How the Climate Influences Africa

1. How the Climate Influences Africa By: Christina Cox, Emily Douglas Reshma Nair, Chiamika Amanchukwu

2. THE SAVANA

3. Description • Savannas are grasslands that have little trees and shrubs. • They have rainfall for about 6 months out of the year, and for the other 6 months are a dry season. The dry season is in the winter and the wet season is in the summer. • 15- 25 inches of rainfall average during the summer.

4. Animals in the Savanna There are lots of different animals in the savanna. There are lions, zebras, elephants, and giraffes. There are lots of herbivores that survive cause they eat the grass that grows there. That’s when the carnivores eat them.

5. Plants in the Savanna Plants are special because they can survive during long droughts. They have very long roots they can reach into underground water ways. Some grasses are too sharp which draws away the animals.

6. Deserts

7. The major deserts in sub-Saharan Africa The Namib desertTemperate desert, extending about 1,930 km (1,200 mi) along the coast of south-western Africa, mainly in Namibia. The desert reaches inland for up to 160 km (100 mi) and is kept cool and dry by the effects of the cold Benguela current offshore. About 51 mm (2 in) of rain falls each year. Tungsten and diamonds are important mineral products, and Karakul sheep are raised in the south, where the Namib Desert merges with the Kalahari. The desert is very sparsely inhabited except for isolated settlements such as Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.

8. The Kalahari desert It covers an area of 360,000 sq mi (930,000 sq km) and lies mostly in Botswana but also occupies portions of Namibia and South Africa. Although the region has no permanent surface water apart from the Boteti River, it supports trees, low scrub, and grasses as well as abundant wildlife. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and the Gemsbok National Park.

9. Desertification The process which turns productive land into deserts as a result of poor land management . causes of desertification • Overgrazing: the cultivation of lands on which there is a high risk of crop failure. • Destruction of vegetation in arid region ,often used for firewood. • Poor grazing management after accidental burning of vegetation • Incorrect irrigation practices in arid areas can cause Stalinization ,(the build up of salts in the soil)which can prevent plant growth.

10. Example: in the Sahel, (the semi-arid region south of the Sahara desert) moved 100 km southwards between 1950 and 1975,and is still moving gradually due to desertification

11. The effects of desertification Reduces the ability of land to support life, affecting wild species, domestic, animals, agricultural crops, and people. Accelerated soil erosion by wind and water As protective plants cover disappears ,floods become more frequent and severe.

13. Tropical Rainforests

14. Tropical Rain Forests • Africa used to be covered vastly by tropical forests. But, over time, now these areas have become scarce. Deserts are increasingly taking its place and deforestation is a continuous problem. • First of all, what is a rainforest? A rainforest is woodland consisting a variety of many different species of plants and animals. Not only that, but is home to a lot of people as well. This area also receives a huge amount of rainfall and is warm all year-round. Almost all of them lie on or near the equator (between 22.5degrees north of equator to 22.5 degrees south of equator). The plants in rainforests are a source of timber, food (fruits), medicine, and every day products such as dyes and fiber and helps in cancer research as well.

15. Were Are Rainforests In Africa? • There is about 810,000 square miles of rain forest in Africa. This area extends from the Congo River Basin to the Atlantic westward. There also tropical rainforests in Madagascar also. The rainforests in Africa do not contain as many plant species (about 50 -100 different species and a few valuable woods), but is very diverse in animal life. The people who live in the rainforests are called Pygmies. Their homes are being threatened by deforestation and are being evicted by settlers.

16. The Congo River Basin • The Congo River Basin consists of large swampy areas. It has a tropical climate and receives up to 100 inches of rain a year. The coastal area is cool and dry. It supports the lives of a huge amount of animals and indigenous people. Already 91,000km squared of forest is lost. But will the Congo River Basin last? People don’t think so.

17. Population Distribution According to Climate • Africa contains 1/8 of the worlds population. • From about 12° north and stretching down to the Tropic of Capricorn there is tropical climate. The tropical climate include tropical rain forest and savanna. • The dry climate is in the north and south of the continent. The dry climates are desert and steppe. • Population distribution is the densest in tropic areas and sometimes nonexistent in the deserts.

20. Work Cited • www.worldbookonline.com • http://forestry.about.com/cs/rainforest/p/rforest_realms.htm • http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/pygmies.htm • www.botany.com • www.encarta.msn.com • http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/africa/solution_by_region/congo_basin_forest/index.cfm

21. http://geology.com/africa-satellite-images.shtml