Climate and Diversity

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Climate and Diversity Notes
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Climate of Africa

• General Facts
• Africa is the most tropical of all the continents
  
• Temperatures are mostly warm/hot
• Rainfall varies from place to place
• It is the rain that determines the climate in
  Africa

Point to Ponder Why does rain or lack of rain
matter to a group of people or a region and/or
place?
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Latitude and Longitude
What does the map show?

• The Equator runs through the middle of Africa
• 80 of Africa is the tropics
• Tropics- the area between the Tropic of Cancer
  and the Tropic of Capricorn
• Climates are generally warm throughout the year
• Using the Room
• Looking at the posters on the opposite wall can
  you see a connection between climate and culture?
  

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What can we assume about the areas of the world
in-between the red lines?
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Latitude and Longitude

• The coolest regions are found in the highlands of
  Africa
• The higher you go (elevation) the cooler it gets
• Ex
• Accra, Ghana is on the West African Coast
• Hot, humid weather with temps in the 80s
• Nairobi, Kenya is at the same latitude but 5,300
  feet above sea level
• Temps are in the 60s and 70s
• Elevation causes this to occur

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Ghana
Kenya
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Rainfall

• Major feature is the alternating wet and dry
  seasons in Africa
• It varies (changes) North and South of the
  Equator
• When it rains in the South the North is Dry
• When it rains in the North the South is Dry
• Rain fall is uneven and sporadic
• May be less than an inch in the desert areas
• May be more than 80 inches near the Equator
• 80 inches equals 6 ½ feet

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Climate Zones

• Climate- average weather of a place over a period
  of 20-30 years
• Africa has four major climate zones
• Tropical Wet
• Tropical Wet and Dry
• Desert
• Moderate Mediterranean

What would you guess the features of these zones
might be?
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Tropical Wet Climate Region

• Rain forest are located in the wet tropical
  climate regions
• Cover about 8 of Africa
• From Guinea on the West Coast to the Great Rift
  Valley (See page 61)
• High temps and lots of rain promote lots of
  plants and trees
• Thousands of birds and animals live here
• Leaching- washing away of nutrients in the soil
• Destroys the soil and makes it unsuitable for
  farming

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Tropical Wet Climate Region

• Problems with this area
• Disease carrying insects breed in pools of water
• Termites attack wooden buildings
• Dampness causes clothes to become moldy and rot
• Overcrowding cause people to want to clear and
  permanently destroy rainforests
• Slash and Burn Farming
• ?? What is this and how is it done ??

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Tropical Wet Dry Climate

• This is the largest climate zone in Africa
• Savanna- a grassland
• Covers almost ½ of the continent
• Varies rainfall depending on where you are
• Closer to the Equator hot and wet conditions
• Outer edges of the Savanna are hot and semiarid
• People living are dependent on the rainfall
• Drought- periods of little or no rainfall
• Desertification- turning semiarid land into
  desert by removing trees and grazing animals
• Major problem in Sahel- separates the Savanna
  from the Sahara Desert in the North

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What do you see in this picture?
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Deserts

• Deserts cover about 40 of Africa
• They are
• The Sahara- located in the North
• Sahara means Desert in Arabic
• The Kalahari- located in the South
• Namib- located in the South as well
• What are the normal features of a Desert climate?
• List them in your notes

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Sahara Desert
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Kalahari
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Namib
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Sahara Desert

• The Sahara is larger than the continental United
  States
• Temperatures can reach 130 Degrees (F)
• Less than 10 inches of rain per year
• A major part of the African trade network
• Connected North Africa and the Savanna
• Kalahari Desert
• Slightly wetter desert than Sahara
• Namib
• One of the driest places on Earth
• Main source of water is ocean mist

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Mediterranean Climate Zone

• Along the Southern Tip and Northern Coast
• Mild Mediterranean Climate (like Los Angeles)
• Mild Climate and Fertile Soil
• Attracted French, Italian and Spanish colonists
  to the North Coast
• Dutch and British settled in Southern Africa

South African Coast
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Climate and Health

• Climate can lead to the cause of disease
• Mosquitoes malaria
• Kills 1 million children each year
• Tsetse Fly- sleeping sickness
• Infects both people and livestock
• Other diseases
• River Blindness- cause loss of sight
• Bilharzia- transmitted by snails (parasite)
• People get it from the water they wash or swim in

?? How can people stop/combat these diseases and
their causes ??