PENNSVALLEY
80
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Africa
Lesson 41:
Climate of Africa
Beforewe begin to study the climate types of Africa, let’s review its physical location and seewhy
much of the continent is so warm. The
Equator
nearly divides the continent of Africa in half. In your
study of weather and climate
(LLB=Lesson 4)
you learned that the closer you are to theEquator the
hotter the climate.You have also learned that lines of latitude define climate zones on planet earth.
Locationsbetween theTropicof CapricornandTropicof Cancer arepart of the tropical region.Tropical
regions haveone season– summer.Nearly 75percent of theAfrican continent is locatedbetween the
Tropic of Cancer andTropic of Capricorn.
The climate conditions that make up the continent of Africa can best be described as hot with
varying amounts of rain.Remember, climate conditions are calculated by averaging temperatures and
amountsof precipitationover a longperiodof time
(LLB=Lesson4)
.Dry, hot desert climatesdominate
more than one third of theAfrican continent.The great SaharaDesert (the largest desert in theworld)
coversmuchofNorthernAfrica.Extending from theeasternSaharaare thesmaller LibyanandNubian
deserts.Many geographers consider these smaller deserts extensions or part of theSahara.The dry,
desert climateeven covers theHornof Africaand stretchesdown theeast coast past theEquator.The
Kalahari andNamib deserts cover a large part of SouthwesternAfrica.
Following the southern border of the Sahara Desert is the semi-arid region known as the Sahel.
This dry, grassland area receives little rain and is constantly threatened by drought. Each year many
acres of theSahel are changed to desert.
Tropical climates cover most of Central Africa. Hot, humid conditions caused by year-round rain
have created the thick tropical rain forests of equatorial Africa. Hot, tropical savannas, receiving
seasonal rain, are thick grasslands that border the rain forests. Savanna grasses can grow up to 13
feet in height. Tropical savannas cover as much as 40 percent of Africa. Tropical rain forests and
tropical savannas are good examples of how the physical features of latitude and climate conditions
combine to create a natural environment.
ACTIVITY 1:
Use the information above to answer the following questions.
1.How canAfrica’s climate be best described?
2.What climate condition dominates northernAfrica?
3. The hot, humid conditions and year-round rain of
equatorial Africa support what natural environment?
4.Name the dry, semi-arid grassland region that borders
theGreat SaharaDesert.
5.Howwould you describe the rain fall of the tropical
savanna region?
6.What percentage best estimates the portion of the
African continent covered by the tropical region?
7.Nearly 40 percent of Africa is part of what natural
environment?
