The hot and wet equatorial region

Location, Climate, Plants life, Animal life, Human life and challenges faces by the people.

1. CHAPTER-04 THE HOT AND WET EQUATORIAL REGION.

2. Introduction: Climate influences the lives of the People , the crops they grow , the food they eat and their Occupations . Climate also influences the kind of Plants and Animals Life found the region. All vary from one climatic region to the other.

3. Torrid zone of the earth:

4. Location: The hot and wet equatorial climate region lies within the Torrid zone and extends 10 north to 10 south of the Equator . The Region includes: Amazon basin in South America Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa Malaysia and Indonesia in Asia.

5. The hot and wet equatorial region:

6. Climate: As this region receives the direct rays of the Sun , it remains hot throughout the year . There is no winter in this region. High Humidity Heavy rain (around 4’o clock) The rainfall is evenly distributed through the year. There is no month that is dry .

7. Amazon Basin and Congo Basin:

8. Natural vegetation: The High temperature and Heavy Rainfall , Equatorial Rainforests grow in this region. The growth of the trees in these forests is dense and luxuriant . These Forests are always green and never bare of leaves . So, They are know as Evergreen Forests . Some variety of Trees are: Mahogany, Ebony, Rosewoods, Palm trees.

9. Mahogany tree, ebony tree, rosewood tree and palm tree

10. Four distinct layers in these forests: Forest floor Understorey Layer, Canopy Layer, Emergent Layer.

11. Understorey Forest floor

12. Forest floor: This is the lowest layer . The dense cover of trees above allows very little sunlight to reach the floor of the Forest. Hence this layer is Dark and Damp with almost no plants.

13. Understorey: This layer receives a little more Sunlight . Allowing the growth of Shrubs, Woody creepers and Orchids .

14. Canopy: This is the main layer of the Forest. It consists of a dense layer of trees , whose leaves and Branches join to form a continuous cover over the layers below. The trees are around 30 metres tall .

15. Emergent: The Topmost layer of the Equatorial forest. Above the Canopy grow a few extremely tall trees that tower more than 60 metres over the forest ground. They are called Emergent .

16. Animal life: Equatorial rainforests have a rich variety of Animals, Birds, Butterflies, Insects and Snakes . Each layer of the forest has its own unique life forms . Forest floor: Armadillos, Anteaters, Gorillas ..

17. Animal life: Understorey Snakes Jaguars, Leopards, Frogs and Lizards

18. Animal life: Canopy Spider monkey Orangutans Sloths Toucans Macaws Parrots

19. Animal life: Emergent Layer Eagles Bats Monkeys Butterflies Rivers Crocodiles Snakes Turtles

20. Human life: Small groups of Tribal people continue to live in the rainforests. Occupation Hunting Agriculture ( Shifting Agriculture) Fishing Mining

21. Shifting Agriculture One of the oldest method of Agriculture . In this method, a patch of ground is cleared by cutting the trees and burning them . The ash makes the soil fertile . The cleared plot of land is cultivated for a few years till it loses its Fertility . The Farmers then move to another place where the process is repeated.

22. Plantation farming: Around 300 years ago, Europeans traders introduced Plantation farming in many parts of the Equatorial Region . In this form of farming, Crops are grown on a large farms called Plantation farming. Some crops are: Rubber Tea Cocoa Pineapple Banana

23. Plantation farming: Malaysia is the world’s largest producer of Rubber . Cocoa is cultivated mainly in the Ivory coast and Ghana in West Africa , and in Malaysia .

24. Amazon tribe people:

25. Congo Tribe people:

26. Challenges facing the region: One of the main challenges facing this region today is how to bring about Economic progress without destroying the Environment . The Large-scale cutting of trees for Mining, Timber, Agriculture and Ranching, threatening the life of the Tribal people . It is also Endangering the Wildlife of the region. Deforestation .