Topic 3 (Term 3) Climate and vegetation of South Africa

Question 1

What is climate?

Answer 1

Weather patterns of a particular place over a long period of time, usually years (weather is over a short period of time, days or weeks)

Question 2

Weather and climate are affected by:

Answer 2

1. Temperature
2. Precipitation
3. Wind

Question 3

True or false: Temperature is how hot or cold a place is …

Answer 3

True (easy one hey!)

Question 4

What three things affect the temperature?

Answer 4

Distance from the equator
Height above sea level
Ocean currents

Question 5

Why can we say that RSA is a warm country?

Answer 5

Because we live closer to the equator than the South Pole

Question 6

Why does it snow sometimes in RSA interior?

Answer 6

Most of the interior is a high plateau (nice and difficult word to spell!)

Question 7

What does it mean when we say the ocean currents have a moderating effect on the climate?

Answer 7

Days at the coast are cooler than inland and nights are hotter that they are inland

Question 8

Name the coasts on which: A. the cold Benguela and B. the wam Mozambique currents flow

Answer 8

A: West coast

B. East coast

Question 9

Why do we call evergreen forests evergreen?

Answer 9

There is plenty of rainfall throughout the year that nourishes evergreen trees

Question 10

Why is the temperature warm all year round in the Palm Belt?

Answer 10

Because of the Mozambique current

Question 11

In the Palm belt the rain falls mainly in ….. and we find palm trees and …. trees.

Answer 11

summer … mangrove

Question 12

What three main types of Fynbos are there?

Answer 12

Proteas
Ericas
Restios

Question 13

Grasslands have long and short grass types. What is the region called that have high grass?

Answer 13

Sourveld

Question 14

What kind of vegetation does one get in the Bushveld?

Answer 14

Grass, bushes and thorn trees

Question 15

True or false: The Karoo is a desert

Answer 15

False: It is a semi-desert

Question 16

Succulents in the Karoo survive because of special …

Answer 16

adaptation

Question 17

Where do the small plants (with their fleshy leaves) in the desert get their water from?

Answer 17

The moisture in the mist that blows in from the sea

Question 18

What is the natural vegetation of a place?

Answer 18

The different indigenous plants that grow in a place

Question 19

Plants that grew in an area for a long time (people did not bring them in) are called

Answer 19

Indigenous plants

Question 20

Plant that are not indigenous are called?

Answer 20

Alien plants

Question 21

What four things influence the vegetation of a particular area?

Answer 21

Rain fall
Temperature
Soil
Ocean currents

Question 22

Name the 6 different vegetation regions in SA and name examples of typical plants (sorry this is a long one)

Answer 22

1. Mediterranean: Fynbos
2. 1 Evergreen forests: Yellowwood, Stinkwood
3. 2 Palm belt: Mangrove, palm tree
4. Deserts and semi-desert: Welwitschia, Kokerboom
5. Grasslands: Grasses
6. Savannah (Bushveld): Boabab, Camelthorns, Umbrella tree

Question 23

What is the biggest natural vegetation region?

Answer 23

Semi-dessert

Question 24

What is the smallest natural vegetation region

Answer 24

Evergreen forest

Question 25

Make sure you can identify (on a map) the five climate regions of SA

Answer 25

Temperate sub-tropical
Humid sub-tropical
Mediterranean
Desert
Semi-desert