1. Africa: Climate and Diversity

2. Quick Facts Most tropical of all continents Temps generally warm or hot Rain fall varies quite a bit  This determines climate on the continent

3. Roles of Latitude and Elevation Equator runs nearly through center of Africa  Causes 80% to be btwn Tropics  Causes climates to be generally warm throughout the year Coolest regions found in Highlands  Temps drop as elevation increases Accra, Ghana and Nairobi Kenya same lat, but one sits higher.

4. Rainfall Many African climates have alternating wet and dry seasons  North and South of Equator have these at opposite times  Farther N or S the shorter the rainy season and the longer the dry season Rain is distributed unevenly in Africa  1 inch in deserts to 80 inches near equator  Also varies from year to year Makes it difficult for farmers and herders

5. 4 Major Climate Zones Distinguished by the amount of Rainfall in a region. Climate zones are mirror images of eachother N and S of Equator 4 Types:  Tropical Wet  Tropical Wet and Dry  Desert  Mediterranean

6. Tropical Wet Conducive to Rainforests 8% of continent Avg Temp 80 /Rainfall 60 to 120 inches Soil poor due to Leaching- sapping of nutrients by heavy rains Not good for settlement

7. Tropical Wet and Dry Occupied by Savanna grasslands Covers almost half the continent Home to most Africans Summer Hot and Wet/ Winter Warm no rain Rainfall 20 to 80 inches based on proximity to equator Drought, little or no rainfall for extended periods common Some of the semidesert land of the grasslands has been turned to desert in a process know as desertification  Common in Sahel btwn savanna and Sahara

8. Deserts Cover 40 percent of Africa 3 major  Sahara  Kalahari  Namib Avg less than 10 inches of rain a year Temps can get as high as 130

9. Mediterranean Climates Summers hot and dry winters cool and moist (Similar to Los Angeles) In Northern coast and southern tip Support crops and herding Climate attracted European Settlers.

10. Climate and Health Diseases spread by insects rampant in tropical climates  Malaria- kills up to 1 million children each year. Sleeping Sickness carried by tetse flies in the savanna  Kill livestock and humans  Keep Africans from eating meat which contributes to other disease as they lack protein Other flies transmit river blindness Snails carrying parasites cause bilharzia

11. Population Patterns Africa supports nearly 1 billion people, but is not densely populated Climate, soil and water resources effect where people choose to live Most Populated:  Southern part of West Africa  Nations of Morocco and Algeria  Nile Valley  Region around Lake Victoria  Eastern part of South Africa

12. Adapting to the Land Africa has many cultures and the lands and climates have contributed to its diversity 5 types of societies existed and continue to exist in Africa:  Farming  Herding  Fishing  Hunting/Gathering  Urban

13. Languages More than 1,000 languages spoken Different languages can be spoken inside a few miles Common languages used for trading and business purposes. Languages are broken into language families  Allow us to see early migration periods of Africans