The climate of Africa, is more uniform than any other continent.

Reasons: 1.The position of the continent in the

Tropical Zone 2.The impact of cool ocean currents (High

Pressure Cells) 3.The absence of mountain chains

serving as climatic barriers. 4. Continentality

There are Seven main African climatic zones

The central portion of the continent and the eastern coast of Madagascar have a tropical rain forest climate.

The climate of the Guinea coast matches the rain forest climate, except that rainfall occurs in one season (monsoon); no months, however, are rainless. Monsoon: large amount of precipitation in a

short amount of time

The tropical savannah climate zone covers about one-fifth of Africa and surrounds the rainforests.

Its has a wet summer season and a dry winter

The further from the equator you travel the more dry the savannah becomes, changing into a steppe region

Africa has a larger arid and desert climate zones than any continent except Australia.

These deserts:—the Sahara in the north, the Horn in the east, and the Kalahari and Namib deserts in the southwest—receive less than 10 inches of rainfall annually.

In the Sahara, daily and seasonal extremes of temperatures are great.

The average July temperature is higher than 90°F

In the cold season the nighttime temperature often drops below freezing.

Mediterranean climate zones are found in the extreme northwest and Southwest of Africa

They have mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers.

In the highlands of eastern Africa (Kenya and Uganda), rainfall occurs evenly throughout the year, and temperatures are more uniform.

The climate on the high plateau of southern Africa is temperate.

The equator runs through this area hot sticky summer all year long 60-80 inches of rain a year.

A tropical rainforest needs 2.4 inches of rainfall every month

Some of the worst soils on earth in these environments

30% of the entire continent is Savannah Very tall grass (some of them as high as

6 feet) with occasional big tall trees. There are also thorn trees called Baobab The rain only comes in one quick period

usually summer.

Low Grasses Desert- some areas have no vegetation

at all. The deserts are spreading in Africa

because of climate changes and how people are changing the landscape.