CLIMATES IN SOUTH AFRICA South Africa has various climates throughout the country. It is in the Southern Hemisphere and is surrounded by ocean except for at its Northern borders. South Africa s climates are affected by the country s latitude and longitude, oceans, altitudes and the varying gradients of the land. [1] The southwest corner of SA is Mediterranean climate whilst the centre is temperate, the northwest is desert climate in parts and the northeast is subtropical. [2] In SA we mostly have warm days and cool nights and rainfall occurs mostly in summer (November March) except in the southwest that gets winter rain. [2] In coastal regions, the temperatures are moderated by the presence of the ocean, whereas inland, the temperatures are more extreme. Along the east coast of South Africa, we have the warm Agulhas current which heats the air nearby and brings rain (high humidity). Along the west coast of South Africa we have the cold Benguela current which causes the air around it to be cool and dense. [2] Most of the interior of SA forms a plateau, whilst an escarpment sits around it, bordering the country. The plateau has a high altitude which causes the weather inland to be cooler, and the escarpment stops moist air of the coast from reaching inland areas. [2] South Africa s climate is affected by its location in that it isn t near to the equator so it doesn t receive very intense sunlight. In addition, there are certain air pressure systems that form around South Africa which affect the wind, rain and temperatures of the surrounding areas. [3] The average annual temperature throughout the country is about 18 C where in summer it goes up to about 35 C and in winter it goes down to about 5 C. [3] As a whole, South Africa has relatively low rainfall, but the levels fluctuate a lot. We have an average annual rainfall of about 460mm. In the northwest, the annual rainfall is often less than 200mm whereas most of the eastern Highveld gets between 500 and 900mm. The inland plateau receives about 400mm on average. [4]
SOUTH AFRICA S VEGETATION (in relation to climate) According to Mucina and Rutherford (2006), there are nine biomes in South Africa: Fynbos Biome Succulent Karoo Biome Desert Biome Nama-Karoo Biome Grassland Biome Savanna Biome Albany Thicket Biome Indian Ocean Coastal Belt Forests [5] Plant types are arranged in places where the climate is well suited to them, because the plants have adapted to their environment. For example, the plants of the Succulent Karoo and Nama Karoo biomes are found in those areas (where it rains very little) because the plants are designed to survive with sunlight and minimal water.
SOUTH AFRICAN ARCHITECTURE (in relation to the climate) Houses need to be built for the specific climates in which they are found to ensure the most comfortable experience inside them. There are several ways of moderating the temperature, air flow and light in a home, as well as preventing water from leaking in. In a dessert climate, for example, the house would need to keep out sunlight during the day and hold the heat in at night, but it wouldn t be important to create rain-draining surfaces. We see signs of this in vernacular architecture all around the world but with improving technology we seem to have managed to work our way around having to build certain features (such as thick walls to regulate temperatures). [6] Most of the houses in South Africa are probably your typical suburban ones, which work in most weather types. However, below are some examples of the more designer-type buildings, where large widows are found and large overhangs to provide shade. The use of stone blends the houses in with their habitat somewhat. Cape Town, the weather is hot, but windy and often rainy, so the buildings need to have roofs that allow runoff and don t let the water touch the walls too much. The house to the right is by Kevin Fellingham and is situated in Simons Town. It is an example of modern architecture that is suited to the Mediterranean climate of Cape Town. The white walls prevent the house from getting too hot on the north facing mountain slope, the large overhangs prevent the water from the rain from settling on the walls and the large sliding doors allow for good ventilation. [9]
Cape Vernacular architecture used the materials that are available in the nearby land to build a house that suits the climate. The Cape Dutch houses did a good job of this, using clay and straw for their walls and Cape reed for their thatched roofs. With the thick walls, they could keep the houses cool during the day and warm at night, they could keep out the wind and let in light with their big windows, and they could keep the rain off the walls and out of the house with their pitched roofs. The thatch allows the water to run down it and through it like straws. [8] By Hannah Cook CKXHAN002 REFERENCES [1] Manson, Anthea, and Glennis Ravenscroft. X-Kit Geography: Grade 12. Cape Town: Pearson/Maskew Miller Longman, 2008. Print. [2] "SouthAfrica.info."South Africa's Weather and Climate. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. [3] "What Are the Temperature, Rainfall and Wind Extremes in SA?" South African Weather Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
[4] "South Africa Climate and Rainfall - Flags, Maps, Economy, History, Climate, Natural Resources, Current Issues, International Agreements, Population, Social Statistics, Political System." Geographic.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. [5] "Vegetation of Southern Africa." PlantZAfrica.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. [6] Discussion with classmates [7] Tindale, Brad. "Eye of Africa." Architect & Specificator Mar.-Apr. 2008: 7-9. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://www.easybib.com/cite/form/magazine/pubtab/pubdatabase>. [8] "Stellenbosch Cape Dutch." Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. [9] Kevin Fellingham [URLs] http://www.weathersa.co.za/web/index.php/corporate?id=167 http://www.southafrica.info/travel/advice/climate.htm#.uwi25wksyqg http://www.photius.com/countries/south_africa/climate/south_africa_climate_climate_and_rainf all.html http://www.plantzafrica.com/frames/vegfram.htm http://www.eyeofafrica.co.za/media/news/documents/architect-and-specificator.pdf