- Vegetation refers to the different plants found in a place.

- Natural vegetation is the plant cover that grows in a place under natural conditions.

 

a) Vegetation in Kenya

 

b) Vegetation in East Africa 

 

c) Vegetation in Africa

 

- Planted vegetation includes what has been planted by people like maize, coffee, bananas and tea.

- Here is an example of planted vegetation - a coffee plantation in Ecuador.

The main vegetation types found in Africa 

1. Tropical rain forest.
2. Savannah (Tropical grasslands).
3. Desert and semi-desert vegetation.
4. Mediterranean vegetation.
5. Temperate grassland.
6. Mountain vegetation.

 

Tropical rain forest

- These forests are also known as equatorial rain forests.

- They are found in areas that experience equatorial climate.

- These areas include parts of the coastal regions of West Africa, the Congo Basin in Central Africa, Southern parts of West Africa, and a few lowland parts of Eastern Africa.

Main characteristics of the tropical rain forest

• The forest are dense with trees growing together.
• Trees are tall and form different layers called canopies. The canopy layers do not allow much of the sun's rays to pass the floor of the forest has a very little undergrowth and is usually covered with the rotting leaves and a few ferns, mosses and lichens.
• The tallest tress, which rise to the very top, are about 40 meters high and are called emergents. This is almost the heigth of a 10 storey building.
• Because the trees are very tall, they develop roots above the ground level to support them. These roots are called buttress roots.
• Trees have no branches at the very top.
• Creepers grow around trees. This enable their leaves to reach the sunlight at the top of the trees.
• Not all trees in the equatorial forest shed off their leaves. Some shed their leaves at differents times of the year. As a result, there is no single time in the year hwen all trees have no leaves. They are therefore called evergreen forest.
• The common species of the trees that grow in these forest are teak, mahogany, palm, cocoa tree, iroko, ebony and rosewood. Most of the trees that grow here are valuable because of their hard wood.
• The trees take a very long time to mature, sometimes over one hundred years.
• Areas nearest to the equator recieve the highest rainfall. As a result, forest here have very tall trees.

 

Tropical grassland (Savannah)

- This type of vegetation is found in areas that experience tropical continental climate bordering equatorial forests.

- Tropical or sub-tropical grassland lying on the margin of the trade wind belts.

- These areas include parts of the Coastal regions of West Africa, the Congo Basin in Central Africa, Southern parts of West Africa, and a few lowland parts of Eastern Africa.

Main characteristics of tropical savannah

• Grassland close to the equatorial forest has more trees than grass. The grass here is almost three meters tall. In Uganda, this grassland is called elephant grass.
• Away from the equatorial forests, the number of trees begin to decrease.
• True savanna vegetation has mainly grass and scattered trees. The commonest trees found here are acacia.
• Grasslands that border the semidesert regions are made up of very short and scanty grass, with short scrubs and thorny bushes. They are called Sahel savanna.
• Some trees found in the Sahel savanna, like the baobab have adapted to the dry conditions. They store water in their big stems during the dry seasons.

 

Desert and semi-desert vegetation

- Desert and semi-desert areas are found in deserts.

- These are areas that receive very little or no rainfall.

- As a result, the vegetation is very poor.

 

Charecteristics of desert and semi desert vegetation.

- Desert and semi-desert vegetation consists of small thorny bushes which take very long to grow.

- The vegetation is scattered and stunted.

- The plants have thick stems for storing water. The stems are also fleshy thick backs to store water.

- Long roots to tap water from underground.

- The leaves are waxy, shiny and thin. This helps them to control the amount of water they loose through transpiration.

- The common plant that is found in this region is cactus.

 

- Most trees have no leaves throughout the year.

- Shrubs shed off their leaves during the dry season.

 

Mediterranean vegetation

- This vegetation is found in the Northern and Southern tips of Africa. 

- These areas have hot and dry summers and winters. Plants here have adapted well to the climate.

 

Main charecteristics of Mediterranean vegetation

- The  main vegetation here is woodland and shrub. Some plants are short with woody stems.

- Other plants that are found here are short sweet-smelling herbs like lavender, rosemary and thyme.

- Plants have thin and shiny leaves to reduce water loss.

- Trees have thick barks and deep roots.

- Most trees have a conical shape. 

- It is made up of coniferous softwoods like pine and beech.

Temperate grasslands

- These are mainly found in temperate regions of Africa, especially in the Central part of South Africa where they are known as the veld.

- These areas have a cool climate, sometimes with severe winters.

- During summer, the grass grows quickly and forms important pastures for both dairy and beef cattle.

- However, the height of the grass depends on the amount of rainfall received. Near the Kalahari Desert, the grass is short and scattered.

Mountain vegetation

- On mountains, the windward slopes receive more rainfall than the leeward slopes.

- As a result, vegetation is richer. As one moves up the mountain, vegetation changes too.

- The vegetation at the top of high mountains is called heath and moorland. This consists of short grass that is adapted to the cold conditions at the top.

- Very high mountains like Mt. Kenya and Kilimanjaro have no vegetation at the top because they are covered with snow and ice.

 

Mangrove Vegetation

- These are forests found along parts of the coast.

- They grow in shallow sheltered parts of the sea where the sea penetrates into the land or shallow river mouths.

- The forest grows in shallow waters, they have breathing roots and they are adapted to salty water.

 

Factors influencing vegetation distribution

Distribution of vegetation is influenced by the following factors:

a) Climate: High rainfall and temperatures

support plant life. Forests are found in

such areas.

b) Distance from water bodies: Places away from water bodies have poorer

vegetation.

c) Relief: As one moves up the mountain, the vegetation changes because of change in temperature and rainfall amount.

d) Human activities: Natural vegetation is cleared by people for settlement and

cultivation.

e) Soils: Sandy soils have poor vegetation because they do not hold enough water. Clay soils are waterlogged and have swamps because water does not drain easily through them.

f) Government policy.

Importance of vegetation

Vegetation is an important natural resource. Therefore, we must take care of it. Below are some ways in which vegetation is important to us.

a) Forests protect mountain areas where rivers begin.

b) Wild animals live in grasslands and forests. They also need plants for food.

c) Trees are used to make timber and paper.

d) Some trees in the forest provide us with fruits. Fruits are a good source of

vitamins.

e) Some trees in the tropical rainforests provide important products like cocoa,

rubber and palm oil. These are exported to other countries.

f) Some plants are used to treat different kinds of diseases.

g) Grass is used to thatch houses.

h) Papyrus trees and reeds from swamps provide material which is used to make furniture, baskets, and mats. They also provide poles for building houses.

i) Plants growing in swamps help to clean and purify water.

j) Flowering plants provide nectar for bees. Bees use it to make honey.

k) Savannah grasslands are important wildlife conservation areas where tourists visit to see wild animals. This earns the countries money.

l) Vegetation makes a place look beautiful to look at and to live in.