Natural Regions of Africa

Question 1

forest natural regions

Answer 1

congo, guineas

Question 2

mediterranean natural regions

Answer 2

maghreb, cape

Question 3

steppes natural regions

Answer 3

karoo, grasslands

Question 4

savannah natural regions

Answer 4

sahel, miombo, kalahari, east africa

Question 5

desert natural regions

Answer 5

sahara, namib

Question 6

Köppen climate classification

Answer 6

way to classify climates based on seasonal precipitation and temperature
A - tropical
B - arid
C - temperate
D - continental
E - polar

Question 7

major rivers

Answer 7

niger, nile, congo, orange, zambezi rivers

Question 8

main mountain ranges

Answer 8

gregory rift (coast side), albertine rift (central side), atlas mountains (magreb region)

Question 9

major wetlands

Answer 9

cuvette central congolese,

Question 10

what are the 5 basins and their significance?

Answer 10

nile, congo, zambezi, orange, and niger. correspond with oldest regions of africa

Question 11

congo

Answer 11

• congo river, deepest river in the world, rapids
• cuvette centrale congolese
• congo basin, mostly lowlands with a few exceptions
• bais
• inselbergs
• rainforests, swamp forests, montane forests
• vegetation/key species: gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, picatartes, forest elephants. umbrella tree
• 2 protected regions: Okapi wildlife reserve, Mt. Cameroon national park
• environmental issues: deforestation, logging, poaching, farming

Question 12

maghreb

Answer 12

• mediterranean with two stress seasons, winter and summer
• hot, dry winds from the sahara
• seasonal rivers
• atlas rift, high plateau, chotts (ephemeral salt lakes)
• humid forest: firs, cedars, pyrenean oak
• high maquis: holm oak, cork oak, junipers, araar, alepo pine
  -low maquis: aromatic shrubs and legumes
• macarroseian: argan, dragos, acacias
• barbary macaque, barbary stag, pygmy shrew
  (species present before conservation threats: barbary lion, elephants, stiped hyena, hippo, giant african buffalo)
  2 protected regions: Ifrane national park, Mamora forest, El Feidja national park
• environmental issues: deforestation, overgrazing, fires, hunting, lack of official involvement

Question 13

characteristics of a wet savannah

Answer 13

• 650-1200 mm of rainfall
• poor soils with a lot of nutrient leaching
• plants with more chemical defenses than physical ones
• trees over 12 m, broad leaves
• high biomass, not very palatable
• frequent fires, every 1-5 years

Question 14

characteristics of a dry savannah

Answer 14

• 250-650 mm of rainfall, 8 month dry period
• soil rich in nutrients with little leaching
• plants with spines, little chemical defences
• trees 6-10 m with fine leaves
• less biomass production but higher in nutrients and more palatable for herbivores
• fires every 5-50 years (less frequent)

Question 15

cape

Answer 15

• extremely high plant diversity, one of the world’s six floral kingdoms
• plants adapted to frequent fires and low soil nutrients
• habitat types: fynbos, reosterveld, albany thicket, afrotemprate forest
  -fynbos: poor soils, winter rain. bulb plants, daisies. evolved from albany thicket. lowland and montane fynbos
  -renosterveld: soils rich in nutrients. used to have elephants, lions, blue antelope, quagga (plains zebra). Elytropappus rhinocerotis
  -albany thicket: dense woodlands. overgrazing by domestic goats, deforestation by urbanization
  -pollinated by insects, mice, ants, wind- 2 protected areas: de hoop national part, west coast national park
• environmental issues: invasive species, fire suppression or too many fires, deforestation, substitution plantations

Question 16

guineas

Answer 16

• forests
• greater osillation in the precipitations, marked seasonality, very old mountain ranges
• pygmy hippos, forest elephants, chimps, duikers
• sacred forests, tai national park, comoe national park
• environmental issues: deforestation, fires from plantations, poaching

Question 17

sahara

Answer 17

• desert, max 150 mm rainfall with substantial variation year-to-year
• 60% of world’s dust originates from bodele depression
• hoggar and tibesty mountains
• diffuse or non-hierarchical hydrographic network ???*
• whales skeletons
• reletively new desert so little time to evolve, little plant diversity
• addax, sahara-sahel ostrich, gerbils, desert cheetah, scorpions, beetles, desert cat, lizards, sand cockroach
• protected areas: ahaggar national park, air-tenere

Question 18

sahel-sudan

Answer 18

• savannahs
• sahel: dry savannah 150-600 mm of rainfall, recurrent desertification erosion, poor soils, ephemeral rivers. vegetation similar to sahara but denser. vegetation: umbrella thorn acacia, desert date, boabab
  -sahel fauna: scimitar-horned oryx, dorcas gazelle, african spurred tortoise
• sudan: wet savannah. 600-1000 mm of rainfall, deforestation, better soils.
  -sudan fauna: roan, mongooses, leopard, shoebill
• large wetlands–niger river delta, lake chad, lake sudd
• seasons are more stable near the coast
• locust swarms, tse-tse fly
• fires and elephants actors for change in the environment

Question 19

miombo

Answer 19

• wet, broad-leaved savannah
• severe droughts
• 90% of woody species deciduous (due to dry season)
• woodlands: poor nutrients, well-drained soils, main trees Brachysegia, Isoberlinia, Julbernardia
• itinerant agriculture
• mopane woodlands in nutrient rich, poorly drained soil, mopane tree
• indian coastal belt forest, eastern arc mountain forest
• dambos (temporarily flooded meadows)
• termites, aardvarks, ground hornbill, barbets and woodpeckers, python. browsers, grazers, typical savannah animals.
• protected areas: kruger national park, kafue national park
• environmental issues: poaching, fuelwood, logging

Question 20

karoo

Answer 20

• plains, dry riverbeds, hills
• semiarid region: summer rainfall - shrubby plants unlike succulent karoo
• great escarpment mountains
• very unpredictable precipitation, in a rain shadow
• candeboo national park, karoo national park
• least protected region because the climate is good for agriculture

Question 21

kalahari

Answer 21

• dry savannah, no standing water, in rain shadow
• greatest erg in the world
• rains october-april, 150-400 mm per year.
• • okavango delta wetlands * are a site for animals to migrate to
• water is underground– plants with long roots
• vegetation: camelthorn, acacia erioloba, lehman’s lovegrass
• fauna: pangolin, ground squirrels, termites, aardvark, quelea, sociable weaver
• protected areas: Etosha national park, central kalahari game reserve
• environmental issues: farming, cattle, fences

Question 22

namib

Answer 22

• mostly desert, coastal fogs. 15-150 mm rainfall more summer
• linear savannahs that form in the dry river beds
• dunes, plains, coast, succulent karoo, dry riverbeds, inselbergs
• black rhinos, desert lions, desert elephants, oryx. nara melons, camelthorn acacia
• oldest deserts on earth (43 million years) so lots of time to evolve and lots of diversity
• succulent karoo south of the orange river, winter rainfall
• succulent karoo national park

Question 23

ergs

Answer 23

large desert region of sand dunes with little or no vegetation

Question 24

plains

Answer 24

treeless lowlands

Question 25

regs

Answer 25

stony plains of coarse gravel

Question 26

djebel

Answer 26

places situated on or near mountains

Question 27

hamadas

Answer 27

desert landsacape of high, rocky plateaus

Question 28

gueltas

Answer 28

pockets of water within rock formations

Question 29

dayas

Answer 29

circular features of the plateau

Question 30

sebkhas

Answer 30

coastal salt lake/mud flat

Question 31

quelea

Answer 31

birds that swarm in groups of millions. can sense the low pressure areas that indicate rains and migrate there

Question 32

barabet

Answer 32

bird that eats mistletoe, "plants" new mistletoe in trees

Question 33

grasslands

Answer 33

- rolling plains and higher altitude Drakensberg east of nama karoo: - humid, rainfall 400-1200 mm - variation in altitudes west of nama karoo: - lower precipitation, transition zone to succulent karroo and southern namib - ephemeral rivers and pools - wind desiccation of soil moisture - slow plant growth and little accumulation of organic matter in the soil - Brandvlei and Grootvloer Pan (depression/basin) -frequent fires