Tanzanias Climate Essay -- Tourism Africa Global Warming Environment

Tanzania's Climate Tanzania represents a wealth of ecological diversity, ethnic diversity, and geographical diversity. It contains both the tallest mountain in Africa as well as the largest lake, and is a tourist hotspot for safaris and expeditions to Mt. Kilimanjaro. The citizens of Tanzania are utterly dependent on the weather for their two major businesses, agriculture and tourism. Thus, the climate of Tanzania is worth examining in greater detail. Tanzania has two distinct seasons, wet and dry. However, the northern region of Tanzania can experience two wet seasons, the longest of which spans from March to May and the shortest from November to December. The March to May period is known as â€Å"the long rains†, during which excessive rainfall occurs. The shorter period from November to December is known as â€Å"the short rains†, where rainfall occurs intermittently and may last into January. The rest of the country experiences one wet season from November to May. Since Tanzania is located in the Southern hemisphere, December to March can be considered the country’s summer, and June to September its winter. The seasons are â€Å"in fact the transition between the two main trade wind systems which dominate at different times of the year; the northeasterly trades between December and March, and the southeasterlies between June and September† (Sumner 53-66). Caused by the highly cyclic weather patterns of the intertropical convergence zone, these trade winds are the main factor in determining the change of seasons and are abetted by the very geography of Tanzania. The flow of air over the East African plateau causes the formation of the Southerly Jet which in turn regulates the Indian monsoon season. The jet flows in parallel to Ta... ...does not bode well for its inhabitants. If remedial measures are not taken, Tanzania’s economy and quality of life will suffer greatly in the near future, and we as a planet will suffer greater consequences in the far future due to the rising temperature of the Earth. Works Cited: Alverson, Keith, et al. "A Global Paleoclimate Observing System." Science 293.5527 (2001): 47-8. Nieuwolt, S. "Rainstorm Distributions in Tanzania." Geografiska Annaler.Series A, Physical Geography 56.3/4 (1974): 241-50. Sumner, G. N. "Daily Rainfall Variability in Coastal Tanzania." Geografiska Annaler.Series A, Physical Geography 65.1/2 (1983): 53-66. Zhou, Guofa, et al. "Association between Climate Variability and Malaria Epidemics in the East African Highlands." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 101.8 (2004): 2375-80.