(a) Draw an outline map of Africa and on it locate: (i) Latitude 0° and longitude 20°E (ii) one named ocean current along the Western coast and one along th...
Question 1 Report
(a) Draw an outline map of Africa and on it locate:
(i) Latitude 0° and longitude 20°E
(ii) one named ocean current along the Western coast and one along the Eastern coast
(iii) two named deserts (one in the North and the other in the South)
(b) Give three reasons for the presence of deserts in the north of Africa.
Answer Details
(a) Outline map of Africa showing the required features
Key: The horizontal line is Latitude 0° (the Equator), while the vertical line is Longitude 20°E. Their intersection is in the Congo Basin area. The Sahara Desert is shown in the north and the Kalahari Desert in the south. The Canary Current is shown along the western coast and the Mozambique Current along the eastern coast.
(b) Reasons for the presence of deserts in North Africa
- Cold ocean current: The cold Canary Current along the north-western coast cools the air, reducing evaporation and rainfall. It commonly produces fog rather than effective rain.
- Dry north-east trade winds: The prevailing north-east trade winds blow from the dry continental interior and therefore carry little moisture.
- Continentality: Large parts of North Africa are far from the sea. Moisture-bearing winds lose much of their moisture before reaching the interior, resulting in very low rainfall.
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