p'rse
water In them only now and II
over ,ono sor,os nv" anu varie
moisture doo. a. gnu the r
II seIdon, 80 'i.e' cope
eAeS tae been
e northern on ,,;,a velopI
is only q little less desolate
the Namib. 1t is more mountain. anu
ess dominated h., ,~ oua'ain- marbl,
more tronjcoI 80. u' anu the te
II peds are better defined and 80, W., ,i'i
y support growth Of bushes .e.ue,
rees. were
bans onco T., and fl
,eceivos - years the Ma $4,000
o. ram and 1922 a
in her drons oe "' hature ported.
up all over the parched sands. A.
s mock In almost overnight and 60,
"hiie the former desert teens c., :.
'ame. Soon. however, the SIM - ~,
the SOIL again, the animals dis. 49,
O ueeei' Is estimat,
ton 70 ,or.u der 200
gives nIoca ~ LES inianu the natives
prass 90 si'ion oelt Walvi
ground ona - appear on harbor,
Immediately beyond is the o.. 800" nol'
or,.ed ~ , p'ateau' us The latt
v n,Iod ho,,.,s PAGES ny IAN little If
n tba un,ana I kopmund
str,n thot ~ 'aeA ~ 'ne sandy the Germ
lwest Africa exists. This re- tbot a.
least promising in the south tb,n,-a.,.
he rainfall is scant But ever, t,on 80 =,
, tha ra,,o 80. VI tne Fish natives a
egions In which thriving com. Is mo.o - -
have sprung up, while much nosas ~ ~
ryer land supports flocks Of errr :
d goats. uiien'
ateau region becomes more o,,,.i,
promising as one JOURNEYS wv, :, d
d. In the center of the conn do,,,n4 uo
ches Of rain falls annually $50 u,
arther north 16 and then 10 400 =
received; while over most 49, 49, . mnl'