NATURAL ZONES.

Forests of the Torrid Zone.

Map   Questions.

1. Study the zonal map of Africa and show the natural zones
   that have a torrid climate.
2. Which zone occupies an especially large area in Africa?

There is a change of natural zones both north and south of the Equator, depending on the climate and especially on the amount and distribution of rainfall.
In the equatorial belt lie the evergreen rain forests. North and south of these stretch the savannahs which further pass into the de­serts. In the extreme north and south of the continent lie the sub­tropical zones.
Equatorial and Tropical Forests. In the equatorial belt, with its uniformly high temperatures and heavy rainfall, grow dense forests. Plant growth here is very rapid. These forests are green all the year round, and vegetation in them is unusually lush. Some of the trees reach a height of from 50 to 60 metres. Many have addi­tional roots acting as props. Beneath these giants grow smaller trees, arranged in tiers according to their height. Underneath there is an impenetrable thicket of undergrowth, consisting of shrubs and bushes of all kinds. Everywhere lie the rotting trunks and branches of fall­en trees. Numerous climbers (lianas) twine round the trees, mosses and ferns cling to their trunks. Only with the help of the axe and knife can one make one's way through such a forest.

Fig. 136. A tropical rain forest at the foot of Cameroon Mountain.
Equatorial and tropical rain
forests occupy a comparatively
small area in Africa (8 per cent). They are  found in the Congo
basin,   between   latitudes  5°N and 5°S, and along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea north of the Equator.   Tropical   rain  forest
strips also occur along the eastern
coast of Madagascar. In these forests grow  ficus
of all kinds, mahogany, iron-wood and various rubber-bearing plants. There are many tree-ferns.    The  wet   monsoon winds blowing on the coast of

the Gulf of Guinea bring heavy rainfall.   Here   the oil-bearing palm with its fan-shaped leaves is widespread. From its fruit oil is produced. There are many cof­fee-trees. On the wet mountain slopes grow montane rain forests of huge gnarled trees and great masses of mosses and ferns. Everything is shrouded in mist.
Amidst the dense growth the animals are hardly to be seen. But there are many monkeys in the trees: anthropoid apes, inclu­ding two metre high gorillas (Fig. 137) and chimpanzees, great numbers of marmosets and dog-faced baboons that bark like dogs. Buffaloes and elephants roam the edges of the forests, hippo­potamuses and crocodiles live in the rivers. Ants crawl everywhere. There are great armies of malarial mosquitoes. Very widespread is the tsetse, a small African fly whose bite causes the death of horses and cattle and produces the disease called sleeping-sickness in man.

All this richness and splendour makes the terrible poverty of the inhabitants surprising. They live in wretched reed huts coated with clay and roofed with palm leaves. Their cooking pots are home­made and of clay, too. The small clearances are cultivated by hand. Their food consists of rice, manioc (a tropical shrub with big, edible roots), batata (sweet potato), bananas and other plants. The best land belongs to European capitalists. Under the broiling sun the natives toil on the plantations. They are forced to gather palm-nuts and rubber, to cultivate the cacao-tree from which we get our chocolate. These products are all taken away by the capitalists and sold abroad.

Fig. 138. An African village in the forest belt.
The roofs of the huts are of branches, leaves and grass. Among the trees are
palms.

Questions and Assignments.

• Study the zonal maps of Africa and Asia. In which of these
  parts of the world  do the forests  of  the torrid zone  occupy
  the greater area?
• What are the common features and points of difference between
  the animal life in African  and  Asiatic  equatorial and  tropical
  forests?