Climate in the Four Sub Regions of Africa

The pattern of weather over a long period of time

Most of North Africa is very dry.

Some places in the Sahara can go years without any rain.

Areas in North Africa close to the Mediterranean experience dry summers and short, rainy winters.

The climate varies widely from north to south

The north is arid

In areas of the south, the climate varies from tropical wet to dry.

The higher land is cooler and wetter

The lower land is warmer and drier

In this large subregion, the land closest to the equator has a tropical and wet climate.

Farther south, the climate shifts to tropical wet and finally arid(dry) to semiarid.