These areas are located entirely within the tropics (between 4° and 12°N, 4°W and 2°E) and are considered to have a tropical climate at the national level as characterized by high mean temperature and rainfall. The African rain forest – main characteristics of changes in vegetation and climate from the Upper Cretaceous to the Quaternary - Volume 104 - Jean Maley Skip to main content Accessibility help We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a … Montane vegetation in Nigeria (mountain and plateaus vegetation) is not very developed due to the reason of low average temperatures and the significant impact of animals and man. Ghana is a West African country in Africa, along the Gulf of Guinea, just a few degrees north of the equator.. Ghana encompasses plains, low hills, rivers, Lake Volta, the world's largest artificial lake, Dodi Island and Bobowasi Island on the south Atlantic Ocean coast of Ghana. A farmer cultivates a piece of land in a year and abandons it for a new piece of land the following year. Vegetation zones divide land according to temperature and precipitation. Most gardeners look at a map of vegetation zones before planting any flowers, trees, or vegetables. As a result of this, it is vulnerable to rainfall variability, which tends to have a major impact on the industrial and agricultural production sectors of the country. A 1 page worksheet for students to use when learning about different vegetation zones around the world. The Jos plateau is one of the highest points in Nigeria. Ghana - Ghana - Plant and animal life: Although soils and biotic factors (i.e., those pertaining to living organisms, including humans) are important, vegetation is primarily determined by precipitation. Variation in Shifting cultivation (also known as "slash and burn") is the main farming practice in Ghana, and one of the main causes of tropical forest disturbance and retrogression to secondary forest vegetation in Ghana. Table 18: Identified Soil Groups in the Volta River Basin of Ghana Table 19: Characteristics of the Zones Table 20: Major landuse types in the Volta basin of Burkina (hectares) Table 21: Erosion Hazards of the Volta Basin in Ghana Table 22: Rate of Occupation of Cultivable Land in the Basin in Togo (1,708,800 ha) defined by a dissected plateau with rivers draining into Lake Volta (aquastat – Ghana 2005). Together the three kingdoms were known as the Sahelian Kingdoms. – Some trees species grow a thick bark in order to store enough water to be. Animals The climate of Ghana is tropical, but temperatures vary with season and elevation. Forestry Research Institute of Ghana is one of the 13 institutes of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Journal of Disaster Risk Studies 3:2 429-442. The largest is the desert and arid zone, which covers most of northern Africa. Vegetation zones, also called hardiness zones, are smaller, more-detailed vegetation regions. Geography. There are six agro-ecological zones defined on the basis of climate, reflected by the natural vegetation and influenced by the soils (Table 1). The Transition zone also recorded 76.4% for males and 23.6% for females. The Montane zone is situated in high-mountain areas. (2011) The Vulnerable State of the Ghana Coast: The Case of Faana-Bortianor. There are three variants of each, running as near parallel bands east to west across the country. sustainable use of bamboo in national development in Ghana. FIGURE 1 : MAP SHOWING THE COASTAL ZONE OF GHANA • MAP COASTAL ZONE AKArmah 2004AKArmah 2004 Introduction • The coastal zone may be divided into three geomorphologic zones: – West Coast, 95km, fine sand, gentle beaches, coastal lagoons. In Key Stage 2 (KS2) - Lower. Rainfall distribution is bimodal in the forest, transitional and coastal zones, giving rise to a major and a minor growing season. In some regions, the elephant grass species may grow to 15 feet tall. Ghana is composed of six agro-ecological zones (Figure 2) distinguished by natural vegetation and influenced by climate and soil characteristics. Table 2 presents the socioeconomic characteristics of maize farmers in the agro ecological zones. Information on sources, potential and perceived uses of bamboo as well as constraints in the bamboo sector were obtained through structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews from locations spreading across all major ecological zones of Ghana. The three ancient kingdoms in West Africa included Ghana, Malii and Songhay. plant species such as poplar, birch, oak and elm. Geography. VEGETATION In line with the rainfall distribution, a wetter south and a drier northern half, there are two broad vegetation types: Forests and Savanna. The sample was made up of 150 each in the guinea savanna and transition zone and 120 each in the semi-deciduous and coastal savanna zones . Agro-ecological Zones and Climate . Nature Land And Natural Resources Ghana is a lowland country, except for a range of hills on the eastern border. Proceedings of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences Issue Number 9964-950-42-X. The United States, for example, is usually divided into 10 vegetation zones. It is a rectangular-shaped country bordered to the north by Burkina Faso, the east by Togo, the south by the Atlantic Ocean and the west by Côte d'Ivoire. These are the bioclimatic zones known as the Saharan, Sahelian, Sudanian, Guinean, and … Climate change in Ghana will have wide-reaching impacts on the country.Because the sits at the intersection of three hydro-climatic zones, the climate of Ghana is expected to become incredibly variable. Soil samples were collected at three depths (0–15, 15–30, and 30–60 cm) from 161 plots in eight green space types within two urban zones. Ghana vegetation is about the different farming activities. The four main climate zones of Africa are semi-arid, desert and arid, subhumid and humid. From north to south — from the Sahara to the humid southern coast — West Africa can be subdivided into five broad east-west belts that characterize the climate and the vegetation. Ghana’s economy heavily relies on agriculture, which is predominantly rainfed across its agro-ecological zones. Vegetation plays a vital role in our natural ecosystem and also supports the biosphere in various ways; vegetation helps to regulate the flow of numerous biogeochemical cycles, most importantly those of water, carbon, and nitrogen; it also contributes in the local and global energy balances. This paper examines the onset and cessation dates of the rainy season over Ghana using rain gauge data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) over the period of 1970–2012. Ghana is a West African country with a coastline on the Gulf of Guinea and occupies a total area of 239,567 sq. Today's Weather. – The vegetation arranges itself on the slope in clear demarcated zones. The transition and guinea savanna ecological zones have some peculiar socio-economic characteristics and fragile vegetation that make them important candidates for such a study. It started as a research unit within the Forestry Department in 1962. 28. The onset and cessation dates were determined from cumulative curves using the number of rainy days and rainfall amount. The results showed that in the Guinea Savannah zone, 88.2% of the farmers were males while 11.8% were females. Annual compendium of Special Events 2010. Based on a 20-year baseline climate observation, it is forecasted that maize and other cereal crop yields will reduce by 7% by 2050. km. Ghana is situated in West Africa between latitudes of 4°N and 12°N, and longitudes of 4°W and 2°E. As one moves from the tropical savanna climate into desert regions, the vegetation is dominated by dwarf acacias and scrubs. The wet period for that zone lasts just three months, which results in little to no vegetation. We addressed this question by determining the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens within three vegetation zones of Ghana (Fig 1). Oteng-Ababio, M., Owusu, K. & Addo K. A. The study sites were Paga, Nyankpala and Kawampe, which are located in the transitional and Guinea savannah zones of Ghana. Tropical grasslands are moderately green during the rainy seasons but the grass turns yellow and eventually dies down during dry periods. This study examined the vertical and spatial variability of selected soil physicochemical properties (pH, SOM, OC, TN, and bulk density) in Kumasi, Ghana, using a stratified random sampling technique. Figure 2: Ecological Zones Map of Ghana 1.1.4 Soils The characteristics of the soils of Ghana are influenced by local climate and vegetation, including other organisms, which act on the various geological materials as modified by local relief or topography over periods of time. There are various types of vegetation in Sierra Leone. It is located at Fumesua near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. vegetation cover and prevailing weather conditions among others. As observed on the map above, Ghana is dissected by the largest artificial lake on the planet (Lake Volta), nearly 50% of Ghana lies less than 152 meters above sea level. Characteristics of the Temperate mountain vegetation – Temperate mountain vegetation contains both deciduous and coniferous. Species Characteristics within Communities: Density: Number of individuals per area #/m 2 : Interpretation depends on the size of individuals; sometimes difficult to define an "individual" Frequency: Proportion of plots in which a species is found % Easy to measure Except in the north two rainy seasons occur, from April to July and from September to November. Table 3 also presents the descriptive statistics of farmers’ characteristics and quantities of inputs and outputs. There are three principal types of vegetation from south to north occurring in the coastal savanna, in the forest zone, and in the northern savanna zone.