sound waves. On CDs this information
is stored as a pattern of tiny pits, or
holes, that are created and read by a laser
beam. The digital information can also
be stored in personal computers or in
portable devices called digital audio
players.
History
In 1877 Thomas Edison, a U.S. inventor,
made the first device for recording
and playing back sound. It was a phonograph
made up of a cardboard cylinder
wrapped in tinfoil. It recorded sound
with a small needle that formed a track
in the tinfoil. Ten years later an inventor
named Emil Berliner improved Edison’s
device by replacing the cylinder with a
flat phonograph record. Berliner also
invented a way to make copies of
records. By the early 1900s records had
become a popular form of home entertainment.
German engineers developed tape
recorders in the 1930s and 1940s. U.S.
and British researchers improved on the
German equipment in the late 1940s.
By the early 1980s music cassette tapes
had become more popular than phonograph
records.
Also in the early 1980s compact discs
were introduced. Since then CDs have
mostly replaced records and cassettes. At
first people could only buy prerecorded
CDs to play on a CD player. But in the
1990s recordable CDs were introduced.
This technology allowed people to make
their own CDs using a computer or a
separate CD recorder. The first digital
audio players appeared in the late 1990s.
#More to explore
Compact Disc • Edison, Thomas Alva
• Sound
Two people can listen to a portable MP3
player if they share a set of earphones. A
portable MP3 player is a digital audio player.
136 Sound Recording BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
South Africa
The country of South Africa covers the
southern tip of Africa. It has three capital
cities: Pretoria (Tshwane), Cape
Town, and Bloemfontein.
Most of South Africa’s people are black.
However, white people controlled the
government until 1994.
Geography
South Africa has a long coastline on the
Atlantic and Indian oceans. To the
north South Africa borders Namibia,
Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique,
and Swaziland. South Africa also
surrounds the tiny kingdom of Lesotho.
Most of South Africa is a plateau, or
raised flat area. Mountains separate the
high plateau from lower plains along the
coast. The highest mountain range is the
Drakensberg, in the east. The Kalahari
and Namib deserts cover parts of the
west. The main rivers in South Africa are
the Orange and the Limpopo.
Most of South Africa has a dry climate
with warm summers and cool winters.
Drought is a common problem.
Plants and Animals
Grasslands with scattered trees cover
much of South Africa. Many types of
flowering plants grow in the southwest.
The dry parts of the west have shrubs
and bushes that can survive with little
rain. South Africa’s few forests grow in
mountain valleys and along stretches of
the coast.
South Africa has limited numbers of
lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses,
and antelope. The country’s
large animals live mainly in wildlife
parks.
People
Black Africans make up about three
fourths of South Africa’s population.
They belong to a number of groups,
including the Zulu and the Xhosa. Each
South African schoolgirls enjoy themselves
while on a field trip in the Western Cape
Province, South Africa.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA South Africa 137
of the African groups has its own
language.
South Africa has three main minority
groups: people of European descent,
people of mixed ancestry, and people of
Asian descent. The people of European
descent speak either Afrikaans (a language
related to Dutch) or English. The
Afrikaners (those who speak Afrikaans)
have mainly Dutch, French, and German
roots. The English speakers have
mainly British ancestors. The people of
mixed descent have African, Asian, and
European roots. The ancestors of the
people of Asian descent came mainly
from India.
Most South Africans are Christians.
More than half of the people live in cities,
mainly in the east.
Economy
Services such as banking and tourism are
key parts of South Africa’s economy.
Mining and manufacturing are also very
important. South Africa is a top producer
of many minerals, including gold,
platinum, and chromium. It also mines
coal and diamonds. Factories make iron
and steel, food products, machinery,
chemicals, cars, and other goods.
South Africa’s major crops include corn,
wheat, sugarcane, citrus fruits, and potatoes.
Farmers also grow grapes to make
wine. Meat, wool, and milk are other
important farm products.
History
About 10,000 years ago the San and the
Khoekhoe peoples roamed southern
Africa. About 2,000 years ago peoples
who spoke Bantu languages settled in
the region. The Bantu peoples were the
ancestors of most of the blacks in South
Africa today.
European Settlement
The Portuguese sailed around the southern
tip of Africa in the late 1400s. In
1652 the Dutch set up a colony on the
southwest coast. They slowly expanded
their settlements, planted crops, and
raised livestock. They became known as
Boers, meaning “farmers.” (Later they
became known as Afrikaners.) As the
Boers moved east, they fought with
many African peoples, especially the
Xhosa.
