Africa, South Africa

SOUTH   AFRICA

 

  

South Africa is on the south coast of Africa. Their flag is red, blue, yellow, black and green. It have 9 provinces and 51,19 millions of habitants.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS

-Animals: there are warm-blooded animals like lions and bison. 

 

-Plants: there are above 20000 types of plants. There are meadows and bushes below 2.500 meters.       

 RIVERS:

There is only one river in South Africa, the Orange River. Their water flow is irregular and it carries little water. It leas into the Atlantic Ocean.

     

Climates of South Africa

Marinate climate

Where does it happen?

West coast of the template zones that fur ten away from the tropic.

How does it happen?

Temperatures: Cool in summer (18ºC) and mild in winter (-3ºC)

Because the closed of the sea.

Precipitations: It rains a lot. Above 1000m mainly in autumn and spring.

Because the influence of low pressures

Rivers: regulars with a lot of waters

Because it’s raining a lot during all the year.

Plants life: Trees very big and tall, they are evergreen and pointy.

Because in winter snows

Animal life: Big animals with hair for the winter. They are warm blooded and they hibernate or migrate in winter.

Because is very cold and they has to isolate from the cold.

Dry tropical climate

Where does it happen?

Around the tropics

How does it happen?

Temperatures: very hot all the year >18ºC.

Because is a low pressure.

Precipitations: scare precipitations. It only rains during 3 months.

More influenced from the tropics high pressures and less from the equator low pressures.

Rivers: irregulars and they carry little water

Because only rains during 3 months

Plants life: there are trees with very space between them and a lot of high grass.

Because there are few precipitations.

Animal life: big animals like lions and zebras. They are in herds.

Because there is lot of space and they need to stay in herds because is less difficult to died.

Mediterranean climate

Where does it happen?

Around the tropics

How does it happen?

Temperatures: in winter it isn’t so much cold and in summer it is very hot.

Because is near the tropics and the coast.

Precipitations: abundant in winter and dry in summer.

Because in winter there is a low pressure and in summer is a high pressure.

Rivers: irregulars and they carry little water

Because it isn’t rain regularly all the year.

Plants life: Mediterranean forest with evergreen trees.

Because they don’t need a lot of water.

Animal life: fox, wolfs, eagles, rabbits… warm bloody animals.

Because they adapted better when the season change.

Desert climate

Where does it happen?

Near the tropics

How does it happen?

Temperatures: hot during the day and very cold all the night.

Because the sand don’t retain the hot.

Precipitations: very scare <250mm.

Because it’s a high pressure permanent.

Rivers: there is no rivers but you can find some oasis and wabis.

Because it doesn’t rain.

Plants life:

Cactus, grass, bushes… all the plants have spikes.

Because is a defensive method.

Animal life: small animals with very big ears. Some of them are endothermic.

Because is very hot and the small animals retains less hot than the big animals.

Economy and agriculture

-Economy:

South Africa is a Federal Republic with a democratic parliamentary.

It is dominated by one politic party created by Nelson Mandela.

Their coin is the rand and it's iqual to 0,066428 EUR.

Is the biggest producer and exporter of gold, platinum, chromium and is the fourth producer of diamonds in the world. The country produce the 80% of platinum and posses the 60% of the global reserve of coal .

In 2012 there were a crisis which produce a lot of strikes in the mining sector. It produce many victims and slow down the industrial activity of the mine. Another problem is the AIDS which affect the 12% of the population.

South Africa represents the 40% of the total PNB of Africa

-The industrial sector employ one fourth of the population and it represents the 30% of the GDP.

-Services sector employ the 70% of the population and y it represents two thirds of the GNP.

-Agriculture:

It represents the 2,4% of the GNP and only employs the 5% of the population .

The principal problem of the South African agriculture is the weather, because it rains only 500mm/year and it makes that the crops cant grow up so only the 13% of the earth can be raise.

When the year climate is good the production catch to be self-sufficient and maybe it can export. In 2006 the rains were very bad and the crops were dry.

The principal crop is corn.

The 70% of these corn is for humans and the other 30% is for animals food.

Agriculture is the 2,5% of the GDP and employ araund the 6% of the population.