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Tropical Savannah
The tropical savanna is a biome characterized by tall grasses and occasional trees. Large regions of tropical savanna extend through the nations of Botswana, Namibia, and Kenya in Africa, southern Brazil, India, and Australia. Surprisingly, the Everglades of southern Florida in North America is also a tropical savanna. Photo © 2000-www.arttoday.com

Image that shows a portion of the Tropical Savannah landscape.

Savannas exist in areas where there is a 6 to 8 month wet summer season and a dry winter season. Annual rainfall in savannas varies depending on the geographic location. Some savannas get as little as 10 inches of rain annually while others can get as much as 50 inches. The dry season is marked by months of drought and fire which are essential to the maintenance of savannas. Without the period of drought and fire, some scientists believe that tropical savannas would eventually change into tropical forests.

Savannas can result from either climate, soil conditions, animal behavior, or agricultural practices, which limit the occurrence of trees. Humans create savannas by burning the grasslands and felling the trees in order to plant crops. Large animals such as elephants can turn a forest into a savanna by stripping the bark from the trees, knocking over trees, and tramping on tree seedlings.

Image of a climograph for Chipata, Zambia.  Please have someone assist you with this.

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Biomes | Biome Summary | How to Read a Climograph | Arctic Tundra | Deciduous Forest | Desert | Taiga | Tropical Rainforest | Tropical Savannah

Diversity | Adaptation | Plate Tectonics | Cycles | Spheres | Biomes | Geologic Time

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April 28, 2005

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