The Republic of South Africa is so powerful that it overshadows other nations in the region. Lesotho (luh SO to), for example, is an enclave of South Africa, which means it is completely surrounded by the larger country—and dependent on it. Swaziland, although richer in resources than Lesotho, is in much the same position. Namibia, on the west coast, was almost a colony of South Africa until recently. It even had its own version of apartheid, including African homelands. The rest of the southern African nations have dealt with their powerful neighbor in different ways.
