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Climate Regions of Africa
Directions: Read the description of each climate region. Summarize each paragraph into one complete
definition in your own words. Then Illustrate a picture that matches your definition.
Desert is a barren region of Earth's surface that receives little rainfall. Some scientists classify a desert as any
region where the amount of moisture lost each year—mainly by evaporation—exceeds the moisture that falls
as precipitation. Deserts cannot support the diversity of plant and animal life found in humid climates.
However, some plants and animals thrive in deserts. Many deserts have hot climates marked by extremely
high temperatures, especially during the day when the sun rises high in the sky. However, scientists refer to
some regions near the poles as cold deserts or polar deserts. In these areas, the cold air holds little moisture,
and the ground remains frozen all year. Little water remains available to support plant life
Definition
Illustration
Steppe, is an area covered chiefly by short grasses. Steppes are found in dry areas that have hot summers and
cold winters. Most steppes receive an average of from 10 to 20 inches (25 to 51 centimeters) of rain a year—
less rain than on a prairie, but more than on a desert. In North America, steppes cover most of the Great
Plains from northern New Mexico to southern Alberta. In Eurasia, they extend from southwestern Russia into
central Asia. Most steppe plants grow less than 1 foot (30 centimeters) high. They do not grow as dense as the
tall grasses of prairies grow. Plants of the North American steppes include blue grama, buffalo grass, cactuses,
sagebrush, and spear grass. Before people farmed the steppes, many bison, deer, jack rabbits, prairie dogs,
pronghorns, hawks, and owls lived there.
Definition
Illustration
Savanna, also spelled savannah, is a grassland with widely scattered trees and shrubs. Most savannas are in
the tropics and lie between deserts and rain forests. Certain grasslands in temperate areas are also sometimes
called savannas. This article discusses tropical savannas. Savannas cover more than two-fifths of Africa and
large areas of Australia, India, and South America. They occur in regions that have both rainy and dry seasons.
Most savannas receive from 30 to 40 inches (76 to 100 centimeters) of rain annually. But some get as little as
10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain, and others get as much as 60 inches (150 centimeters). Grasses on the
driest savannas, where trees are widely scattered, grow only a few inches high. On more humid savannas,
grasses grow several feet tall, and trees are more abundant. Grasses on the wettest savannas may reach
heights of 10 feet (3 meters) or more.
Definition
Illustration
Rain forest is a woodland of tall trees growing in a region of year-round warmth and abundant rainfall. Almost
all rain forests lie at or near the equator. They form an evergreen belt of lush vegetation that encircles the
planet. Tropical rain forests occupy only 6 to 7 percent of Earth's surface. However, they support more than
half of the world's plant and animal species (kinds). More kinds of frogs and other amphibians, birds, insects,
mammals, and reptiles live in rain forests than in any other area. Scientists believe millions more rain forest
species remain undiscovered.
Definition
Illustration
Mediterranean. The temperature at the surface of the Mediterranean averages about 61 °F (16 °C). In
summer, the temperature may reach 80 °F (27 °C). It seldom drops below 40 °F (4 °C). The water varies little in
temperature in the middle depths and near the bottom. It stays between 54° and 59 °F (12° and 15 °C)
throughout the year. The tremendous volume of warm water helps give the land surrounding it a warm,
subtropical climate. Most Mediterranean countries have hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. These
conditions provide what has become known as a "Mediterranean climate," even when they occur elsewhere.
Two Mediterranean countries, Egypt and Libya, have tropical climates, hotter and dryer than the typical
Mediterranean type.
Definition
Illustration
Highland climates occur in mountainous regions. A highland climate zone is composed of several areas whose
climates are like those found in flat terrain. Because air temperature decreases with increasing elevation in
the mountains, each climate area is restricted to a certain range of altitude. The highland lies in southwestern
Kenya. It covers a little less than one-fourth of the country. It is a region of mountains, valleys, and plateaus.
Mount Kenya, at its eastern end, is the highest point in the country. It rises 17,058 feet (5,199 meters) above
sea level. Only one African mountain—Kilimanjaro in Tanzania—is higher. Forests and grasslands cover much
of the highland. The highland has fertile soil and a good climate for agriculture. It is Kenya's chief farming
region. Temperatures average about 67 °F (19 °C), and yearly rainfall ranges from 40 to 50 inches (100 to 130
centimeters). About 75 percent of Kenya's people live in the highland. Nairobi, Kenya's largest city, is there.
Definition
Illustration
Humid subtropical climates are characterized by warm to hot summers and cool winters. Rainfall is
distributed fairly evenly throughout the year. Winter rainfall—and sometimes snowfall—is associated with
large storm systems that the westerlies steer from west to east. Most summer rainfall occurs during
thunderstorms and an occasional tropical storm or hurricane. Humid subtropical climates lie on the southeast
side of continents, roughly between 25° and 40° latitude.
Definition
Illustration
Marine (maritime or oceanic) climate A climate dominated by the ocean. Because of the moderating effect of
water, sites having this climate are considered relatively mild. Annual temperature ranges are rather small
(10–15 °C or [50–59 °F]), about half those encountered farther to the east in the continental interior at the
same latitude. Mean annual temperatures are usually 7–13 °C (45–55 °F) in lowland areas, the winters are
mild, and the summers are relatively moderate, rarely having monthly temperatures above 20 °C (68 °F). In
North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand, north–south mountain ranges backing the west coasts
of the landmasses at these latitudes confine the marine west coast climate to relatively narrow coastal strips
(but enhance precipitation).
Definition
Illustration
Directions: Using the atlas maps found on pages 123-125 of the Atlas, complete the chart below.
Climate Region
Physical Features
Precipitation
Population Density
Tropical Rainforest
Land Use
Savanna
Steppe
Mediterranean
Desert
Highland
1. The environment listed above that is most suitable (the best) for settlement is _______________________
because ____________________________________________________________________________________
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2. The environment listed above that is least suitable (the worst) for settlement is _______________________
because _________________________________________________________________________________
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