Difference between revisions of "Earth Science 7 Africa 4"

Africa

Earth Science 7- Regions Countries: Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Canary Islands Cape Verde Central African Republic Ceuta Chad Comoros Côte d'Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Madeira Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Melilla Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Réunion Rwanda Saint Helena São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Western Sahara Zambia Zimbabwe ^[1]

Latitude Range and Longitude:

Range:38°N-34°S; 17°W-49°E ^[2]

Elevation Range:

Highest Spot: Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (19,334 ft) Lowest Spot: Lake Assal, Djibouti (-509 ft) ^[3]

Large Bodies of Water:

Longest River: Nile River 4125 mi. Largest Lake: Victoria Lake 26,834 sq. mi ^[4]

Major Topographic Features:

Mountain Ranges: Atlas Mountains, Drakensburg Mountains Large Basins:The Lake Chad Basin, The Congo Basin, The Niger Basin,The Nile Basin, The Orange Basin,Zambezi Basin ^[5]

Bordering Oceans and Seas:

Red sea, Mediterranean sea,Arabian sea, Atlantic Ocean, Indian ocean ^[6]

Africa Climate

Climate Zone

The climate zone of the southern region of Africa is classified on the Köppen climate classification chart as BWh-Dry (arid and semiarid) climates, Am-Tropical Monsoon Climate, Cwa-Humid subtropical climate, BSh-Dry (arid and semiarid) climates, BWh-Dry (arid and semiarid) climates, Aw-Tropical wet and dry or savanna climate, CWb-Maritime Temperate climates or Oceanic climates, Csb-Dry-summer subtropical or Mediterranean climates, Cfb-Maritime Temperate climates or Oceanic climates, and BSk-Dry (arid and semiarid) climates.

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There are many cities in Africa, so the average monthly precipiation, rainfall, and high/low temperatures may differ. Here are a few examples of the averages in a southern town called Cape Town.

Cape Town Monthly Temperatures; Maximum and minimum:

Average Precipitation in Cape Town

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Factors that affect the climate of Africa:

Latitude: Africa latitude of 29° 00' S The specific latitude of Africa suggests its position in Northern Hemisphere and its moderate proximity to the equator. Africa is located towards the southern point of the African Continent. This country is close to the equator, so the region near the equator is hotter because it receives more sunlight. The southern tip of Africa where South Africa is located is not as hot as the region near the equator because it is not receiving vertical, direct rays of sunlight. This is how the latitude affects the climate of Africa. Elevation also affects Africa. The higher up you go, the colder it gets, while the lower you are (like sea level) the warmer the temperature is. The high southern and eastern plateaus, rarely falling below 600 m (2000 ft), have a mean elevation of about 1000 m (3300 ft). The southern region of Africa is also high. Northern Africa is highly elevated, with many mountains like the Atlas Mountains. There are areas with high elevation, like the Lesotho Highlands, while places like the Limpopo Plain are low. The topography of Africa is filled with almost plain and flat high land while the coastal regions are thin. Plains like the Sahel region is one example. Africa has many climates. Some regions are tropical, while some regions are known to be some of the driest places in the world (like the Sahara Desert). The climatic condition of South Africa is mainly arid and dry. Regions that make contact with the ocean usually have temperate conditions and weather. The eastern coastline is dominated by sub tropic weather. The days are usually filled with sunlight and nights are cold.

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Prevailing Winds

The prevailing winds are moist winds from the NE and dry winds from the SE causing a varied climate. ^[11]

Vegetation

There are more than 20,000 different plants located in Africa. The fynbos vegetation zone mainly consists of evergreen hard-leave plants with usually fine, needle-like leaves. The by far biggest part of Africa is grassland. the plant cover is dominated by different grasses, low shrubs and acacia trees, mainly camel-thorn and white-thorn.Towards the north-west the vegetation becomes - due to the low precipitation - sparse. ^[12]

Proximity of Water

Africa is bounded by the Atlantic ocean in the West, and the Indian Ocean in the East. ^[13]\

Ocean Currents

The water to the West of Africa spins in a counter-clockwise motion. While on the Eastern side in the Indian Ocean,the currents veer towards the Cape of Good Hope, but if you go out to far, they veer sharply towards Australia. ^[14]

Pressure Zones

Africa is bounded by two high pressure zones on the east and west sides and has the trade winds passing right through it.^[15]

Recent News

October: high temp, over 112 degrees Fahrenheit

Geology

Rocks

Map of Africa's Geology

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