Newest country Southern Sudan

Climate and Diversity

Climate Facts Latitude and Elevation = climate –Most tropics = area between Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn of all the continents –Temperature is warm to hot –Colder temperatures seen in higher elevations Therefore, rainfall distinguishes the climate in Africa not temperature Precipitation – Less than an inch to more than 80 inches

Climate Zones Tropical Wet Tropical Wet and Dry Desert Mediterranean

Climate Map of Africa

Tropical Wet – 8% of Africa Narrow strip along equator Home of the rainforests Average Temp – 80 F Average Rain – inches per year Hard to settle –Leaching: rain washes away nutrients and destroys soil, unsuitable for farming –Moisture feeds disease and destroys daily items –Concrete and steel are expensive fixes –Disease from insects; sleeping sickness, malaria (Nothing But Nets)

Tropical Wet and Dry – 50% of Africa Either side of tropical wet climate to the tropics Rainfall varies by season –Summer – Hot temps & Rainy Season –Winter – Warm temps & Dry Season Major Feature –Savanna – most people - grasslands that cover half the continent. More rain near the equator support plant and wild life –Sahel: semi-arid; separates Sahara from savanna –Unpredictable rainfall makes daily life difficult –Drought –Desertification – land turning into deserts; causes over grazing and drought

Deserts and Desertification

Deserts – 40% of Africa Sahara – Means ‘desert’ in Arabic – Northern Africa –Larger than the continental United States –Rain rarely falls, less than 10 inches a year –Temperatures reach as high as 130 F –Traders traveled across the Sahara Diffusion of European, Asian, and African cultures Kalahari – Southern Africa –More rain than the Sahara allows food to grow Namib – Southern Africa

The Sahara Desert

Kalahari Desert

Deserts – 40% of Africa Namib Desert – one of the driest places on Earth –One of the oldest deserts in the world: 80 million years –Averages less than.4 inches of rain a year –Dune 7: the highest sand dune in the world, 383 meters ~ 1200 feet

Namib Desert

Mediterranean - ~2% The Southern Tip and the Northern Coast Climate similar to LA –Hot, Dry Summer –Cool, Wet Winter Fertile soil good for farming Major travel destination

Mediterranean Zones are in Purple

PACKET Work on Section 2 of you packet and the Quiz