CLIMATE OF AFRICA BY REGION AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The climate of Africa covers a range of subclimas such as tropical savanna climate, monsoon climate, climate semi - arid, arid climate, oceanic climate and equatorial climate. Due to its position along the subtropical and equatorial latitudes, both in the northern and southern hemispheres, different types of climate can be found on this continent.

Africa is located in the intertropical zone between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Only the northernmost part and the southernmost part of the continent have a Mediterranean climate.

Areas in red are the most desert and driest

Due to this geographical situation, Africa is a hot continent since the intensity of solar radiation is always high. Therefore, hot and warm climates are common throughout Africa, but the northern part is marked by high temperatures and arid climates.

Temperate climates are not as common across the continent, except at fairly high elevations and along the edges.

Africa's climate depends more on the amount of rainfall rather than on the temperatures, as they are constantly high.

African deserts are the hottest and sunniest regions on the entire continent due to the presence of a subtropical ridge with dwindling, hot, and dry air masses.

Climate characteristics of Africa

Generally speaking, most of Africa is located in the tropics. Except for the mountain tips in the Great Rift Valley, it never freezes.

The northern part of the continent is primarily desert or arid, while the central and southern areas contain regions with dense savannas and jungles.

Africa is the hottest continent on earth; drylands and deserts make up 60% of the entire surface area.

The Sahara desert, including its satellite deserts, is the hottest desert; their temperatures are above 37 ° C.

To the immediate south of the Sahara Desert, droughts and below-average annual rains are quite common; dust storms are a frequent occurrence.

In the tropical forests of central Africa there are hot climate conditions with high humidity; the largest amount of African rain falls in this area.

In the south, the Kalahari Desert is a semi-arid sand savanna. Rain is scarce and summer temperatures are high.

It usually receives 76 to 190 ml of rain each year. Summers in southern Africa can be quite hot, especially along the coastal areas.

At higher elevations, temperatures are more moderate. Winters are generally mild, with some light snow on the hills and mountains.

Equatorial climate

This climate is generally found throughout the Equator; regions with this climate typically have tropical rain forests.

Tropical forests have a type of tropical climate in which there is no dry season - every month they have a precipitation of at least 60 mm.

Tropical forests do not have summer or winter; they are typically hot and humid throughout the year and the rain is heavy and frequent.

One day in an equatorial climate can be very similar to the next, while the change in temperature between day and night can be greater than the change in temperature with a year-long stick.

This climate is commonly found in central Africa. Some African cities with this type of climate include Kribi, Cameroon; Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Kampala, Uganda; Kisimu, Kenya; and almost all of Madagascar.

Dry weather

These areas experience 25 to 200 mm of precipitation per year; sometimes they don't even experience rain.

These climates are exceptionally hot. Maximum temperatures often exceed 40 ° C, in summer this temperature can increase to 45 °.

Many desert locations experience high temperatures throughout the year, even in winter.

However, during the cold periods of the year, nighttime temperatures can drop to quite cold.

This climate is common in North Africa. It can be found throughout the Sahara Desert, the Libyan Desert, and the Nubian Desert.

In East Africa, there is the Danakil Desert; in southern Africa, there are the Namib Desert and the Kalahari Desert.

Weather

They have temperatures over 18 ° C and are characterized by wet and dry seasons. They are characterized by high rainfall in one season of the year.

The controlling factor in this climate is the Monsoon circulation; varying pressure patterns affecting the rainfall season are common in central and western Africa.

Sabana tropical climate

They have an average temperature above 18 ° and have an extremely dry season.

This is in contrast to the monsoon climate; in essence, a tropical savanna climate tends to have less rainfall than a monsoon or has a more pronounced dry season.

This climate is commonly found throughout West Africa, East Africa, and the area south north of the Tropic of Capricorn; Mombasa and Somalia are some places with this type of climate.

Semi-arid climate

These types of climates receive precipitation under potential evapotranspiration, but not in an extreme way.

They are typically found in proximity to regions with a tropical savanna climate or humid subtropical climates.

Seasonal changes depend on latitude, but most places have a summer and a winter; winter brings more rain.

Sometimes they can get enough rain to cultivate but after a few years the area can experience a severe drought.

They are common on the edges of subtropical deserts; semi-arid climates are commonly found throughout Africa.

Oceanic climate

They are characterized by cool summers, relative to their altitude, and cool but not cold winters; they do not have extreme changes in temperature. They do not have a dry season as precipitation is dispersed throughout the year.

They tend to have cloudy conditions due to constant storms. A remarkable oceanic climate in Africa is found in South Africa, from Mosselbaai in the Western Cape to Plettenberg Bay.

Inland Southeastern African regions and elevated portions in East Africa, as far north as Mozambique and west Africa as far as Angola, share this type of climate.

It is typically warm most of the year with no pronounced rainy season, but it does have a bit more rain in the fall and spring.

References

1. Oceanic climate. Recovered from wikipedia.org
2. Savanna climate (2016). Recovered from pmfias.org
3. Climate of Africa. Recovered from wikipedia.org
4. About African monsoon. Recovered from clivar.org
5. Tropical rain forest climate. Recovered from wikipedia.org
6. Semi arid. Recovered from sites.google.com
7. Tropical savanna climate. Recovered from wikipedia.org
8. Climate -world's second largest continent. Recovered from our-africa.org
9. Tropical monsoon climate. Recovered from wikipedia.org
10. Africa weather. Recovered from worldatlas.com
11. Semi arid climate. Recovered from wikipedia.org
12. Desert climate. Recovered from wikipedia.org.