Chapter 18 Section 2

Climate and vegetation
pg.420

I) A Warm Continent
Africa almost completely lies between the tropic of cancer and the tropic od capricorn

A)The Deserts
-Kalahari and Namib
-Sahara lies in north africa and is the largest in the world
     a)3,000x12000 miles
-temperatures rise above 130 degrees in the summer
-in winter temperatures fall below freezing
-  20% of the Sahara consist of sand
-travel is risky because of extrme conditions
-6000 feet under dry land lies aquifers
-an oasis is an aquifer that's breached the sand 

B)The Tropics
-africa has the largest tropical area of any continant
-a town in ethiopia holds the record for highest average annual temperature of 93.9 degrees f
-night and day difference tend to be larger than seasional differences

II)Sunshine and Rainfall
pg. 421

-rainfall is matter of extremeity

A)Rainfall Patterns
-rain forests in central africa recieve the most rainfall
-africas tropical ssavanna stretches through the middle of the continant
-the closer an area is to the equator, the more rain it receives
-the closer an area is to the desert, the longer its dry season
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B) Africas Moderate areas
-mediterranean climate exists on the northern and southern tips of the continant
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III) A Grassy Continant
pg.422

-africas vegetation almost mirrors its climate

A)TRopical Grasslands
-Grassland covers most of the continant
-Serengeti plain in northen tanzania
-some of the grass can grow taller than the average human
-abundance of grass makes serengetti ideal for grazing animals
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IV)Africas Extremes
pg.422

A)Rain Forests
-Major rainforest in africa sits on the congo basin
-600+ trees are found there
-home to hundreds of bird species
-massive plants and trees block out the sunlught
-the air underneath the vegation is hot and moist
-vegatation decays quickly
-most animals live in the canopy
-the canopy refers to the uppermost layer of branches
-large numbers of snakes, birds, and foxes live here
-Slash and burn agriculture is killing the forest

VI) Varieties of Plantlife
-North africa contains sizable oak
-Mangrove trees of west africa
-they help build up dry land by hoding silt
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Summery
Africa has many diverse vegatation and a warm climate. there are large desserts and tropical forests, as well as thousands of different species that live there