Africa: Climate, Natural Vegetation, Wildlife; Minerals
ICSE Class 7 · Geography · Chapter 15
What this chapter covers
- Why Africa is a hot continent
- Climatic regions of Africa
- Natural vegetation of Africa
- Wildlife of Africa
- Minerals of Africa
- Case study: cocoa cultivation in Ghana
Key points
- Africa is the hottest continent because the Equator crosses its middle and most of it lies within the tropics; its climate belts repeat on either side of the Equator.
- Altitude, the trade winds, cold ocean currents and distance from the sea also shape its climate.
- The main climatic regions are equatorial, tropical savanna, hot desert and Mediterranean, with cooler highland climates in the east.
- Vegetation follows climate: equatorial rainforests in the Congo Basin, savanna around them, desert plants and oases in the Sahara, Kalahari and Namib, Mediterranean trees at the two ends, and the Veld in South Africa.
- Africa's wildlife includes gorillas and okapis in the forests, great herds of grazing animals and their hunters on the savanna, desert animals such as the fennec fox, and lemurs in Madagascar; national parks protect them from poaching and loss of habitat.
- Africa is rich in minerals: gold (South Africa, Ghana), diamonds (Botswana), copper and cobalt (the Copperbelt), petroleum (Nigeria, Libya, Algeria), platinum (South Africa), bauxite (Guinea) and phosphate (Morocco).
- Ghana grows cocoa on small farms in its hot, wet forest belt; the beans are harvested, fermented, dried and exported through Tema and Takoradi.
Questions answered
Give two reasons why Africa is called a hot continent.
The Equator passes through its middle, and most of the continent lies within the tropics, where the midday Sun is high all year.
Why do the climate belts of Africa repeat on either side of the Equator?
The Equator runs almost through the middle of the continent, so the same changes in temperature and rainfall occur as you move away from it to the north or to the south.
Describe the daily pattern of rain in the equatorial region.
Mornings are clear and sunny; the hot ground heats the moist air, which rises and forms clouds; heavy convectional rain falls in the afternoon; the sky clears by evening.
Give two reasons why the Namib Desert is so dry.
The cold Benguela Current cools the air above it so it gives no rain, and the trade winds reaching it have crossed the dry land of southern Africa and carry little moisture.
What is the Harmattan, and why is it called "the doctor" on the coast of West Africa?
The Harmattan is a dry, dusty wind that blows from the Sahara over West Africa between November and March. On the humid coast its dry air brings relief from the damp heat.
In which months does Cape Town get most of its rain? Explain why.
In June, July and August. Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate with winter rain, and these are winter months in the Southern Hemisphere.
How are savanna trees suited to a long dry season? Give two examples.
The acacia has small leaves that lose little water and thorns that protect it; the baobab stores water in its thick trunk. Many trees also shed their leaves in the dry season.
Name one animal each found in the rainforest, the savanna, the desert and Madagascar.
Gorilla or okapi (rainforest); lion, zebra or giraffe (savanna); fennec fox or camel (desert); lemur (Madagascar).