Lake Victoria
Climate and Vegetation
Latitude and elevation affect climate. For example, areas near the equator receive heavy rains. Farther from the equator, the weather is drier. When little rain falls, droughts can occur. During a drought, crops fail, cattle die, and people begin to starve. There have been severe droughts in East Africa.
The climate south of the equator is tropical savanna. In savannas, plants include tall grasses and scattered trees. The rift floors have grasslands and thorn shrubs.
Plateaus and mountains are found north of the equator. They have a highland climate and thick forests. The highlands receive a lot of rainfall. The mild climate makes farming possible. Many people live in the highlands. Forests are found at higher elevations.
East of the highlands and on the Indian Ocean coast, the elevation is lower. Desert and semi-arid climates are found here. Vegetation is limited to shrubs and grasses.
Important Countries to Know: Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe
Southern Africa
Key Terms and Places:
Namib Desert a desert located on the Atlantic coast, the driest place in the region
Pans low, flat areas into which ancient streams drained and later evaporated
Physical Features
Southern Africa is covered with grassy plains, steamy swamps, mighty rivers, rocky waterfalls, and steep mountains and plateaus.
Most of Southern Africa lies on a large plateau. In eastern South Africa, there is a mountain range called the Drakensberg. Farther north, the Inyanga Mountains separate Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Many large rivers cross Southern Africa’s plains. The Okavango flows from Angola into a huge basin in Botswana. The Orange River passes through the Augrabies Falls and flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
Climate and Vegetation
Southern Africa’s climates change from east to west. The east coast of the island of Madagascar is the wettest place in the region. Deserts along the Atlantic coast give way to plains with semi-arid climates. Much of Southern Africa is covered by a large savanna region. On this grassland plain, shrubs and short trees grow.
The Namib Desert on the Atlantic Coast is the driest area in the region. The Kalahari Desert covers most of Botswana. Here, ancient streams have drained into low, flat areas also known as pans. On these pans, a glittering white layer forms when the streams dry up and leave minerals behind.
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