S.3 Geo. Climate Of East Africa Caltec S.3

CLIMATE OF EAST AFRICA Climate is the average weather conditions for a place recorded for a long period of time usually 35yrs. In East Africa, there are four major types of climatic zones which are; Tropical/equatorial climate, Savannah climate, Desert/semi -arid climate and mont ane climate. Climate influences human activities e.g. agriculture, settlement, feeding, dressing and other physical aspects like vegetation. Factors influencing the climate of East Africa a) Altitude: Climate changes with height above sea level. Areas n ear mountains receive heavy rainfall and low temperature especially on the windward side e.g. Mt. Kenya, Elgon, Kilimanjaro. Altitude also influences temperature differences e.g. areas on a higher altitude are cooler e.g. Nairobi, Kabale and Kampala while lowland areas receive high temperate e.g. Mombasa and Kasese. b) Distance from the sea: Areas close to water bodies receive heavy and reliable rainfall e.g. shores of Lake Victoria (Kisumu, Entebbe, Bukoba, Mwanza and Nyanza province). This is due to the abun dant moisture released into the atmosphere through evaporation whereas areas which are far away from water bodies receive low and unreliable rainfall and hot temperature due to less moisture release e.g. Dodoma, Karamoja and Masailand. c) Latitude: Climate ch anges as one moves away from the equator, North or south. The equator influences the occurrence of the Inter -Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). This is in relation to apparent movement of the overhead sun. Areas around the equator receive double maxima of rainfall and hot temperature between February and May and between September and November e.g. Entebbe, Kisumu while areas that are far away from the equator receive single maxima of rainfall e.g. Gulu and Dodoma. d) Relief: Highland areas act as barriers to prevailing winds. In such areas, there are differences between the conditions on the lee ward side and the wind …