What type of climate is Africa?
Africa's climate is dominated by desert conditions along vast stretches of its northern and southern fringes. The central portion of the continent is wetter, with tropical rainforests, grasslands, and semi-arid climates.
Is Africa a tropical climate?
Africa is the most tropical of all continents. Africa is the only continent that straddles the equator and therefore incorporates both the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn.
What are the 4 climates of Africa?
These keep boats from traveling from the coast to the interior. Sub-Saharan Africa has four climate zones: desert, semiarid or Sahel, savanna (grasslands), and tropical forests.
What is equatorial type of climate?
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. They experience high mean annual temperatures, small temperature ranges, and rain that falls throughout the year.
Is Africa dry or humid?
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.
Is Africa hot or cold?
Winters in South Africa are cold and windy with harsh winds, and summers are warmer but with heavy rains. The seasons are reversed from what we are used to in the Northern Hemisphere, because summer lasts from November to January and winter runs from June to August.
Why is equatorial climate hot and wet?
Option (A ) hot and wet climate throughout the year is correct as these places, due to being close to the equator, have ample sunshine throughout and grow tropical rainforest.
Where has an equatorial climate?
Many regions close to the equator experience an equatorial climate. These regions include, the Amazon Basin (South America), the Congo Basin (Africa), Malaysia, Indonesia and some areas in northern Australia.
How many climates are in Africa?
6 climate types In this atlas, the African continent is divided into 6 climate types distributed symmetrically around the equator as equatorial, humid tropical, dry tropical, Sahelian, desert and Mediterranean climate types.
Is Africa close to the equator?
The continent is cut almost equally in two by the Equator, so that most of Africa lies within the tropical region, bounded on the north by the Tropic of Cancer and on the south by the Tropic of Capricorn. Because of the bulge formed by western Africa, the greater part of Africa's territory lies north of the Equator.
What is the climate in South Africa?
The climate in South Africa ranges from desert and semi-desert in the northwest to subtropical on the eastern coast. Rainfall generally occurs during summer (mid- to late September through April), although in the southwest around Cape Town, rainfall occurs in winter (April through early September).
Why is the equator hot?
Because the sun's rays hit the earth's surface at a higher angle at the equator.
How hot is the equator in summer?
In equatorial lowlands with an equatorial climate, average annual temperatures are about 88°F (31 °C) during the afternoon and 73°F (23°C) around sunrise. Precipitation (in form of rainfall) is very high, from 100 to 140 inches (2,500 to 3,500 millimeters) each year.
Which African countries experience equatorial climate?
a) The lowland area between latitudes 5ºN and 5º S of the equator. This covers mainly parts of Central Africa which include Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Cameroon. b) It is also experienced in the Southern parts of Nigeria, Ghana, Benin and Sierra Leone.
Is the equator hot or cold?
But why is the equator very hot and the poles very cold? There are several factors that influence the amount of sunshine received at various places on the earth. The major factor is that while the sun is overhead at the equator, it is at a rather slant angle at the poles.
How hot is the equator?
Temperature, precipitation, and more In equatorial lowlands with an equatorial climate, average annual temperatures are about 88°F (31 °C) during the afternoon and 73°F (23°C) around sunrise. Precipitation (in form of rainfall) is very high, from 100 to 140 inches (2,500 to 3,500 millimeters) each year.
What is the climate of northern Africa?
Current Climatology of North Africa Along the coast, North Africa has a Mediterranean climate, which is characterized by mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers, with ample rainfall of approximately 400 to 600 mm per year.
What season is it in Africa?
Autumn or fall in South Africa is April to May. It is generally warm and dry with days getting shorter and the temperature cooling as it gets closer to winter. Winter in South Africa is June to August. It is generally dry and cool, with snow falling in the mountainous regions.
Why Africa is so hot?
The continent mainly lies within the intertropical zone between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, hence its interesting density of humidity. Precipitation intensity is always high, and it is a hot continent.
What seasons does the equator have?
Generally, there are two seasons in equatorial countries, wet and dry. The wet season lasts most of the year. Along with the warmth, this creates tropical rainforests. Lowland countries near the equator have a tropical rainforest climate.
Is the equator hot?
Countries on, or near, the equator have high temperatures all year round due to the tilt of the Earth's axis. The average temperature in these countries is around 31 degrees Celsius. Because there are landmasses that the equator passes through, you can stand on the equator!
Why is it hot in Africa?
The continent mainly lies within the intertropical zone between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, hence its interesting density of humidity. Precipitation intensity is always high, and it is a hot continent.
What is the climate of Southern Africa?
The climate in South Africa ranges from desert and semi-desert in the northwest to subtropical on the eastern coast. Rainfall generally occurs during summer (mid- to late September through April), although in the southwest around Cape Town, rainfall occurs in winter (April through early September).
What is the climate of West Africa?
The lowland climates of West Africa are characterized by uniformly high sunshine and high temperatures throughout the year; mean annual temperatures are usually above 18°C. Areas within 10° of the equator have a mean annual temperature of about 26°C with a range of 1.7 – 2.8°C; the diurnal range is 5.6 – 8.3°C.
What is the temperature at the equator?
In equatorial lowlands with an equatorial climate, average annual temperatures are about 88°F (31 °C) during the afternoon and 73°F (23°C) around sunrise. Precipitation (in form of rainfall) is very high, from 100 to 140 inches (2,500 to 3,500 millimeters) each year.
What temperature is it at the equator?
In equatorial lowlands with an equatorial climate, average annual temperatures are about 88°F (31 °C) during the afternoon and 73°F (23°C) around sunrise. Precipitation (in form of rainfall) is very high, from 100 to 140 inches (2,500 to 3,500 millimeters) each year.
What is West Africa climate?
The lowland climates of West Africa are characterized by uniformly high sunshine and high temperatures throughout the year; mean annual temperatures are usually above 18°C. Areas within 10° of the equator have a mean annual temperature of about 26°C with a range of 1.7 – 2.8°C; the diurnal range is 5.6 – 8.3°C.
What is the Middle East climate?
The basic climate of the Middle East can be characterized in two words: hot and dry, although winters are mild with some rain. The exception is the mountains, where desert turns to steppe in northern Iraq, northern Iran and eastern Turkey. Winters here can be severe.
Why is the equator warmest?
Because the sun's rays hit the earth's surface at a higher angle at the equator.
Why is the Middle East and North Africa so dry?
The Sahara and the Middle East are dry in part because they straddle the the Tropic of Cancer. But the Tropic of Cancer isn't dry everywhere.