10. Forests of the Torrid Zone. Savannahs.

Map Questions.

1. Study the zonal map of South America. Which zone occupies an especially large area?

2. Use the climate map to determine the annual January and July temperatures and the amount of rain in the equatorial and tropical forest zone and the savannahs.

South America stretches a great distance from north to south and ie... within ... the torrid and temperate zones. Its natural features.

..................... Large areas in the torrid zone are cov-

............... tropical forests and savannahs.

Equatorial and Tropical Forests. The Amazon Lowlands and part of the northern and eastern coastlands are almost entirely covered with equatorial and tropical rain forests. The Amazon Lowlands have a high temperature throughout the year (about 26° C). Rainfall is heavy, especially in the west, closer to the Andes. The forests of the western part of the Lowlands are, therefore, thicker and more luxuriant.

Fruits ripen and leaves change all the year round in the equatorial forests. The trees are striking for the shining green of their foliage. There is hardly a flower to be seen amongst the thick vegetation. Underneath the trees it is damp and gloomy. Everywhere lie rotting trunks and branches.

The trees grow in tiers. Above the rest tower giant ficuses, nut-bearing paras and high-stemmed palms. Then come numerous rubber-bearing plants, undersized palms and chocolate or cacao-trees. The cacao-tree bears its flowers and fruit not on its branches but on its trunk. The trunks of the trees are entwined with lianas and orchids. Underneath grow ferns, and on the peaceful backwaters victoria regia with leaves that reach two metres in diameter.

When the Amazon and its tributaries are in flood, parts of the forest are covered with water, remaining so in places for several months. On the slopes of the Andes grow montane rain howlers, monkeys about the size of a large dog, which fill the forest with their fierce howls morning and evening.

Of the grass-eating animals there is the tapir; amongst the flesh-eating the jaguar. The latter is a good climber and thanks to its spotted fur is almost invisible among the dense leaves.

In the rivers live turtles and crocodiles. The South American crocodile, it should be mentioned, is smaller than the African. There are numerous snakes, including the anaconda that reaches a length of about 9—11 metres. There is a great variety of birds, of parrots and humming-birds especially. Large bright butterflies flutter everywhere.

The tropical rain forests along the Atlantic coast have changed their appearance. They are replaced by plantations on which various southern plants are cultivated. In the south-east of the Brazilian Highlands, for example, coffee is widely grown.

Savannahs. North and south of the equatorial forests lie the savannahs. Here there is less rain. There are sharp distinctions between the dry and wet seasons.

On the savannahs grow various kinds of grass with tough; narrow leaves coated with wax. Amidst the grass stand only small clumps of trees, far apart and rarely reaching a great height. The chief kinds are palm, cactus, myrtle and mimosa.

Savannahs occupy the Orinoco basin where they are known as llanos They occupy the greater part of the Brazilian Highlands, too, where they are known as campus (the Portuguese name for the level grasslands of Brazil).

The eastern part of the Brazilian Highlands is covered with prickly scrubs and scattered trees that drop their leaves in the dry season. There grow cacti and trees with barrel-shaped trunks for storing water. The southern part of the Brazilian Highlands between the Parana and the ocean contains savannah forests of conifers.

Animal life is much more poorly represented than in the African savannahs. There are no large grass-eating animals.

The few people that inhabit the South American savannahs are engaged mainly in cattle-breeding

Domestic animals were brought here from Europe, and great herds of these graze on the vast estates of the local landowners.

Questions and Assignments.

1. Compare the South American and African forests of the torrid zone as to local ion, natural features and population. What are their common features and points of difference?

2. Compare the South American and African savannahs. What are their common features and points of difference?