What is the climate in the Horn of Africa?
Overall, the Horn of Africa is estimated to consist of over 772,200 square miles, most of which boasts a semi–arid to arid climate. Despite difficult living conditions in many parts of the region, recent estimates put the population of the region at about 90.2 million.
What is the physical geography of the Horn of Africa?
The Horn of Africa is made up of a wedge of land that is cut north to south by two great geographical features: the NILE RIVER Valley and the Great RIFT VALLEY. Between these two features are high plateaus and rugged volcanic mountains. West of the White Nile River spans the great and vast SAHARA DESERT.
What is the Horn of Africa?
Horn of Africa, region of eastern Africa. It is the easternmost extension of African land and for the purposes of this article is defined as the region that is home to the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, whose cultures have been linked throughout their long history.
What is the geography of East Africa?
The physical geography of East Africa is dominated by the Great Rift Valley, which extends through the middle of the region from north to south. Associated with the rift valleys are vast savannas such as the Serengeti Plain, large lakes, high mountains, and the highlands of Ethiopia.
Is the Horn of Africa dry?
The lowlands of the Horn are generally arid in spite of their proximity to the equator. This is because the winds of the tropical monsoons that give seasonal rains to the Sahel and the Sudan blow from the west.
What is the rainfall like in the Horn of Africa?
In Somalia, a country located in the so-called Horn of Africa, the climate is tropical, hot all year round, in addition, it is generally dry. Precipitation is generally scarce, typical of a desert or semi-desert climate in vast areas, while the wettest areas are occupied by savannah.
What is special about the Horn of Africa?
The Horn of Africa holds more endemic reptiles than any other region in Africa, with over 285 species total and about 90 species which are found exclusively in the region.
What physical geographic features can be found in the southern African region?
Rocky features of Southern Africa include plateaus and mountains, such as the Drakensberg range. Southern Africa is the epicenter of Africas well-known reserves, which protect animal species such as lions, elephants, baboons, white rhinos, and Burchells zebras.
What is the importance of the Horn of Africa?
The strategic importance of this East African region comes from it being the source of the Nile and a gate to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Its location on one side of some of the world’s major trade sea lanes and land routes gives it vital importance.
What is the climate of East Africa?
The climate of eastern Africa is generally tropical, though average temperatures tend to be reduced by the region’s high elevations.
How does the climate affect life in East Africa?
potentially devastating impacts of climate change in East Africa will be changes in the frequency, intensity, and predictability of precipitation. Changes in regional precipitation will ultimately affect water availability and may lead to decreased agricultural production and potentially widespread food shortages.
How is climate change affecting Horn of Africa?
As the 2011 EU Horn of Africa strategy pointed out, climate change exacerbates existing pressures in the region, including poverty, food insecurity and population growth, despite the fact that the countries of the Horn have little to no control over global carbon emissions (EU Council 2011).
How many biomes are there in the Horn of Africa?
Three biomes were identified based on their major growth forms: savannas, ‘thickets’ and forest. Different species assemblages occurred in each biome.
How cold does it get in the Horn of Africa?
Hargeisa. In Hargeisa, located in the northwest, 1,300 meters (4,250 feet) above sea level, at night, it can get cold in winter; the minimum temperatures may drop below 5 °C (41 °F) from November to March.
What is the largest country in the Horn of Africa?
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is located in the Horn of Africa. Around 87.9 million people live in Ethiopia. It is the most populous landlocked nation in the world.
How is the climate of Africa?
Africa’s climate is dominated by desert conditions along vast stretches of its northern and southern fringes. The central portion of the continent is wetter, with tropical rainforests, grasslands, and semi-arid climates.
What resources does the Horn of Africa have?
In addition, distributed throughout the region are rich deposits of untapped natural resources, including petroleum, gold, salt, hydropower and natural gas. During the Cold War and in the years since, the region and its resources have been the object of intense interest and rivalry among the world’s major powers.
What are the climatic regions of Africa?
These are the hot desert, semiarid, tropical wet-and-dry, equatorial (tropical wet), Mediterranean, humid subtropical marine, warm temperate upland, and mountain regions.
What are the 4 major climate zones of Africa?
These keep boats from traveling from the coast to the interior. Sub-Saharan Africa has four climate zones: desert, semiarid or Sahel, savanna (grasslands), and tropical forests.
What is the environment and climate of Eastern Africa?
What is the climate like in Africa?
What are the main cause and effects of climate change in Ethiopia and the Horn?
… respect to causes of climate change, the respondents rank deforestation 83 (45.6%), rapid population growth 56 (30.7%) and agricultural expansions 21 (11.5%) are the top three main causes of climate change in Ethiopia followed by air pollution 12 (6.6%).
What kind of climate do you think northern Africa has?
North Africa has an arid desert climate, with high temperatures and very little precipitation (although temperatures in the mountains and the Sahara at nighttime can drop below freezing). Equatorial West and Central Africa have a monsoon climate defined by high temperatures, soaring humidity, and heavy seasonal rains.
Why Horn of Africa is called?
The North-Eastern region of the African continent including the countries of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia is known as the Horn of Africa since the group of countries form a horn-like landmass over the peninsula. A good way to remember the group is as S-E-E-D-S.