AFRICA

WHAT INFLUENCES CLIMATE

• Latitude - tropics - typically hot
• Water - currents, large bodies
• Elevation - vertical climate
• Landforms - rain shadow

LATITUDE

• Distance from the equator
• Affects temperature
• Affects season
• Much of Africa is in tropics
• South Africa summer is our winter

ELEVATION

• Higher = cooler
• Mt. Kilimanjaro - snow and ice
• Ethiopia - high plateau. Mild temp
• Somalia - hot and dry, limited
• Affects ability to farm

OCEANS & RAIN

• West coast - warm ocean, breezes = rain
• North / Sahara - little to no rain
• Unpredictable rain - farmers diversify...
• ...plant several crops that need different
• ...amounts of rain to have one success

VEGETATION

• Tropical Rain Forest
• Tropical Savannah
• Deserts

TROPICAL RAIN FOREST

• Lots of rain
• Used to be larger
• Trees - cleared for farming / timber
• ...but its not good for farming 😨

TROPICAL SAVANNAH

• North and south of rain forest
• Tall grasses, thorny bushes, few trees
• Tropical dry - rainy and dry season
• Dry - trade, build houses, visit
• Rainy - plant and grow crops

DESERTS

• Beyond the savannah
• Sahel - very hot, very dry
• Desert - bare rock, towering rock, sand dunes
• Small bushes, some grass, los and lots of sand
• Nomads - follow the rain / food

BUILDING GOOD HEALTH

• Rain forest - moisture = mosquitos
• 1/5 of Africa = tsetse (fly)
• ...kills cattle and people
• ...(sleeping sickness)