In North Africa and the Cape region, at the apex of southern Africa, Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa and on the east by the Levant. Although the sea is sometimes consider…Mediterranean Sea
Equator
An equator is the intersection of the surface of a rotating sphere with the plane that is perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and midway between its poles. The equator usually refers to the Earth's equator: an imaginary line on the Earth's surface equidistant from the North Pole and Sout…
What are the climate zones of Africa?
Climate zones of Africa, showing the ecological break between the Sahara Desert (red), the hot semi-arid climate of the Sahel (orange) and the tropical climate of Central and Western Africa (blue).
What is the difference between Mediterranean climate zone and equatorial zone?
The Mediterranean climate dominates at the N and S extremes. In North Africa and the Cape region, at the apex of southern Africa, Mediterranean climatic zones are developed, characterized by hot, dry summers and mild winters and Rainy The equatorial zone develops between 8 ° N latitude and 4 ° S latitude.
What is the average precipitation in North Africa?
North Africa. Last Updated on Sat, 16 Nov 2019 | Weather and Climate. The dominance of high-pressure conditions in the Sahara is marked by the low average precipitation in this region. Over most of the central Sahara, the mean annual precipitation is less than 25 mm, although the high plateaux of the Ahaggar and Tibesti receive over 100 mm.
What is the climate of Africa's desert region?
In addition to aridity, the desert climate is characterized by high mean monthly temperatures; the diurnal (daily) temperature range is, however, greater than the annual range of the mean monthly temperature. Africa's climate is dominated by desert conditions along vast stretches of its northern and southern fringes.
What are the 3 climate zones of Africa from north to south?
The six main climate zones of Africa are found to the north and south of the equator, namely, Equatorial, Humid Tropical, Tropical, Semi- desert (Sahalian), Mediterranean and Desert. A climate region is an area with similar temperature and rainfall. Ocean currents.
What are the 4 major climate zones in Africa?
Based on the combination of temperature, precipitation and evapotranspiration, Africa canbe divided into four main climatic zones; 1) arid and semi-arid, 2) tropical, 3) equatorial, and 4) temperate [19] . ...
What are Africa's 5 climate zones?
The climate of Africa is a range of climates such as the equatorial climate, the tropical wet and dry climate, the tropical monsoon climate, the semi-arid climate (semi-desert and steppe), the desert climate (hyper-arid and arid), and the subtropical highland climate.
What are the 7 climates of Africa?
These are the hot desert, semiarid, tropical wet-and-dry, equatorial (tropical wet), Mediterranean, humid subtropical marine, warm temperate upland, and mountain regions.
What are the 3 climate zones of West Africa?
West African domain divided into three climatic zones: Guinea (4°N–8°N), Savanna (8°N–11°N), and Sahel (11°N–16°N) (source: [49, 50]).
How many zones are in Africa?
The UN Statistics Division has subdivided the African continent into five regions, Northern Africa, Central or Middle Africa , Southern Africa, East Africa, and Western Africa.
Where are the climate zones?
The Earth has three main climate zones: tropical, temperate, and polar. The climate region near the equator with warm air masses is known as tropical. In the tropical zone, the average temperature in the coldest month is 18 °C.
Is North Africa tropical?
Half of Africa lies north of the equator and half to the south. This symmetry, or balance, produces matching belts of climate at approximately equal distances north and south of the equator. The center of the continent has a wet tropical climate, with extremely heavy rainfall.
Does Africa have 4 seasons?
Instead of Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, most countries in East Africa and Southern Africa have a wet season(s) and a dry season. The wet season, in particular, is at different times of the year, depending on the country/region.
What is Africa's most dominant climate zone?
Africa is the most tropical of all continents. Climate and vegetation range from equatorial rainforests, tropical deserts and savanna grassland to Mediterranean. The Sahara Desert, the largest of its kind anywhere in the world, is over 10.4 million km2 n North to south is approx. 1800 kms and east-west is 5600km.
Where are the climate zones?
The Earth has three main climate zones: tropical, temperate, and polar. The climate region near the equator with warm air masses is known as tropical. In the tropical zone, the average temperature in the coldest month is 18 °C.
What are the different climates found in Africa quizlet?
Name five climates found in Africa. Tropical wet, tropical wet and dry, desert, semiarid, mediterranean, humid subtropical, marine west coast, and highland.
What are the differentiating elements of the African climate?
The air masses of relevance to the African climate may be broadly classified as maritime tropical, maritime equatorial, continental tropical, maritime polar, and continental polar. Of these, the least important are the continental polar air masses, which may occasionally bring intense cold to northern Egypt in December and January, and the maritime polar air masses, which are associated with rain-bearing depressions over the northern and southern extremities of the continent during the winter. With the exception of these, the continent is affected both by a continental tropical air mass to the north and by maritime tropical and maritime equatorial air masses to the south.
Why do climatic zones in Africa tend to shade into one another?
Fifth, because of the extensive plateau surfaces of the continent and the absence of high and long mountain ranges comparable to, for example, the Andes in South America or the Himalayas in Asia, climatic zones in Africa tend to shade into one another, rather than change abruptly from place to place.
Why are equatorial climates less pronounced?
Because areas with an equatorial climate are constantly covered by warm maritime air masses, variations in their monthly and daily temperatures are less pronounced than in the tropical wet-and-dry regions. Marked variations in the rhythm of equatorial climate sometimes occur.
How many climatic regions are there in the world?
When considered in detail, the movement of air masses and their effects provide the basis for a division of the continent into eight climatic regions. These are the hot desert, semiarid, tropical wet-and-dry, equatorial (tropical wet), Mediterranean, humid subtropical marine, warm temperate upland, and mountain regions.
What are the semiarid regions?
Semiarid climatic regions fringe the desert areas and include the greater part of the land south of the Zambezi River. They differ from true desert regions in being just within reach of the ITCZ in the course of its seasonal movement and therefore receiving more rainfall. Temperatures are about the same as those in the desert regions.
What is the hot desert?
The hot desert region consists of the Sahara and Kalahari deserts, which are always under the influence of dry continental tropical air masses, and the northern Kenya–Somali desert, the aridity of which is principally caused by the stable nature of the maritime air masses that pass over it throughout the year.
How long does it take for the air masses to produce rain?
During the period of high sun, the maritime air masses produce up to six months of rainfall, the length of the rainy season depending on nearness to the Equator. The rest of the year is dry. In a few places—for example, on the coast of Mauritania and Senegal—there is also a little rainfall in the period of low sun.
Why is the African continent a varied climate?
The African continent has varied climatic zones because it is almost entirely between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, so that its climates and associated vegetation generally belong to the intertropical types. Among the different types of climate zones we find.
What is the climate of the equatorial zone?
The equatorial zone develops between 8 ° N latitude and 4 ° S latitude. Its climate is characterized by an elevated and constant temperature, an almost zero annual thermal amplitude, always low atmospheric pressure, abundant rainfall and permanently high air humidity. In the tropics alternate summer rainy season and dry winter season. According to the greater or less duration of the rainy season, there are broadly three climatic regimes: the tropical humid, the tropical type and the subdesert.
What is the Mediterranean climate?
In North Africa and the Cape region, at the apex of southern Africa, Mediterranean climatic zones are developed, characterized by hot, dry summers and mild winters and Rainy. The equatorial zone develops between 8 ° N latitude and 4 ° S latitude. Its climate is characterized by an ...
What are the three climatic regimes in the tropical tropics?
According to the greater or less duration of the rainy season, there are broadly three climatic regimes: the tropical humid, the tropical type and the subdesert.
What are the extreme climatic zones of Africa?
In conclusion, consider the extreme climatic zones of Africa - subtropical. They occupy the smallest part of the continent both in the north and in the south, therefore they have little effect on the overall weather pattern. So, in the northern part of the continent this zone extends a thin strip along the Mediterranean coast. It only receives the highest points of Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, which are washed by the waves of this sea. The peculiarity of the local climate is that in winter, winds blow from the west, bringing moisture. Due to this, it is during the cold season here that the maximum amount of precipitation falls - about 500 mm. In the summer, winds change to tropical trade winds that bring heat, drought and even sand from the Sahara. Rains do not fall out at all, the temperature rises to the maximum. In the southern hemisphere, weather conditions are similar. The only peculiarity is that it is a narrow cape that is washed on all sides by the ocean. Evaporated moisture makes the air humid throughout the year, and precipitation here falls out not only in winter, but in all other seasons.
What is the climate of South Africa?
The subtropical climate covers the edge of the coast in the north of the continent and the corner located in South Africa, in the very south. Both there and there is always windy and humid. In winter, temperatures drop by 7 degrees, compared with summer indicators. The amount of precipitation is estimated at 500 mm per year.
What determines the climate of Africa?
The geographic location of the African continent on both sides of the equator largely determines the climate of this corner of the globe. It is located mainly in the tropics, because there are no colds characteristic of temperate latitudes. But at the same time, the climatic zones of Africa, which diverge from the equator to the north and south, can not be compared. The structure of the continent is such that in the two hemispheres the same zone has its own characteristics. And in order to learn the local weather and its characteristics, the article presents a map of the climatic zones of Africa and their brief description.
What is grade 7 in Africa?
We have just briefly reviewed all climatic zones of Africa. Grade 7 is the period when children get acquainted with the natural zones and climate of our planet. It is important that the child during this period does not miss anything and could quickly understand the belt in which we live, which are south, and which, on the contrary, go north. This will expand his horizons and allow him to better navigate in geography.
Which continent has the most moist and fertile climate?
Enumerating all climatic zones of Africa, special attention should be paid to the equatorial zone, since on this continent it is considered to be the most unique, the most moist and fertile in terms of agriculture. It is located, of course, along the zero latitude, and covers such states as Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Ghana, Guinea, Benin, Cameroon and others adjacent to the Gulf of Guinea. The peculiarity of the equatorial climate is that it gets drier nearer to the east, but the maximum amount of precipitation falls on the western parts of the land.
How much moisture is in a year?
It is followed by a subequatorial band, where the amount of precipitation and natural resources is reduced. In a year there is no more than 1500 mm of moisture.
What are the climatic conditions in New Zealand?
New Zealand is subject to climatic controls similar to those of southern Australia (Figure 10.33). Anticyclones, separated by troughs associated with cold fronts often deformed into wave depressions, cross the region on average once a week. Their most southerly track (38.5°S) is taken in February. The eastward rate of anticyclonic movement averages about 570 km/day in May to July and 780 km/day in October to December. Anticyclones occur some 7 per cent of the time and are associated with settled weather, light winds, sea breezes and some fog. On the eastern (leading) edge of the high-pressure cell the airflow is usually cool, maritime and southwesterly, interspersed with south or southeasterly flow producing drizzle. On the western side of the cell, the airflow is commonly north or northwesterly, bringing mild and humid conditions. In autumn, high-pressure conditions increase in frequency up to 22 per cent, giving a drier season.
Where does rainfall occur in the Sahara?
rainfall intensities occurred in the vicinity of west-facing slopes in Algeria, such as at Tamanrasset (46 mm in sixty-three minutes) (Figure 10.30), El Golea (8.7 mm in three minutes) and Beni Abes (38.5 mm in twenty-five minutes). During the summer, rainfall variability is introduced into the southern Sahara by the variable northward penetration of the monsoon trough (see Figure 11.2B), which on occasion allows tongues of moist southwesterly air to penetrate far north and produce short-lived low-pressure centres. Study of these Saharan depressions has permitted a clearer picture to emerge of the region. In the upper troposphere at about 200 mb (12 km), the westerlies overlie the poleward flanks of the subtropical high-pressure belt. Occasionally, the individual high-pressure cells contract away from one another as meanders develop in the westerlies between them. These may extend equator-ward to interact with the low-level tropical easterlies (Figure 10.31). This interaction may lead to the development of lows, which then move northeast along the meander trough associated with rain and thunder. By the time they reach the central Sahara, they are frequently 'rained out' and give rise to dust storms, but they can be reactivated further north by the entrainment of moist Mediterranean air. The interaction of westerly and easterly circulation is most likely to occur around the equinoxes or sometimes in winter if the otherwise dominant Azores high-pressure cell contracts westward. The westerlies may also affect the region through the penetration of cold fronts south from the Mediterranean, bringing heavy rain to localized desert areas. In December 1976, such a depression produced up to 40 mm of rain during two days in southern Mauretania.
How many anticyclones are there in Australia?
About forty anticyclones traverse Australia annually, being somewhat more numerous in spring and summer than in autumn and winter. Over both oceans, the frequency of anticyclonic centres is greatest in a belt around 30°S in winter and 35-40°S in summer; they rarely occur south of 45°S.
What are the troughs of an anticyclone?
Between successive anticyclones are low-pressure troughs containing inter-anticyclonic fronts (sometimes termed 'polar') (Figure 10.33). Within these troughs, the subtropical jet stream meanders equatorward, accelerates (particularly in winter, when it reaches an average velocity of 60 ms-1 compared with a mean annual value of 39 ms-1) and generates upper-air depressions, which move southeastward along the front (analogous to the systems in North Africa). The variation in strength of the continental anticyclones and the passage of inter-anticyclonic fronts cause periodic inflows of surrounding maritime tropical airmasses from the Pacific (mTp) and the Indian (mTi) oceans. In
What is the weather associated with anticyclones?
Anticyclones occur some 7 per cent of the time and are associated with settled weather, light winds, sea breezes and some fog. On the eastern (leading) edge of the high-pressure cell the airflow is usually cool, maritime and southwesterly, interspersed with south or southeasterly flow producing drizzle.
What is the mean annual precipitation in the Sahara?
Over most of the central Sahara, the mean annual precipitation is less than 25 mm, although the high plateaux of the Ahaggar and Tibesti receive over 100 mm. Parts of western Algeria have gone at least two years without ...
Which axis does the Saharan depression move northeastward?
Figure 10.31 Interaction between the westerlies and the tropical easterlies leading to the production of Saharan depressions (D), which move northeastward along a trough axis.
