List the natural areas of Central Africa. Natural areas of Africa (Grade 7). What natural areas is Africa located in?

Natural zoning

The largest natural complex of the planet is the geographical envelope.

The natural complex of the Earth is heterogeneous both vertically and horizontally, which is expressed in the vertical zonality and latitudinal presence of various natural zones on Earth.

Definition 1

A natural zone is a natural complex of land or the World Ocean, elongated in latitude and having similar natural conditions.

There are a number of factors that influence the formation of natural zones.

For natural areas, as components geographical envelope, is characterized by a certain set of natural components that have their own characteristics.

These components are:

• climatic conditions territories;
• the nature of its relief;
• water resources of the territory;
• soil structure;
• vegetable and animal world.

The climatic features of the territory include its temperature regime, the nature of moisture, the properties of the prevailing air masses.

Criterion general relief influences the configuration of the natural zone. The proximity of the ocean or the presence of currents off the coast also affect their formation, but these factors will be secondary.

The formation of natural zones primarily depends on climatic conditions, on the amount of incoming solar heat and light, but their names are associated with the nature of the vegetation, because flora is a bright component of any landscape.

Vegetable world acts as a kind of indicator that reflects all the deep processes of the formation of the natural complex.

In the hierarchy of the physical-geographical zoning of the planet, the natural zone is the highest level.

On the map of the natural zones of Africa, it is clearly seen that all of them are located in the form of belts with a sublatitudinal direction, i.e. stretched from west to east.

Figure 1. Natural zonality of Africa. Author24 - online exchange of student papers

Sometimes this direction of natural zones can be violated due to the features of the relief of this territory. On the map, the boundaries between natural areas are shown very clearly, which cannot be in reality.

Each zone, almost quite smoothly "transitions" into the neighboring natural zone.

At the junction of two natural zones, border or transitional zones are formed, for example, at the junction of the forest and steppe zones, a transitional zone has formed. forest-steppe zone. Thus, the formation of natural zones is influenced by many factors, the set of which for any territory, whether it be a mainland, a country, a small area, will be the same.

Remark 1

On the surface of the planet, geographers distinguish more than a dozen large natural zones, replacing each other from the equator to the polar latitudes.

Natural areas of the mainland

Since Africa is located on both sides of the equator and is thousands of kilometers away from it to the north and south, various natural zones have formed on its territory, stretched mainly from west to east.

Allocate among the main species a zone of wet equatorial forests, savannas and woodlands, deserts and semi-deserts, evergreen forests and shrubs.

In hot and humid conditions equatorial climate moist equatorial forests formed on red-yellow ferralitic soils. Some woody plants There are up to 3000 species in this zone.

Among them are iron tree, sandalwood, ebony, oil palm, rubber, bread, coffee, nutmeg, etc. Lianas and orchids intertwine the crowns and trunks of trees.

The fauna of the equatorial forests is rich and diverse, represented not only by apes.

Within the terrestrial layer, small ungulates, okapi, pygmy hippopotamuses, pigs are inhabited. From predators you can meet a leopard.

Snakes, lizards, termites, and shrews are associated with the forest floor. Insects such as mosquitoes, ants are characteristic of the humid equatorial forest, but there are few birds in the humid forests.

Variably humid forests are being replaced by savannahs and light forests, where grass cover prevails.

In some places you can find lonely low trees or small groups of them. In dry areas, red-brown soils of desert savannahs were formed, and closer to the border with moist forests, red ferrallitic soils of tall-grass savannahs were formed.

The grass burns out during the dry season, and the trees shed their leaves. With the advent of the rainy period, the plant world comes to life.

The symbol of the African savannah is the baobab, in addition to it, umbrella acacias, mimosas, and some palm trees grow.

In arid regions grows aloe, euphorbia.

Savannah fauna is represented by a wide variety of herbivores - antelopes, zebras, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, hippos. Where there are herbivores, there are predators - lions, cheetahs, jackals, hyenas. The crocodile is a thunderstorm of animals and humans.

The world of birds is also diverse, a nectary, secretary bird, African ostrich, flamingos, ibis, storks, marabou. The tsetse fly is known, the bites of which are fatal to horses and large cattle. In humans, the bite of this fly causes sleeping sickness.

Tropical deserts and semi-deserts begin to the north of the savannas and light forests. The northern, wide part of the mainland is occupied by the Sahara, where vast areas are occupied by rocky areas, alternating with clay and sandy ones. In some parts of the Sahara, dunes and dunes accumulate.

The flora of the Sahara is very poor, and in some places it is completely devoid of it. In stony deserts, lichens, saltwort and wormwood are common - on saline soils. Near the water, oases develop, with a date palm common in them.

Animals - lizards, turtles, snakes, have adapted well to the conditions of the desert climate and can do without water for quite a long period. Beetles, scorpions, locusts are characteristic, and lions and hyenas are found on the outskirts.

Deserts in southern Africa occupy the coast Atlantic Ocean- Namib Desert.

In the Mediterranean area, in western Africa, a zone of subtropical hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs has formed. Plants grow on chestnut soils in hot summers and wet warm winters.

To the east, this zone on the plains of North Africa is replaced by a zone of sub tropical deserts and semi-deserts.

Ecological problems in Africa

Environmental problems affect not only individual countries, but the entire mainland, but the government African countries not too concerned about it.

None on the mainland modern technologies for environmental protection. The problems of reducing or completely eliminating waste are not solved in any way.

Chaotic, irrational and thoughtless use natural resources leads to more and more problems.

The richest flora and fauna of Africa suffers from poachers, and their criminal activities are not stopped by the states.

Many representatives of wildlife may very soon completely disappear from the face of the planet.

Already completely exterminated quagga - odd-toed close relative zebras. The last individual was destroyed in 1878. There was an attempt to save this animal in the zoo, but even there this attempt failed.

In the north of Africa ecological problem associated with desertification, the cause of which is uncontrolled deforestation, which leads to soil degradation.

The problem of destruction of arrays of the tropical sector is typical for South Africa. Not far from the capital of Ghana - the city of Accra, a place has appeared for the disposal of electronic waste collected from all over the planet. Old TVs, scanners, computers, telephones and other devices have found their place here.

The danger lies in the fact that mercury, hydrochloric acid, arsenic, lead dust, various chemical compounds, and in such quantities that all the maximum permissible norms are exceeded hundreds of times.

The soil in this area has no grass, the birds do not dare to fly through this air, and there are no fish in the reservoirs.

The life expectancy of people living in this area is very short.

Waste is brought to and buried in Africa chemical industry on the basis of an agreement signed by the governments of local countries, which has a monstrous effect not only on the flora and fauna of the mainland, but also on people.

The nature of Africa is being destroyed for selfish purposes not only by representatives of other countries, but also by those who should protect it.

Subject: natural areas Africa

The purpose of the lesson:

to continue the formation of knowledge about the nature of Africa,

introduce students to organic world natural zones of Africa, to create an idea of ​​the unique nature of the mainland;

consolidate and deepen knowledge about the interaction of natural components and their influence on the formation of natural zones;

develop skills and abilities to keep records in the form of systematizing tables;

cultivate a feeling careful attitude to the environment.

Lesson type: lesson learning new material (lesson presentation)

Methods: explanatory-illustrative, reproductive.

Equipment: presentation, computer, projector, atlas maps.

During the classes

I .Organizing time

II .Repetition of previously studied material

Slide 1 - Today we will continue our acquaintance with unique nature African continent. We learn about those amazing plants and animals that are common in various natural areas of Africa.

slide 2 - Setting lesson goals.

slide 3- But before proceeding with the characterization of natural areas, answer the questions

What is a natural area?

What determines the formation of natural zones?

What is the law of latitudinal zonality?

Slide 4 - You're right. natural area called a large natural complex with a common temperature conditions, moisture, soils, vegetation and wildlife.

Slide 5 - Exercise: using the atlas p.-25, list the natural areas of Africa. What are the features of their location on the mainland? From the 6th grade course, remember and name the main features of the zones of equatorial forests, savannahs and tropical deserts.

III .Learning new material

Slide 6 - So, we will carry out the characteristic of the PZ according to the plan.

Slide 7- Depending on the climatic features territory, it develops a distinctive flora and fauna. In order to highlight the features of each natural zone, we will fill out a table during the lesson.

Table 1. Characteristics of the natural zones of Africa

FGP

Climate.

belt

soil

vegetation

Animal world

hylaea

savannah

desert

Hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs

Slides 8-9 - There are four natural zones of Africa.

Slide 10- The equatorial forests of Africa (Gilea, which means forest in Greek) are located on both sides of the Equator in the Congo Basin and along the Gulf of Guinea north of the Equator.

slide 11 – Moist equatorial forest - it's natural a zone characterized by evergreen vegetation arranged in tiers

Slide 12 -Climate

• equatorial belt

  Equatorial air masses - humid and hot

  t And +24 0 WITH t I +24 0 WITH

  rainfall 1000-2000 mm

Rain falls evenly throughout the year

Soils red- yellow ferralite

Organic matter decomposes completely and does not accumulate

The abundance of moisture leads to continuous washing to a great depth of the soil

Waterlogging occurs

Slides 13-17 - Vegetation. 1000 species In the forest, dusk and dampness.

Vegetation evergreen, arranged in tiers. On trunks and branches trees settle

Many creepers, palms, ficuses, breadfruit, mimosa, ebony, mahogany, ironwood, oil palm, bananas, etc.

Slides 18-21 - The vast majority of animals, due to the difficulty of moving on the ground, leads tree image life. These are birds, rodents, insects, monkeys.

However, there are record holders here. This is a goliath frog - the largest frog in the world, its length is 35 cm, weight 3.5 kg. Achatina is the largest snail, its length reaches 38 cm, weight 900 grams.

Terrestrial inhabitants include bushy pigs, small ungulates, the rarest pygmy hippos on Earth (up to 80 cm tall), giraffe relatives - okapi, living only in Africa. large predator- leopard. In remote, inaccessible places, the largest great apes have survived - gorillas, which are also not found anywhere else.

Snakes, lizards, termites.

The real scourge of Africa is a small tsetse fly, which is a carrier of a dangerous disease that causes death of livestock and sleeping sickness in humans.

Slide 22 - Let's check the filling of the first part of the table.

Slides 23-24 - The largest area on the mainland is occupied by savannahs. The name "Savannah" comes from the Spanish "saban" which means wild primeval plain. In appearance, it is a tall-grass steppe with rare trees. The savannah zone, like a giant horseshoe, goes around the African rainforest, occupies about 40% of the area

Savannah is a natural area characterized by a change of dry and wet seasons of the year, dominated by grassy cover with individual trees or groups of trees.

Slide 25 -Climate.

subequatorial belt

In summer, equatorial air masses dominate - humid and hot; winter - tropical - dry and hot

t And + 24 0 WITHt I + 24 0 WITH

Rainfall 1000-2000mm

Selected seasons:

rainy season - summer

dry season - winter

Soils Tored-brown savannas

fertile

Organic matter builds up during the dry season

Slides 26-29- The plants have developed adapted to the dry season of the year: hard, heavily pubescent leaves, thick bark.

characteristic feature flora of the savannah are scattered everywhere small groups of trees and shrubs or lonely standing trees against the background of a dense herbaceous cover, consisting mainly of large cereals.

Slides 30-35 - Nowhere in the world is there such large cluster large animals like African savannah. These are various antelopes, striped zebras, giraffes. Giraffes are the tallest animals in the savannah.

The largest land animal is also found in the savannah - elephants (weighing up to 4.5 tons), buffaloes, rhinos, which are almost exterminated by man. Along the banks of rivers and lakes there are hippos (weight up to 3 tons). This diversity is due to the abundance of food.

Herbivores are accompanied by predators - cheetahs, leopards, lions, jackals, hyenas, crocodiles in the rivers.

Savannah is also rich in birds.

Slide 36 - Check the completion of the next part of the table.

Slides 37-38 - Tropical Deserts

The desert is a natural area with very low rainfall, sparse vegetation, and in some places devoid of it.

Tropical deserts occupy a huge area on the mainland. Undoubtedly, largest area occupies the Sahara. It is also called the "Great Desert", because its area is 7 million km².

Slides 39-40 - Climate

tropical belt

Tropical air masses - dry and hot

t And +32 0 WITHt I +16 0 WITH

Precipitation less than 100mm

Soils tropical desert

Little humus

Lots of mineral salts.

Due to the lack of rain, salts are not washed out of the soil. With artificial irrigation on such soils, good yields can be obtained.

Sand dunes make up only 1/5 of the desert, most of the Sahara is a rocky desert. Over 70% is covered with large fragments of stones, the so-called. hamada, with smaller gravel - serir.

Slides 41-42 - Vegetation very scarce, in some places it is not at all. In some places separate bunches of herbs and thorny bushes grow. Rich vegetation develops only in oases.

slide 43 - Animals adapted to the extreme climate: antelopes travel considerable distances without water and food, lizards, locusts, snakes, beetles, scorpions, hyenas, jackals, foxes.

Slide 44 - Tubu live in the heart of the Sahara Desert on the waterless high plateau of the Tibesti, where there is not even sand, as it is carried away by the sultry wind of the desert. Scientists believe that the tuba is the oldest inhabitants of Africa. Scientists were interested in what the tuba eats, where they have such fantastic endurance, because in a day they can overcome 90 km of the way through the bare rocky desert. Tubu peoples live a very long time, retain all their teeth until old age, infant mortality, compared with other peoples of Africa, is very low. The diet of the entire tribe does not change throughout the year and consists of thick tea infused with desert herbs, a few dates for lunch, a handful of millet soaked in palm oil, and crushed roots for dinner. Dates are a staple food, which is why they have earned the name "bread of the desert". Tubu meat is not eaten.

Slide 45 - In South Africa, along Atlantic coast due to the cold Benguela current, the Namib desert stretched for 2000 km, most of which is formed by high dunes, sometimes up to 300 meters. The surface of the desert is dotted with beds of drying rivers.

The monotonous landscape changes after the rains, when the Namib is carpeted for a short period flowering plants.

Namib is the only place on Earth where seals live near the tropic, spectacled penguins, many birds (cormorants, pelicans, flamingos, etc.), the farther from the coast, the more snakes, turtles, arthropods. Huge spiders cerballus prey even on small birds. Darkling beetles, thanks to special hairs on their legs, can glide across the sand like on skis.

Slide 46“Let's check the information in the table that you noted about the desert.

Slide 47- The extreme south and north of the mainland is occupied by the subtropical zone, in which there is a natural zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs, with characteristic vegetation and wildlife.

IV .Consolidation of the studied material

Slide 48 - Exercise 1: Which natural areas are characterized by:

A) baobab, antelope, doom palm, marabou, cheetah

B) oil palm, yellow tree, ficus, okapi

C) spurge, aloe, turtle, hyena, jackal

Slide 49 - Task 2: Identify the natural area according to the description.

"The color of the African seasons all year round the same green. Only in one period green color clean, bright, and in the other - faded, as if faded ... In the dry season, the earth turns into stone, grass - into bast, trees crackle from lack of juice. And here the first downpour brings nature back to life. Having greedily drunk water, the earth swells from moisture, generously gives it to trees, herbs, flowers. They drink and drink and can't get drunk. Almost every day, the rain is now whipping with a powerful stream, then pouring fine mist. The air temperature drops, and the locals shrug their shoulders in a chilly way, complaining: "It's cold!". When the thermometer shows 18-20 degrees, some Africans believe that "frost" has come. They pull on everything they have from clothes, tie their heads with scarves, kindle fires in the streets, just to calm the trembling.

(L. Pochivalov)

Slide 50 - Task 3: on the diagram, use arrows to show the connections in the natural complex of deserts.

Dry tropical soil practically

no climate

Vegetation cover many reptiles

sparse

Slide 51 - Give an exhaustive answer to the tasks.

Task 4: Explain the reason for the low soil fertility of equatorial forests.

Task 5: In your opinion, which natural areas will be created the most in the territory? national parks and nature reserves and why?

V .Summarizing. Grading

Slide 52 - Homework :

1. § 28, entries in a notebook

2. (optional) Mini - essay "Journey to Africa" ​​or a message about national parks Africa (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Mount Kenya, Rwenzori, etc.)

On the African continent, climatic conditions are not the same everywhere. The natural zones of Africa are symmetrically located on the mainland on both sides of the equator. In addition to solar heat, the African climate is influenced by 2 oceans. The cool waters of the Atlantic greatly cool the western shores. The eastern ones are washed by the heated Indian Ocean, therefore, even at the same latitude, the climate in the west and east of the continent is different.

Main climatic zones

The main natural areas of Africa, having the same name on a map or in a table, can be very different from each other in terms of characteristics. For example, the savannah of southern Africa is completely different from the savannah in the central regions of the continent. Not only the climate and weather differ, but also the animal and plant world, the ways of economic activity of people.

The equatorial belt is located in close proximity to the equator. It includes the Gulf of Guinea and the valley of the Congo River. Here, the humidity is constantly high, which contributes to abundant precipitation - up to 2000 mm per year. The temperature does not reach the high values ​​characteristic of the dry tropics - all year round it stays at around 28 degrees.

The subequatorial belt is located north and south of the equatorial belt. Seasonal climatic differences are expressed here. Summer is characterized high humidity, the winter season is dry but mild, without suffocating heat. The rains usually fall in two seasons.

The tropical belt occupies the largest area on the continent. To the north it includes the Sahara Desert. In the south - dry and hot regions of South Africa. However, due to northerly winds, the Sahara is much drier than southern Africa. Of course, there are deserts there, for example, the Namib. But their area is much smaller. There is much more precipitation here than in the Sahara, and therefore the vegetation is denser.

The coastal regions of northern and southern Africa are located in the subtropical zone, in which the Mediterranean type stands out. In areas adjacent to mediterranean sea, the climate is the same as in Southern Europe. Average annual temperature here it stays at around 21 degrees.

Wet greenhouses of the equator

From the point of view of the natural landscape description, a number of zones can be named on the territory of Africa:

• moist forests of the equatorial zone;
• savannas of various types;
• tropical African semi-deserts and deserts;
• evergreen forests.

The forests of the equatorial territories are located along the zero parallel - the equator. They occupy less than 10% of the area of ​​the black mainland. Abundant moisture and warmth create all the necessary conditions for the rapid growth of trees, grasses and shrubs. A large amount of green mass contributes to the diversity of the animal community. Herbivores are represented by the following species:

• hippos;
• antelopes;
• okapi.

Among predators there are crocodiles, pythons and leopards. You can list many types of monkeys, ranging from monkeys and mandrills to anthropoids. Among the birds are well known birds of paradise and parrots.

A huge amount of vegetation - more than 13 thousand species is located in the equatorial waterlogged forests. However, powerful trees are predominant - it is easier for them to withstand competition in the literal sense for a place under the sun. There are also a lot of lianas and exotic flowers, especially orchids. Abundant rainfall - more than two meters of water per year, contribute to the swamping of territories.

It should also be borne in mind that the Congo River also provides an abundance of water resources, so the humidity here is very high all year round - 80%. This, of course, makes it difficult for a person to master these places - it is quite difficult to constantly live in the atmosphere of a steam bath. In addition, high humidity adversely affects the respiratory system.

From forests to steppes

The farther from the equator, the lower the humidity. Equatorial forests give way African steppes- savannas, which occupy 40% of the continent's area. It rains much less here - up to 1200 mm per year, and in different places this figure varies greatly. In this regard, 3 types of savannas are distinguished:

• with tall grass;
• with low grass;
• transitional to deserts.

As precipitation decreases further, the savannahs are replaced tropical semi-deserts and further deserts. Precipitation here is rare and weak. So already in the semi-desert zone, the annual amount of precipitation decreases to 300 mm. A significant area of ​​the mainland is occupied by deserts. The flora is limited to shrubs and grasses that can survive in dry conditions. The main representatives of the fauna are reptiles, rodents, birds. From large animals - ungulates.

The unique natural and climatic complex is the most big desert world - Sahara. It occupies 10% of the mainland. At the same time, due to a decrease in the water balance, the Sahara continues to increase towards the equator. According to the amount of precipitation, the desert is divided into northern (annual amount of 200 mm), central and southern (about 20 mm per year). In addition, the Sahara is divided into 11 geographical regions. 4 types of landscapes prevail:

• flat,
• mountainous,
• hills;
• hollows.

Despite the fact that the desert is associated with sand dunes, most of the Sahara - about 70% of the area - is rocky. Of the remaining 30%, sands also occupy only a part - in addition to them, there are clay areas.

Throughout the Sahara, you can find oases - endorheic water pools where there is enough moisture for the growth of trees and shrubs. Oases are, in the most direct sense, islands of life in the middle of the desert. They owe their appearance to the proximity of underground water areas to the earth's surface.

Thanks to artesian waters, there are always lakes or other reservoirs of water in oases. A wealth of plants - unusual for the desert. Such enclaves are scattered throughout the Sahara, it is in them that people live. Oases provide for their inhabitants necessary conditions to survive even in extreme desert conditions. The only river crossing the desert - Nile.

For a significant part of the year, the north trade wind prevails in the desert, reaching the central regions of the Sahara. These winds have a very strong effect on temperature and cause quite frequent and prolonged sandstorms and tornadoes. The average daily temperature ranges from + 35 to +10. The flora here is poor, and a few animals lead a predominantly twilight lifestyle.

Transitional type from savannah to desert

For comparison with the Sahara, you can bring another African desert - the Kalahari. Just like the Sahara , the Kalahari is growing rapidly- over the past decades, its territory has moved northward. Interestingly, although the Kalahari is considered a desert, it is still a desert-type savannah. There is more precipitation here than in the Sahara - 500 mm per year. They mostly fall in the summer. The winter climate is mild and dry, but classic droughts are relatively rare here - about once every 5 years.

The Kalahari is the sun-warmed part of southern Africa, the most heat here it reaches +29, and the minimum is +12. In the central part of the desert, there is periodically an extreme temperature drop - from +45 during the day to +3 at night. The landscape is rather uneven. Part of the desert is covered with red sand dunes.

According to the main version of scientists, they were able to color the dunes in a reddish color. strong winds that bring such soil from the Namib Desert. The Kalahari has large reserves The groundwater, but they are located at a great depth - about 300 meters. Of course, the roots of plants cannot penetrate so deeply, so the Kalahari is one of the poorest, in terms of species diversity, regions of Africa.

Hard-leaved evergreen subtropical forests are located in the coastal regions of the north and south of the continent. Although average temperature here +28 degrees, the influence of northern winds, especially in the highlands, is very significant. In the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, there are frosts down to -15 degrees. This requires appropriate endurance from the plant world.

Biodiversity

Africa's water resources are great, but very unevenly spaced.. Here flow large and deep rivers. The great African lakes also contribute to the water balance. Thus, about 9% of all fresh water reserves of the world are concentrated here.

The fauna of Africa is very diverse. The most famous inhabitant of the equatorial forests is the gorilla. These great apes live in families of up to 15 members. Weight adult can reach 300 kg. The peculiarity of these forests is a small number of predators. Of the large ones, only the leopard is found here. But large herbivores are well represented here: hippos, giraffes, antelopes. The world of reptiles and amphibians is diverse, among which the goliath frog is the most famous.

In the tropical waters of the African coast there are unique colonies of corals, about 3,000 species of fish live here.

A real expanse here for insects - there are more than 100 thousand species. Among them there are species that are characteristic only for Africa: these are tsetse flies, various types of termites, endemic locusts and many others.

In any natural area you can find a wide variety of reptiles: snakes, turtles, lizards, crocodiles. In general, Africa is considered the continent where the species of living things are most fully represented - 1/5 of the world's fauna is concentrated here. There are more than a thousand and one hundred varieties of mammals alone. At the same time, Africa also holds the record for the number of large animals weighing more than 45 kg.

Lives in Africa the largest number species of primates - 45, including 2 species great apes. In addition, on the island of Madagascar, where there are no monkeys, there is a unique population of "semi-primates" - lemurs, which includes more than a hundred species.

Impact of economic activity

Over the past decades in Africa, there has been a change in the boundaries of natural zones, associated with economic activity person. This leads to a serious ecological situation. For example, only half of the inhabitants of the continent today have permanent access to fresh water. With a shortage drinking water connected and high level mortality among children. In the meantime, the situation is getting worse due to droughts, due to which the area African deserts is constantly increasing.

The natural zones of Africa, like the climatic zones, are located on the mainland symmetrically to the equator, and their borders almost coincide. In the location of the zones, latitudinal zonality is well traced, which is due to the flat relief, the position between the tropics and the distribution of precipitation.

Natural areas of Africa

Four natural zones of Africa.

• Zone of moist evergreen equatorial forests occupies the Congo basin and the coast of the Gulf of Guinea north of the equator. Many types of palm trees grow on red-yellow ferralitic soils in the forests, including oilseed, ficus, coffee trees, tree ferns, bananas, and numerous lianas. Plants are well adapted to high humidity conditions: they form many tiers, have hard, dense, often shiny leaves, supporting roots and other adaptations. Many animals live in trees here. Gorillas, chimpanzees and other monkey species live in the forests; leopards, forest elephants, okapis, pygmy hippos live; hundreds of species of birds, many insects, snakes, lizards and other animals. Equatorial forests give way to variable rainforests and then savannahs.
• savannah zone located north, south and east of the equatorial forests. Savannas occupy 40% of the mainland. Among the tall grasses grow baobabs, acacias with umbrella crowns, mimosa. Gallery forests stretch along the rivers. The abundance of herbaceous vegetation is a condition for the existence in the savannas of many species of ungulates: antelopes, buffaloes, zebras, rhinos. Elephants, giraffes, hippos live in the expanses of the savannas. There are also many predators here - lions, cheetahs, hyenas. Of the birds, ostriches, marabou, secretary bird, etc. are characteristic.
• Tropical and semi-desert zones occupy vast areas in Africa. To the north lies the world's largest desert, the Sahara. In the southwest of the mainland, the barren Namib Desert stretches along the ocean coast. Soils in deserts do not form a continuous cover. In some places, bunches of grasses and thorny bushes grow on sandy areas. Lichens grow on rocks. In the oases of the Sahara, the date palm is common. In the semi-deserts of South Africa, velvichia grows - a peculiar plant that has a short (no more than 50 cm) thick trunk and two very long leaves (over 2-3 m). The deserts of Africa are characterized by small antelopes, lizards, snakes; hyenas, jackals, lions, ostriches are found in the Sahara.
• Zones of evergreen hard-leaved forests and shrubs located in the extreme north and in the extreme south of the mainland in the subtropical climate zone. Nature here has been greatly altered by man. Cultivated fields and plantations sprawled on the site of long-cut forests and shrubs.

Africa is a rare place on Earth where geographical zoning triumphs. Nowhere are the natural zones of the continents so clearly demarcated. Africa shows this division right on the map. The extreme north and south are distinguished by hard-leaved evergreen forests with shrub undergrowth, followed by semi-deserts and deserts, then savannas, and in the center - variable wet and permanently wet forests. Such latitudinal zonality is slightly disturbed in the mountains and highlands, but there are few of them on the continent. This is Africa - the natural zones are delimited unusually clearly, with regard to climate, flora and fauna.

Attractions

In addition to the mainland, Africa also includes islands. There are not so few of them: compare the area mainland- 30,300,000 square kilometers and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe islands - 1,100,000. Madagascar - the largest island - has 587,000 square kilometers.

The most beautiful waterfall in the world is Victoria. This is one of the most outstanding sights of the continent. The Zambezi River plunges into a hundred-meter (very narrow!) crevice, more than a kilometer long and more than a hundred meters high. The noise of the water is heard within a radius of forty kilometers, while the spray and fog from falling water rise half a kilometer up, they can be observed at a distance of fifty kilometers. Nowhere else are there such amazingly beautiful lunar rainbows from the refraction of rays.

Northeast Africa is no less famous. Here, in the middle of the desert, Mount Kilimanjaro rises. This is an ancient volcano, which is the most high point continent (5,895 meters above sea level). The fact that Kilimanjaro is amazingly beautiful can be seen for many tens of kilometers from any direction - the volcano, like a pillar, rises among the even Kenyan and Tanzanian savannahs. The sloping slopes look up to a flat elongated top - a two-kilometer giant calier, a vast basin at the peak of the volcano.

The lowest point of the mainland - Lake Assal - is 153 meters below sea level. This crater lake is located in Djibouti. Below this lake is only the Dead Sea.

It remains to add that there are fifty-seven countries in Africa, the largest in terms of area is Sudan. The climate in Africa is very hot, which is probably why the population overtakes all other continents except Asia. In terms of area, Africa also ranks second.

equatorial forest zone

On both sides of the equator, along the Congo Basin and on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, there are both constantly wet and variable wet forests for which Africa is famous. Natural zones here were formed due to the difference in the amount of heat and moisture. The soils of the local forests - red and yellow - get all this in abundance.

Compound rainforest varied. There are more than a thousand species of trees. Upper tiers- more than eighty meters high - formed ficuses, oil palms, cola tree and others. Below settled bananas, tree ferns, coffee trees (Liberian species), valuable sandalwood, rubber and redwoods,

Fauna of the rainforest

The animal world is rich and varied in these places. Numerous monkeys. In addition to monkeys and chimpanzees, they are represented by a dozen more species. Dog-headed baboons raid African plantations. These monkeys are distinguished by their rare ingenuity - they are only afraid of armed people, even a man with a stick in his hands will not force them to take to their heels. African gorillas - great apes - reach two hundred and fifty kilograms of live weight, are up to two meters tall and are afraid of few people at all.

East Africa is rich in coral fauna - more than four hundred species. Marine mollusks are especially widespread in the waters of the Western region of the Indian Ocean - more than three thousand species of gastropods alone. East African lakes are rich in freshwater molluscs.

South of the Sahara Desert settled up to twenty percent of the global diversity of the world of insects - more than one hundred thousand species. Many are very dangerous to humans - malarial mosquitoes, for example, or a tsetse fly.

Freshwater fish in the lakes of the continent number three thousand species. There are more than two thousand marine fish in the Indian Ocean only in coastal waters. Among amphibians, the giant goliath frog is especially famous.

African reptiles

Reptiles, of which Africa is especially rich - the natural zones of the continent, one might say, are teeming with a variety of their species - settled almost everywhere. These are pelomedusae and land turtles, as well as belt-tailed lizards, skinks, agamas, monitor lizards of various types ... And the largest number of chameleons live in Madagascar.

There are many dozens of species of snakes, among which the most dangerous for travelers are mambas, cobras, African poisonous vipers, huge pythons. Crocodiles in Africa are also the most real and extremely dangerous - as many as three species: African blunt-nosed, African narrow-nosed and Nile.

Reptiles settled everywhere, as geography allows - the natural zones of Africa, differing in climate, we repeat, are suitable for reptiles to live almost everywhere.

Birds and mammals

The inhabitants of Africa are more than two and a half thousand species of birds, among which many species are threatened with extinction. Typical for the continent: secretary bird, sunbirds, African ostriches.

There are especially many species of parrots, of the most famous, for example, Jaco. The most interesting birds- marabou storks, guinea fowls, turacos, hornbills, there are even penguins. A huge number of passeriformes - up to one and a half thousand species.

There is also a great variety of mammals in Africa - more than a thousand names. The East African Plateau is especially distinguished by the number of animals. Where the climate of Africa is changing, natural areas are characterized by the distribution of certain species of mammals. Tropical forests are inhabited by exotic species: viverras, needle-tailed flying squirrels, bush pigs, pygmy hippos, many species of antelope, okapi, duikers, bongos. There are only four species of great apes. And in Madagascar, charming lemurs and little arms have taken root.

The megafauna of Africa is represented most widely. There are no places in the world where such large animals as elephants, lions, hippos, giraffes, cheetahs and leopards, black and white rhinos have been preserved from prehistoric times ... It is possible to list which animals of the Mediterranean natural zone of Africa exist to this day. for a long time. These are antelopes, and buffaloes, and zebras, and hyenas, and porcupines, and warthogs. And all the rodents - hares and meerkats - are probably known only by specialists.

Savannah

The climate of Africa is also clearly divided by natural zones. To the south and north of the equator, the moisture content of the equatorial forests rapidly decreases, they become poorer in composition, and patches of savannas are introduced into the continuous forest massif. The jungle first thins out, then generally remains only within the boundaries of river valleys. Evergreen tree species are replaced by deciduous ones.

African savannahs cover about forty percent of the total area. Of course, they differ sharply from the forests of the equator. You can immediately see what natural zones are in Africa and how they are divided. The duration of the rainy season greatly affects appearance terrain - soils and vegetation change.

Not far from the equatorial forests, the rainy season lasts seven to nine months, so red or ferralite soils are formed, grass grows up to three meters high. Further north and south, where It is raining less than six months, soils are red-brown, grasses are lower. But baobabs and umbrella-shaped acacias appear.

Closer to the border with the semi-desert, humidity decreases significantly, since the rainy season lasts only two to three months a year. Here the savannahs are deserted, thorny bushes and grasses grow: spurges and tree-like plants.

Sahara Desert

The natural zone of the deserts of Africa also occupies a significant area in both the northern and southern parts of the mainland. The largest desert is the Sahara, five thousand kilometers from east to west and two thousand kilometers from north to south. It crosses the mainland from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

In fact, there is a group of deserts, some very large, for example, Libyan, Arabian. In the north of the country Sudan - Nubian. In Algeria, the desert is called the Great Western and Great Eastern Ergi.

Here is the highest temperature in the globe- +59 in the shade. The most interesting thing is that the city of Tripoli is located on this territory. Here is the most big square in the world, occupied by sandy deserts - six hundred thousand square kilometers. It is in these places that the smallest amount of precipitation on Earth - in a number of areas they never fall at all. And in Western Sahara, daytime and nighttime temperature differences exceed thirty degrees.

islands of life

Only in the oases of the Sahara is life beautiful: the vegetation is rich, the animal world is diverse. However, many animals have adapted to the climate of the desert itself: antelopes oryx, addax, gazelles run great distances in search of water. Rodents of the Sahara are numerous: hamsters, mice, jerboas, squirrels. Therefore, there are predators: hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, foxes. There are many birds - both migratory and permanently living in the desert. And of course, an abundance of reptiles: turtles, snakes, lizards.

Kalahari and Namib

South of the equator, two other famous deserts are the Kalahari and the Namib. The coastal Namib is large - one and a half thousand kilometers long - cool and very harsh. Vegetation, however, is diverse: spurges, crassula, endemic species. The velvichia plant is generally unique and grows only here - it has a short and thick stem, from which three-meter leaves spread along the ground.

The Kalahari is one of the hottest deserts in the world. IN South Africa it is also the largest - it spreads with sand across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana. The most important thing is that it grows constantly and inevitably, moves forward in space: the desert has already come to Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe, although this kingdom of sand already occupies about six hundred thousand square kilometers.

The desert scenery of the Kalahari is varied and magnificent. The sand is colored by nature in all shades of red - from pale pink to almost brown. The iron oxides contained in the sand have done their best here, but it seems that this ruthless sun has burned the earth red-hot. And it’s hard to believe that not too far to the north, multi-tiered tropical forests have been grown on their land by Africa, whose natural zones are distinguished by such sharp contrasts.