The equator line passes through the center of the African continent, and thus symmetrically divides it into different natural zones. Zones equatorial forests give way to savannas, savannas turn into semi-deserts, semi-deserts into deserts.
The number of reservoirs, the level of precipitation, and also the formation of natural zones are of great importance. economic activity person.
Zone of equatorial forests and savannas
Evergreen forests occupy the area from the Congo River to the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. The climate in this area is very hot and humid. Unlike equatorial forests South America, in Africa there are trees with less thick bark; palm trees are rare among them.
In the equatorial forests of Africa, unique species of trees grow, the wood of which is considered the most expensive in the world - ebony and mahogany. On the east coast of Africa and in the east of the island of Madagascar, wet rainforests.
The forests of equatorial Africa are framed by savannas. The level of savanna vegetation directly depends on the level of precipitation falling in the region.
Thus, during rainy periods, cereal plants are found here, the height of which reaches 5 m. During periods of prolonged drought, the territory of the savanna is covered with dry plants and shrubs. Baobabs, acacias and milkweeds are very common in savannas.
Deserts and semi-deserts
In northern Africa, deserts occupy a large area of land. It is here that the largest desert in the world is located - the Sahara. Vegetation in the Sahara is poorly developed: here there are plants that have well-developed mechanical tissue and are highly drought-resistant.
Cereal plants are found in the Southern Sahara; shrubs are common in the north of the desert. Date and coconut palms grow in the oases of the Sahara Desert. There are two deserts in South Africa: the Karoo and the Namib.
Succulent plants are common here, mainly aloe and euphorbia, as well as acacia shrubs. On the outskirts of African deserts there are semi-deserts that were formed as a result of massive deforestation in savannas. Tuberous and bulbous plants, as well as feather grass.
Fauna Resources
Breeding European animal breeds in Africa is almost impossible. This is explained by the fact that European species cannot withstand the climatic conditions of this continent. Animals such as hippopotamuses, giraffes, elephants and antelopes are common throughout Africa.
These animals are not picky about conditions. environment, can withstand high temperatures and lack of water resources, do not suffer from poisonous insect bites, in particular the Tsetse fly, which lives in equatorial and subequatorial Africa.
Zones of subtropical evergreen forests and shrubs.
However, there are marked differences in the structure of Northern and Southern Africa. In the massive flattened continental northern part of the continent, the zones are almost strictly elongated from west to east. The main areas here are occupied by tropical deserts and savannas. In the narrower and less arid part of the continent, the zones acquire a direction close to the meridional. Under the influence of the oceans, the amount of precipitation decreases from the ocean coasts to the central basins. But nowhere does it reach such small values as in the north (with the exception of the west coast with specific climatic conditions, the Namib Desert). Central territories- internal basins - are occupied in South Africa by dry savannas and tropical semi-deserts. On the east coast they give way to zones of wet savannas and tropical forests.
The zone of moist equatorial forests (gilis) occupies the coast of the Gulf of Guinea (up to approximately 7-8° N) and (between 4° N and 5° S). The zone covers only 8% of the continent's area. It is equatorial, hot and humid all year round. A large amount of heat and moisture promotes the growth and year-round vegetation of rich woody trees. Hylaea is rich in species composition(there are up to 100 tree species per 1 hectare of forest!) and multi-tiered (4-5 tiers). Trees 40-50 m high emerge into the upper tier, and sometimes they reach 60-70 m (oil and wine palms, ficus, ceiba). The lower tiers include breadfruit, cola tree, terminalia, tree ferns, bananas, and Liberian coffee tree. Ebony (black), red and iron trees have valuable wood. The trunks and crowns of trees are entwined with vines (palma liana rotant, landolfia and other climbing plants with thin, flexible and very long trunks). Epiphytic plants (orchids, ficus, ferns, mosses) settle on branches, trunks and even leaves. They use trees as support, and take moisture and nutrients from the air.
Fallen and dead leaves and fallen tree trunks in the equatorial forest quickly decompose, resulting organic matter They are immediately consumed by plants and terrestrial fauna, so they do not accumulate significantly. Additionally, this is facilitated by the constant leaching regime of soils. Under equatorial Africa Mostly lateritic (from the Latin later - “brick”) red-yellow soils are developed.
In equatorial forests, special ecological conditions are created for the existence of animals - vertically, in different tiers. The loose soil is rich in microfauna and is home to a variety of invertebrates, shrews, snakes, and lizards. The ground layer is characterized by small ungulates, forest pigs, okapi (relatives of giraffes), and nearby are pygmy hippopotamuses. This tier is home to gorillas, the largest apes. In the treetops there are many other monkeys (monkeys, colobus monkeys, chimpanzees), birds and insects are typical. Ants and termites are common in all tiers. Amphibians (frogs) live everywhere, including in trees. This is facilitated by more air. The largest predator of the equatorial forests is the leopard. It lies in wait for prey and rests in trees.
Gradually, in the north, south and east, humid equatorial forests are replaced first by a transition zone of variable-moist deciduous forests, and then by a zone of savannas and woodlands. The change is caused by the appearance of a dry period and a decrease in annual precipitation as one moves away from the equator.
Savannas, woodlands and shrubs of the subequatorial belt occupy vast territories in Africa - 40% of the continent's area. Depending on the duration of the dry period, annual precipitation and the nature of the vegetation, wet, park, or tall grass savanna, dry (typical) and desert savanna are distinguished.
Wet savannas are common in areas where 1500-1000 mm of precipitation falls per year and the dry period lasts about 2 months. In the humid savanna, evergreen gallery forests are developed, extending from the main massif of equatorial Africa.
Typical savannas are developed in areas with an annual precipitation of 1000-750 mm and a dry period of 3 to 5 months. In the northern part of the continent they extend in a wide continuous strip within the subequatorial belt from to; in the southern hemisphere they penetrate almost to the southern tropic, occupy the northern part, and the plateau. Typical in the savanna are a closed grass cover (elephant grass, bearded vulture, etc.) and small groves or single specimens of trees and shrubs (baobabs, acacias, mimosa, terminalia). Trees and shrubs have adaptations to protect them from frequent fires. Their leaves are usually small, hard, and pubescent; The trunks are covered with thick bark; the wood of some trees stores water. And the umbrella shape of the crowns is not accidental: the shadow from such crowns covers the near-trunk root system from the scorching rays of the sun.
During the rainy season, the savannah is a green sea of luscious grasses, trees bloom and bear fruit; During the dry period, the savanna becomes yellow and brown: the grasses burn out, the leaves fly off the trees. In deserted savannas, where the dry period lasts up to 8 months and the annual precipitation drops to 500-300 mm, tree-like spurges and aloe with fleshy, spiny leaves grow.
In typical and desertified savannas, red ferralitic, containing iron and aluminum compounds, or red-brown soils are formed. Savannah soils are more fertile than the soils of equatorial rainforests. During the dry period of the year, humus accumulates, as the processes of decomposition of plant residues slow down due to lack of moisture.
The rich grass cover of savannas provides abundant food for large herbivores: antelopes (there are more than 40 species), zebras, buffalos, and rhinoceroses. Giraffes and elephants feed on leaves and small branches of trees. Predators are also diverse in savannas: lions, leopards, cheetahs; jackals and hyenas eating carrion. Crocodiles and hippos live in reservoirs. The world of birds is diverse: African ostriches, secretary birds, marabou, guinea fowl; along the banks of reservoirs there are colonies of lapwings, pelicans, flamingos and herons. Reptiles (lizards, chameleons, snakes, land turtles), high earthen buildings of termites. Among insects, the tsetse fly is dangerous, spreading the causative agents of sleeping sickness in humans and nagana disease in livestock.
Savannah animals have been hunted by local tribes since ancient times. But while they were hunted with primitive weapons and only for food, the balance established in nature was almost not disturbed. With penetration into Europeans from firearms mass destruction of animals began for the sake of ivory, rhinoceros horns, crocodile skin, skins of predatory animals, ostrich feathers - everything that had and still has high value on the world market.
To preserve the nature of savannas and protect animals from complete extermination, African governments create nature reserves and reserves. They are actively visited by tourists from many countries of the world and therefore generate some income. Most popular in Africa National parks Serengeti in Tanzania, Virunga in Zaire, Kruger in. They carry out a large scientific work. Some national parks are famous for their specialization in protecting certain groups of animals. Thus, Amboseli attracts with an abundance of ungulates, Tsavo with elephants, Mara Masai with lions, and a million-strong population of small flamingos and other aquatic birds.
To the north and south of the savannas in Africa there are zones of tropical deserts and semi-deserts. B is grandiose (from north to south it stretches for 2 thousand km, from west to east - about 6 thousand km, area - 8.7 million km2). In South Africa there are deserts and the Namib Desert on the Atlantic coast.
In the deserts of Africa - extreme climatic conditions. They do not have a season of sustained rainfall. Annual amount precipitation does not exceed 100-200 mm; sometimes there is no rain for years. Characterized by extreme dry air, very high daytime and relatively low nighttime, dust and sand storms.
Desert soils are primitive, “skeletal”. They are formed during active physical activity, accompanied by cracking and destruction. On the territory of the Sahara, sandy “seas” - ergs, rocky deserts - hamads alternate; clay deserts on the site of former lakes or sea bays; salt marshes on the site of dried up salt lakes. It is characteristic that the accumulation of sands (ergs) occupy only 20% of the Sahara area.
The vegetation of African deserts is extremely sparse and is represented mainly by xerophytes in the drier Sahara and succulents in better-hydrated South Africa. In the Sahara, cereals include aristida and wild millet, and shrubs and subshrubs include acacia, tamarisk, and ephedra. The Kalahari are characterized by succulents: aloe, milkweed, wild watermelons. Namib common plant is a peculiar plant called Welwitschia.
The fauna of African deserts and semi-deserts has adapted to life in arid conditions. In search of scarce food and water, they can travel long distances (for example, small antelopes) or go without water for a long time (reptiles, camels). During hot times of the day, many desert inhabitants bury themselves deep in the sand or go into holes, and active life lead at night.
The main economic activity in deserts is concentrated in oases. Individual peoples and tribes (Berbers in North Africa, Bushmen and Hottentots in the Kalahari) lead a nomadic life, engaged in cattle breeding, gathering and hunting.
Subtropical hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs (zones) are represented in the far north and southwest of Africa. Mediterranean-type forests and hard-leaved shrub formations occupy the northern slopes and foothills of the Atlas, and are found in patches on the elevated areas of the Libyan coast and the windward slopes of the Cape Mountains.
Climatic conditions are distinguished by clear seasonality: long dry and hot summers and humid warm winter. The territories of the Mediterranean zones are favorable for human life; all convenient lands have long been developed for plantations of subtropical crops (olive trees, tangerines, oranges, vine and so on.). In North Africa, the maquis formation now predominates, consisting of dry-loving evergreen shrubs and low trees: strawberry tree, cistus, myrtle, laurel, oleander, etc. Maquis in North Africa is largely a secondary formation that arose on the site of cleared stone and cork forests oak, Atlas cedar, Aleppo pine, tree juniper, cypress.
The dry evergreen forest and scrub formations of South Africa are distinguished by the endemism and distinctiveness of the Cape flora. Fynbos, an analogue of maquis, consists of endemic species of proteaceae, heathers, and legumes with characteristic bluish or silver-gray foliage. Among herbaceous plants Bulbous, rhizomatous and tuberous plants from the lily, iris, and amaryllis families predominate.
It ranks 2nd in area and is also symmetrically located relative to the equator. Moreover, the northern part is wider than the southern. The location of natural areas looks very interesting. From north to south to: subtropics, savannas, variable-humid forests, moist evergreen equatorial forests. After the equator they go in mirror image.
Variable tropical rainforests
They are characterized by high humidity during the rainy season and severe drought. Vegetation is capable of shedding leaves during drought. During the rainfall season, they resemble equatorial forests with an abundance of vines. There are also far fewer species here than in wet and hardwood forests.
The tsetse fly lives in the forests and tropics of Africa - the most dangerous insect that can infect humans with a virus that causes unbearable pain and fever.
Variable-moist forests are located next to savannas and often intersect with them by animal species. Tropical birds and monkeys also live here different types, wild cats. Ferrolitic soils of brown-yellow color predominate, on which bananas, ficus, and coffee grow well.
Savannah
The natural zone occupies up to 40% of the continent. Dry seasons are followed by periods of rain. A large area here is occupied by red-brown soils, on which mainly grasses, cereals, some shrubs and baobabs grow, but trees are extremely rare. The predominant climate is subequatorial.
In the savannas, everything turns green during the rainy season, and brownish-yellow during the dry season.
Despite the hot conditions, it is home to many unique birds, such as ostriches and pelicans. A huge number of animals are also represented: rhinoceroses, giraffes, hippopotamuses, antelopes, elephants, buffaloes. Such animals as lions, hyenas and leopards also live here.
There are a huge number of insects found in savannas, the most annoying of which are mosquitoes and flies. There are also many species that can survive for long periods of time without water, and dangerous snakes.
Tropical deserts and semi-deserts
Located at a distance from the equator, they occupy most of the north and south of the continent. Moreover, the farther the northern and southern points are, the drier the air and the less precipitation. Tropical deserts are gradually replaced by savannas. The climate here prevails.
The Namib Desert stretches in the south of the continent, but the largest and driest is located in the north - the Sahara. The annual precipitation here is no more than 50-100 mm. But even in such hot conditions, different species of animals and insects are found.
But there are few plants here. Date palms grow in oases, and acacias, succulents, and xerophytes are found in places throughout the desert. Creatures such as scorpions, various lizards, chameleons and snakes can easily go without water for many days, so they survive in the harsh conditions of the Sahara. Sandy and rocky desert soils predominate in the desert belt.
Altitudinal zones of Africa
These are the Ethiopian Highlands, Kilimanjaro, the Atlas Mountains, and the Drakensberg Mountains. At the foot of all these regions there are evergreen shrubs and thickets, as well as savannah zones. At an altitude of 1200 to 2000 m there are mixed pine-oak and cedar forests. Even higher, in the zone of 2600-2900 m, coniferous forests grow.
Above 3000 m, alpine meadows begin, and a gradual approach to 5000 m is associated with the complete disappearance of vegetation. This is where the Nival Belt begins, that is, a zone with eternal glaciers. One of the features of the altitudinal zones of Africa can be considered a clear division of zones: savannas, snow, forests and meadows clearly replace each other.
Africa is a huge continent with a rich, unique flora and fauna. However, most of its expanses are covered with savannas, life in which is associated with alternating noticeable drought and intense rains. There are also many dangerous insects, the bite of which can be fatal to humans.
Table "Natural areas of Africa"
| Name of the natural area | Geographical location | Climate and precipitation | Soils | Flora and fauna |
| Hard-leaved forests and shrubs | Northern and southern edges of the continent | Mediterranean climate. Precipitation: 600 mm per year | Brown soils | Animals: leopards, antelopes, zebras, hyenas, wild boars Plants: wild olives, pistachios, myrtle, tree heather, cedars of Lebanon, oaks and arbutus, and there are also beech groves |
| Equatorial rainforests | Located along the equator, closer to the eastern part of the center of the continent | Equatorial climate. Average annual temperatures are 24°C. Precipitation: more than 2000 mm per year | Red-yellow ferrallite soils | Animals: chimpanzees, baboons, monkeys, bongos, okapi, wild boars, leopards, civets, wild cats, parrots, rodents and numerous insects Plants: ficus, palm trees, ceiba, combret trees, rubber trees, banana trees, coffee trees, selaginella, ferns, mosses, lianas |
| Savannah | North and south of equatorial rainforests | Subequatorial climate. average temperature the hottest month is 30ºС or more, and the coldest month is 18ºС. Precipitation: about 2000-2500 mm per year | Red-brown soils | Animals: African savannah elephant, wild dogs, hyenas, black Mamba, caracals, bear baboon, Egyptian mongoose, Grant's zebra, giraffes, buffalos, leopards, cheetahs, lions, Nile crocodiles, ostriches Plants: Senegal acacia, baobabs, Bermuda grass, elephant grass, medlar persimmon, mongongo, red-leaved combretum, twisted acacia, sickle-lobed acacia, euphorbia, aloe |
| Tropical deserts and semi-deserts | Located far from the equator, occupy most of the north and south of the continent | Tropical climate. Daytime temperatures can exceed 50ºC, and night temperatures can drop below 10ºC. Precipitation: in deserts - up to 100 mm per year, in semi-deserts - up to 300 mm per year | Desert soils | Animals: rodents, Saharan hare, fennec fox, antelope, gazelles, camels, scorpions, snakes, lizards, desert lark Plants: date palms, acacias, camel thorn, velvichia, wild olives, succulents, xerophytes |
Natural areas Africa, like the climate zones, are located on the continent symmetrically to the equator, and their borders almost coincide. The location of the zones clearly shows latitudinal zonality, which is due to the flat topography, the position between the tropics and the distribution of precipitation.
Natural areas of Africa
Four natural zones of Africa.
- Zone of moist evergreen equatorial forests occupies the Congo Basin and the coast of the Gulf of Guinea north of the equator. On the red-yellow ferralite soils in the forests, many types of palm trees grow, including oil palm, ficus, coffee trees, tree ferns, bananas, and numerous lianas. The plants have adapted well to high humidity conditions: they form many tiers, have hard, dense, often shiny leaves, supporting roots and other adaptations. Many animals here live in trees. Gorillas, chimpanzees and other species of monkeys live in the forests; inhabited by leopards, forest elephants, okapi, pygmy hippopotamuses; hundreds of species of birds, many insects, snakes, lizards and other animals. Equatorial forests are replaced by variable-humid forests and then savannas.
- Savannah zone located north, south and east of the equatorial forests. Savannahs occupy 40% of the continent's area. Among the tall grasses grow baobabs, acacias with umbrella crowns, and mimosas. Gallery forests stretch along the rivers. The abundance of herbaceous vegetation is a condition for the existence in savannas of many species of ungulates: antelope, buffalo, zebra, rhinoceroses. Elephants, giraffes, and hippos live in the vast savannas. There are also many predators here - lions, cheetahs, hyenas. Typical birds are ostriches, marabou, secretary birds, etc.
- Tropical desert and semi-desert zones occupy vast areas in Africa. To the north lies the world's largest desert, the Sahara Desert. In the southwest of the continent, the barren Namib Desert stretches along the ocean coast. Soils in deserts do not form a continuous cover. In sandy areas, tufts of grass and thorny bushes grow here and there. Lichens live on rocks. The date palm is common in the oases of the Sahara. In the semi-deserts of South Africa, Welwitschia grows - a peculiar plant that has a short (no more than 50 cm) thick trunk and two very long leaves (over 2-3 m). The deserts of Africa are characterized by small antelopes, lizards, and snakes; In the Sahara there are hyenas, jackals, lions, ostriches.
- Zones of evergreen hard-leaved forests and shrubs located in the extreme north and extreme south of the continent in the subtropical climatic zone. The nature here has been greatly changed by man. Cultivated fields and plantations stretched out in place of long-removed forests and bushes.
Africa is a rare place on Earth where geographic zoning prevails. Nowhere are the natural zones of the continents so clearly demarcated. Africa shows this division right on the map. The far north and south are distinguished by hard-leaved evergreen forests with shrubby undergrowth, followed by semi-deserts and deserts, then savannas, and in the center - variable-humid and constantly humid forests. This latitudinal zonality is slightly disrupted in the mountains and highlands, but there are few of them on the continent. This is Africa - natural zones are demarcated unusually clearly, with regard to climate, flora, and fauna.
Attractions
In addition to the mainland, Africa also includes islands. There are not so few of them: let’s compare the area big land- 30,300,000 square kilometers and the area of the islands is 1,100,000. Madagascar - the largest island - has 587,000 square kilometers.
The most beautiful waterfall in the world is Victoria. It is one of the continent's most outstanding landmarks. The Zambezi River plunges into a hundred-meter (very narrow!) chasm more than a kilometer long and more than a hundred meters high. The sound of water can be heard within a radius of forty kilometers, while splashes and fog from falling water rise half a kilometer up and can be observed at a distance of fifty kilometers. Nowhere are there such amazingly beautiful lunar rainbows from the refraction of rays.
Northeast Africa is no less famous. Here, Mount Kilimanjaro rises in the desert. This is an ancient volcano, which is the most high point continent (5,895 meters above sea level). The fact that Kilimanjaro is amazingly beautiful can be seen for many tens of kilometers from any direction - the volcano rises like a pillar among the flat Kenyan and Tanzanian savannahs. Sloping slopes raise your gaze to a flat, oblong peak - a two-kilometer-long giant cave, a vast basin at the peak of the volcano.
The lowest point of the mainland - Lake Assal - is located 153 meters below sea level. This crater lake is located in Djibouti. Below this lake is only the Dead Sea.
It remains to add that there are fifty-seven countries in Africa, the largest in area is Sudan. The climate in Africa is very hot, which is probably why the population surpasses all other continents except Asia. Africa also ranks second in area.
Equatorial forest zone
On both sides of the equator, along the Congo River basin and on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, there are both permanent and variable rain forests for which Africa is famous. Natural zones here were formed due to the difference in the amount of heat and moisture. The soils of the local forests - red and yellow - receive all this in abundance.
The composition of tropical forests is diverse. There are more than a thousand tree species. The upper tiers - more than eighty meters high - were formed by ficus trees, oil palms, cola trees and others. Bananas, tree ferns, coffee trees (Liberian species), valuable sandalwood, rubber and mahogany trees settled below,
Wildlife of the rainforest
The fauna is rich and diverse in these places. Monkeys are numerous. In addition to monkeys and chimpanzees, they are represented by a dozen other species. Dog-headed baboons raid African plantations. These monkeys are distinguished by their rare intelligence - they are only afraid of armed people, even a person with a stick in his hands will not make them run away. African gorillas - great apes - reach two hundred and fifty kilograms of live weight, have a height of up to two meters and are afraid of few people at all.
East Africa is distinguished by its rich coral fauna - more than four hundred species. Marine mollusks are especially widespread in the waters of the Western region of the Indian Ocean - more than three thousand species of gastropods alone. East African lakes are rich in freshwater shellfish.
Up to twenty percent of the world's global insect diversity—more than one hundred thousand species—has settled south of the Sahara Desert. Many are very dangerous for humans - malaria mosquitoes, for example, or the tsetse fly.
Freshwater fish in the lakes of the continent number three thousand species. Sea fish V Indian Ocean more than two thousand in coastal waters alone. Among amphibians, the giant goliath frog is especially famous.
African reptiles
Reptiles, with which Africa is especially rich - the natural zones of the continent, one might say, are teeming with a variety of their species - have settled almost everywhere. These are pelomedus and land turtles, as well as belt-tailed lizards, skinks, agamas, monitor lizards of various species... And the largest number of chameleons live in Madagascar.
There are many dozens of species of snakes, among which the most dangerous for travelers are mambas, cobras, and African most poisonous vipers, huge pythons. Crocodiles in Africa are also very real and extremely dangerous - there are three species: African blunt-snouted, African narrow-snouted and Nile.
Reptiles have settled everywhere, as geography allows - the natural zones of Africa, differing in climate, we repeat, are suitable for reptiles to live almost everywhere.
Birds and mammals
More than two and a half thousand species of birds are considered to live in Africa, many of which are threatened with extinction. Typical for the continent: secretary bird, sunbirds, African ostriches.
There are especially many species of parrots, the most famous being, for example, the African Gray. The most interesting birds are marabou storks, guinea fowl, turacos, hornbills, and there are even penguins. A huge number of passerines - up to one and a half thousand species.
There is also a great variety of mammals in Africa - more than a thousand names. The East African Plateau is especially distinguished by the number of animals. Where the African climate changes, natural areas are characterized by the distribution of certain species of mammals. Tropical forests are inhabited by exotic species: civets, needle-tailed flying squirrels, brush-eared pigs, pygmy hippopotamuses, many species of antelope, okapi, duikers, bongos. Only great apes there are four types. And in Madagascar, charming lemurs and bats have taken root.
African megafauna is the most widely represented. There are no places in the world where such large animals as elephants, lions, hippopotamuses, giraffes, cheetahs and leopards, black and white rhinoceroses have been preserved since prehistoric times... It is very possible to list which animals of the Mediterranean natural zone of Africa exist to this day. for a long time. These include antelopes, buffalos, zebras, hyenas, porcupines, and warthogs. And all rodents - lagomorphs and meerkats - are probably known only to specialists.
Savannah
The climate of Africa and natural zones are also clearly divided. To the south and north of the equator, the humidity of equatorial forests quickly decreases, they become poorer in composition, and patches of savannas are introduced into the continuous forest massif. The jungle is first thinned out, then generally remains only within the boundaries of river valleys. Instead of evergreen tree species, deciduous trees appear.
African savannas occupy about forty percent of the total area. Of course, they differ sharply from the forests of the equator. You can immediately see what natural zones are in Africa and how they are divided. The length of the rainy season greatly influences appearance terrain - soils and vegetation change.
Near the equatorial forests, the rainy season lasts seven to nine months, resulting in red or ferrallitic soils and grass growing up to three meters high. Further to the north and south, where It is raining less than six months, soils are red-brown, grasses are lower. But baobabs and umbrella-shaped acacias appear.
Closer to the border with the semi-desert, humidity decreases significantly, since the rainy season lasts only two to three months a year. Here the savannas are deserted, thorny bushes and grasses grow: milkweed and tree-like plants.
Sahara Desert
The natural desert zone of Africa also occupies a significant area in both the northern and southern parts of the continent. The largest desert is the Sahara, five thousand kilometers from east to west and two thousand kilometers from north to south. It crosses the continent from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.
In fact, there is a group of deserts there, some very large, for example, Libyan and Arabian. In the north of the country Sudan is Nubian. In Algeria, the desert is called the Great Western and Great Eastern Ergi.
The highest temperature here is globe- +59 in the shade. The most interesting thing is that the city of Tripoli is located on this territory. Here is the largest area in the world occupied by sandy deserts - six hundred thousand square kilometers. It is in these places that there is the least amount of precipitation on Earth - in a number of areas it never falls at all. And in Western Sahara, temperature differences between day and night exceed thirty degrees.
Islands of life
Only in the oases of the Sahara is life beautiful: the vegetation is rich, the animal world is diverse. However, many animals have adapted to the climate of the desert itself: oryx, addax, and gazelle antelopes run great distances in search of water. The Sahara's rodents are numerous: hamsters, mice, jerboas, and squirrels. Therefore, there are also predators: hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, foxes. There are many birds - both migratory and permanently living in the desert. And of course, an abundance of reptiles: turtles, snakes, lizards.
Kalahari and Namib
South of the equator, two other famous deserts are the Kalahari and Namib. The coastal Namib is large - one and a half thousand kilometers long - cool and very harsh. The vegetation, however, is varied: milkweed, crassula, endemic species. The Welwitschia plant is generally unique and grows only here - it has a short and thick stem, from which three-meter-long leaves spread along the ground.
The Kalahari is considered one of the hottest deserts in the world. In South Africa it is the largest - it spreads across South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. The most important thing is that it grows constantly and inevitably, moving forward in space: the desert has already come to Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe, although this kingdom of sand already occupies about six hundred thousand square kilometers.
The desert landscapes of the Kalahari are varied and magnificent. The sand is colored by nature in all shades of red - from pale pink to almost brown. The iron oxides contained in the sand have tried their best here, but it seems that this merciless sun has scorched the earth red. And I can’t even believe that Africa, whose natural zones are distinguished by such sharp contrasts, grew multi-tiered tropical forests not too far to the north.