Ap Human Geography Chapter 2 Study Guide
THE HOT, WET EQUATORIAL CLIMATE
Distribution
-Is found between 5° and 10°N and S of the equator. Its greatest extent is found in the lowlands of the Amazon, Congo D.R, Malaysia and the East Indies.
-Further away from the equator, the influence on the on-shore Trade Winds gives rise to a modified type of equatorial climate with the Monsoon influences.
-Within the tropics, the equatorial highlands have a distinctively cooler climate, modified by altitude such as the Cameron highlands, northern Andes and Kenyan highlands in East Africa
Map
CLIMATE
1. Temperature
- The most outstanding feature of an equatorial climate is its great uniformity of temperature through out the year
- The mean annual temperatures are always around …show more content…
Forest clearings
-Many parts of the virgin tropical rainforests have been cleared either for lumbering or shifting cultivation. When these clearings are abandoned, less luxuriant secondary forests, called belukar in Malaysia, spring up.
-These are characterised by short trees and very dense undergrowth. Mangrove forests thrive in the coastal areas and brackish swamps.
LIFE AND DEVELOPMENT
The equatorial regions are generally sparsely populated. In the forests most primitive people live as hunters and collectors and the more advanced ones practice shifting cultivation.
Food is so abundant in such a habitat that many people worry very little the life of the next day. There are numerous animals, birds and reptiles and can be hunted to serve the needs of the community.
Crops grown include manioc (tapioca), yams, maize, bananas and groundnuts.
Plantation agriculture is also practised widely with the outstanding crop, rubber. Malaysia and Indonesia are the leading producers of rubber.
Another tropical crop is cocoa, which is more extensively cultivated in West Africa in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Other crops include oil palm, cocoanuts, coffee, tea, tobacco, spices, bananas, pineapples, etc.
FACTORS AFFECTING
Distribution
-Is found between 5° and 10°N and S of the equator. Its greatest extent is found in the lowlands of the Amazon, Congo D.R, Malaysia and the East Indies.
-Further away from the equator, the influence on the on-shore Trade Winds gives rise to a modified type of equatorial climate with the Monsoon influences.
-Within the tropics, the equatorial highlands have a distinctively cooler climate, modified by altitude such as the Cameron highlands, northern Andes and Kenyan highlands in East Africa
Map
CLIMATE
1. Temperature
- The most outstanding feature of an equatorial climate is its great uniformity of temperature through out the year
- The mean annual temperatures are always around …show more content…
Forest clearings
-Many parts of the virgin tropical rainforests have been cleared either for lumbering or shifting cultivation. When these clearings are abandoned, less luxuriant secondary forests, called belukar in Malaysia, spring up.
-These are characterised by short trees and very dense undergrowth. Mangrove forests thrive in the coastal areas and brackish swamps.
LIFE AND DEVELOPMENT
The equatorial regions are generally sparsely populated. In the forests most primitive people live as hunters and collectors and the more advanced ones practice shifting cultivation.
Food is so abundant in such a habitat that many people worry very little the life of the next day. There are numerous animals, birds and reptiles and can be hunted to serve the needs of the community.
Crops grown include manioc (tapioca), yams, maize, bananas and groundnuts.
Plantation agriculture is also practised widely with the outstanding crop, rubber. Malaysia and Indonesia are the leading producers of rubber.
Another tropical crop is cocoa, which is more extensively cultivated in West Africa in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Other crops include oil palm, cocoanuts, coffee, tea, tobacco, spices, bananas, pineapples, etc.
FACTORS AFFECTING