SP: SOCIAL SCIENCE

GRADE 8: TERM 2
GEOGRAPHY: LEARNER BOOKLET

Learner Name: _______________________________________ Grade: 8B_________

CLIMATE REGIONS

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WORD BANK
CONCEPTS DEFINITIONS
Thermometer Indicates the degree of heating and cooling of the air.
Temperature Is an instrument to measure the maximum and minimum daily
temperatures.
Anemometer An instrument to measure wind speed
Humidity The amount of water vapour or moisture in the air.
Wind Is moving air
Precipitation Includes any form of water that fall on the earth, such as rain,
hail or snow.
Weather Is the daily condition of the atmosphere at any given time.
Weather is observed over a small, local area for a short period
of time, such as 24hours.
Climate Is the average weather conditions observed for a larger area
over a long period of time e.g. normally months or a year.
Conduction The flow of heat through a substance like air or water.
Altitude The height above sea level
Windward The side from which the wind blows
Temperature The difference between the average monthly temperatures of
range the warmest and the coldest months.

Climate regions:
-17˚C
North Pole
13˚C

19˚C

24˚C

27˚C
Equator
21˚C

14˚C

-6˚C

-49˚C
South Pole

Air Temperature tells how hot or cold a place is. The temperature at any place changes all the
time. Air temperature also varies from place to place. There are five factors that influence
temperature and rainfall.

FIVE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL:

1. Latitude (distance from the equator)
2. Distance from the sea
3. Altitude (height above sea level)
4. Ocean currents
5. Mountains

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1. DISTANCE FROM THE EQUATOR (LATITUDE):

TEMPERATURE:

The hottest places are near the equator. The further away a place is from the equator, the lower
its temperature is likely to be.
There are two reasons for temperature decrease towards the poles.

• First the Sun's rays striking Earth’s surface. The rays fall vertically to Earth’s surface at the
equator, heating an area equal to the width of the rays. While at the poles the sun’s rays
are spread out widely and heat a larger area and the heat is therefore not so intense
• The sun’s rays also travel a greater distance through the atmosphere near the poles than
the equator. More solar energy will be absorbed by the atmosphere near the poles than at
the equator.
THE SUNS RAYS STRIKING THE EARTHS
SURFACE
This diagram shows the sun’s rays as they hit the
surface of the earth. Notice at the equator the
sun’s rays hit the earth directly, heating up a
smaller area of land, causing more intense heat
At the poles the sun’s rays hit the earth at an
angle and therefore they heat up a larger area of
land, causing it to be colder.

SOLAR ENERGY ABSORBED BY THE

ATMOSPHERE
As the sun hits the earth at the poles, the
rays have to go through a thicker layer of
atmosphere compared to the equator.
More solar heat is therefore absorbed,
causing temperatures to be less intense
at the poles

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Activity 1: Date:

1. Copy the table below in your notebook. Arrange the places in order from the equator. Start with
the closest places. Note some places are north and some places are south of the equator.

2. Complete each column in the table.

Name of place Temperature Distance from the equator
Latitude in ⁰N or ⁰S

3. Write in your own words why temperatures are lower in places further from the equator.

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PRECIPITATION: (Rain, snow, hail, fog)

Because latitudes near the equator are warmer, precipitation is usually in the form of rain. The
wettest places on Earth are within only 25˚ of the equator.
Near the poles, temperatures are low, so precipitation is in the form of snow. The deep layers of
snow in Antarctica have taken millions of years to accumulate. The middle latitudes are likely to
have rain in summer and some snow in winter.

2. DISTANCE FROM THE SEA:

Places far from the sea have more extreme temperatures than places at or near the sea. This
means that inland places have hotter summers and colder winters than coastal places do.

There are four reasons for land surfaces being hotter than sea surfaces in summer.

1. Land needs only half as much heat to raise its temperature by 1˚C as the same mass of
water. (Therefore land gets hotter during the day than the water does.)

2. Water is transparent, so the sun’s heat rays penetrate deeply, but the suns' rays heat only
the top surface of the ground. (Therefore the heat is moved around the water during the day
which keeps it cooler than the land. Think of how hot the sand gets during the summer
months, while the sea remains cool to swim in.)

3. Heat is continuously being distributed in sea water by waves and currents, making it cooler
than the land.

4. Some of the sun’s heat reaching the sea is used to evaporate the water instead of raising
its temperature.

So oceans are heated more slowly than land by day and in summer. But at night and in winter the
oceans also cool more slowly than land does because water is more able to retain heat.
As a result temperatures over the oceans remain more constant than temperatures over land. The
further inland one is from the sea, the greater will be the temperature differences between the
seasons.

January: Mid-Summer July: Mid-Winter

16˚ 26,3˚ 12,7˚

23,7˚ 10,8˚
17,8˚

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 Activity 2: Date:

1. Copy the following table into your notebook. Use the information from the maps above to
complete the information.

Weather Station Mean Temp in Mean temp in July Average annual Average Temp
January Temp Range
Port Nolloth (P)
Douglas (D)
KwaDukuza (K)

Activity 3: Date:

1. Write out the following sentences in your notebook. Choose the correct words in brackets.

a. Warm air from the oceans will (raise/lower/not affect) temperatures of places next to the
coast.

b. Places by the sea have (cooler/warmer/wetter) summers and (drier/cooler/warmer)

winters than places inland.

c. Places inland have (high/low/similar) summer temperatures and (high/unchanged/low)

winter temperatures.

3. HEIGHT ABOVE SEA LEVEL (ALTITUDE):

This table shows the effects of altitude on temperature. On the table you will see Durban at the
coast, Pietermaritzburg, Maseru and Mokhotlong which are high up in Lesotho and Bloemfontein
at 1400m above sea level

Table showing man

annual temperatures at
places of different
altitudes along a section
near the 29˚S line of
Latitude

The data on the table above shows that height above sea level influences temperature.
The higher the altitude (height above sea level) the lower the temperature. Often high mountains
have snow only on their peaks. The atmosphere is warmer near the ground. The suns’ rays enter
the upper atmosphere as short-wave rays that the atmosphere cannot absorb. When they hit the
ground, they heat the ground surface. The heated ground surface reradiates heat as long-wave

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rays which can be absorbed by the air. These rays heat the air from below. This is why air
temperatures get less the higher up you go.

Activity 4: Date:

Using the data from the table on the previous page, is it true that:

a) The town at the lowest altitude (height above sea level) has the highest mean temperature?

b) The town at the highest altitude has the lowest mean temperature?

c) There is a steady decrease in the temperature of all the places with increase in altitude?

Activity 5: Date:

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1. Give TWO reasons why temperatures are cooler at higher altitude than at sea level.

2. How do you think altitude and temperature influence where people live?

4. OCEAN CURRENTS:

Port Nolloth and Durban are both close to 29˚S and both are on the sea coast. There is, however
a difference of 6 ˚C in their mean annual temperatures

Port Nolloth Durban

Mean annual temperature 14,4˚C 20,4˚C

This is because the warm Agulhas Current warms the coast at Durban. The cold Benguela
Current flows along the coast at Port Nolloth. Higher temperatures are experienced on coasts with
warm currents. Cold ocean currents result in lower coastal temperatures.

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 29˚S
The cold Benguela current
comes from the cold waters The Warm Agulhas current
in the South and runs up comes from the warm tropics
the West Coast of South in the North and runs down
Africa the East coast of South Africa

Activity 6: Date: 05 May 2022

1. a. Name two WARM ocean currents and two COLD ocean currents.
b. Give the compass direction each current is flowing toward.

2. Write in your own words why some ocean currents are warm and some are cold.

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5.MOUNTAINS (Relief):
Mountains influence temperature and rainfall in important ways:

THE EFFECT OF MOUNTAINS ON TEMPERATURE

The relief of the land means that some areas receive more solar radiation than others. Some
places face the sun while other places face away from the sun and are in the shade for long
periods. Places that receive more hours of radiation during the hottest times of the day will have
higher temperatures.

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THE EFFECT OF MOUNTAINS ON RAINFALL

Mountains can bring rain to some areas by forcing air to rise and release moisture content as rain.
Mountains can also shelter other areas from storms preventing them from receiving as much rain.
We say that places on the sheltered side of a mountain are in rain shadow areas.

Activity 7: Date:

1. Why do people in mountain areas in the southern hemisphere build their houses facing
Northwards?

2. Explain how the shape of the land causes some places to receive more solar radiation than
others.

3. Make your own drawing showing the affect of mountains on rainfall.

a. Add these labels to your drawing: 500mm, 200mm, moist air, cooling, rain, drier air.
b. Write a paragraph to explain how mountains influence the amount of rainfall a place
receives.

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 HOW MOUNTAINS AFFECT WINDS:
Wind is air moving over the surface of the Earth. Mountains affect winds in three ways that have
important influences on climate.

a. FORCED ASCENT OF WIND (rise of wind)

When moist wind from the ocean blows toward a mountain, the air is forced to rise. As it rises it
cools. Its water vapour condenses to form clouds from which rain can fall. Moist air falls on the
windward side of the mountain (side where the wind is)
Diagram showing how mountains cause
relief rain.

Most rain falls Less rain falls on

on the the Leeward side
Windward
side

George Outdshoorn
770mm 244mm

b. FUNNELING OF WIND:

In winter, cold polar air flows southwards from the Arctic over Canada and America. The Rocky
Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains funnel this cold air into the central plains of America.
Some cities therefore have extremely cold winters. This flow of cold air can become strong
enough to blow away the usual warm winds over New Orleans. The record low there is -14˚C

America has mountain

ranges on the East and West
Cold Polar
Coast
Air

Cold Winds from the Poles are

funnelled down through the
centre of America and are felt
in the far South of the Country

Diagram showing how the centre of America receives cold polar air

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 c. BLOCKING OF WIND:
In winter the high Himalayan mountains shield the plain of India from the bitterly cold Siberian
winds that come from the North. The table shows how much warmer Delhi (in India) is in winter
than other cities at the same latitude but not protected by the great mountain mass of the
Himalayas.

City Symbol on map Mean Temp. January

(Winter)
Shiraz (Iran) S 6˚C
Delhi (India) D 14˚C
Wuhan (China) W 4˚C

Himalaya Mountains 30˚N

India

Diagram showing why India is warmer than other places on the same latitude

Activity 8: Date:

1. Study the diagram on page 7: How mountains cause relief rain. Write an explanation of
how mountains influence / aid in rainfall. (use the words: moist air, rises, condenses,
rain, windward, leeward)

2. Look at the diagram on page 7: Diagram showing how the centre of America
experiences cold polar air and explain how this happens.

3. Look at the diagram on page 8 showing why India is warmer than other places on the
same latitude and explain why India is warmer in winter than other places in Asia.

MOUNTAIN SLOPES AND TEMPERATURE

South Africans prefer to have a house on the northern slopes of hills and mountains as they face
the sun’s rays more directly. The diagram below shows how, in the Southern hemisphere, the
sun’s rays strike the north facing slope almost vertically at point A. These vertical beams make
the slope at A warmer than slopes B and C. At point B the sun’s rays are more widely spread out,
so south-facing slope B will be cooler than the north-facing slope. South-facing slope C is so
steep that it is always in the shadow of the mountain north of it. It will be cooler than A and B

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 B
A cool
warm C
cold

Diagram showing how different slopes influence local temperatures.

Diagram showing SOUTH AFRICA’S CLIMATE:

the physical map of
South Africa
Plateau: over
1000m

Coastal Plain

Escarpment

Fold Mountains
Coastal Plain

South Africa has places with different climates because:

•It ranges in altitude from low coastal planes to high mountains and a wide plateau
•It stretches over more than 12˚ of latitude
•It is so wide that its centre is far from the effects of the ocean
•Parts of it are influenced by different wind systems
•Its east coast is influenced by a warm current while its west coast has a cold current

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 THE PHYSICAL MAP OF SOUTH AFRICA

0 250 500km

Activity 9: Date:

1. What is the approximate width of South Africa from west to east?

2. What is the name given to the wide, flat, raised surface in the interior?
3. Which side of South Africa is highest: the east or west?
4. What are the name and altitude of the highest peak in South Africa?
5. What is the name of the mountain range of which this mountain is a part?
6. What is the name of the steep slope on the edge of the high interior plateau?
7. On which side of South Africa is the low coastal plain widest?
8. What kinds of physical features are on the northern and southern edges of the Little
Karoo?
9. What are the names of the oceans to the west and to the east of South Africa?

CLIMATE AROUND THE WORLD:

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEATHER AND CLIMATE

When we talk about the weather we are describing the condition of the atmosphere at a place
over a short period of time. E.g. yesterday it was sunny, today it is raining.

Climate on the other hand describes the usual weather of a place or of a region over a long
period of time. For example a desert has a dry climate because it receives very little rain.

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Activity 10: Date:

1. What was the temperature when Bethlehem experienced its

a) Highest temperature on record
b) Lowest temperature on record
2. Use the precipitation graph Fig 2.33
a) In which four months is the average rainfall the highest?
b) In which season are these four months?

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 ELEMENTS OF WEATHER:
Weather is made up of a number of elements: Temperature, humidity, winds and precipitation.

TEMPERATURE:

In climate and weather studies, temperature is a measure of

how hot or cold the atmosphere is. The usual way of
measuring temperature is in degrees Celsius (C̊) Temperature
influences other elements of weather like precipitation,
humidity, clouds and wind.

Temperature varies by day and by season

• Day temperatures are lowest just after sunrise and
highest one to two hours after noon.
• Monthly temperatures vary from season to season.
Temperatures are highest in summer when the
Thermometers
measure Earth’s axis is tilted towards the sun so that the sun’s
temperature heat rays are more direct and the days are longer.

HUMIDITY:

Humidity is the amount of water vapour held in the air. Cold air can hold very little water vapour so
in cold Polar Regions the humidity is low. Warm air can hold more water vapour.

WINDS:

Wind is an important element in weather and climate because:

•Winds bring warm or cool air, which affects temperature
•Winds bring moist or dry air, affecting humidity and precipitation

Wind is flowing from high pressure to low pressure.

The spinning of the earth17deflects (changes) wind
from being a direct flow
Wind is moving air, caused by differences in air pressure in the atmosphere.

•Winds blow from high pressure areas (highs) to low pressure areas (lows), but the force of
the Earth’s rotation creates another force which bends the winds off course.

Wind direction is named after the direction FROM which the wind is blowing
So Westerly wind blow FROM the west

Without using any instruments you can estimate the wind speed by looking at how it affects the
features on the land

Force Description Features on land Speed

km/hour
0 Calm Smoke rises vertically Less than 1
1 Light air Slight wind direction visible in smoke 1-5
2 Light breeze Wind felt on face, leaves rustle 6-11
3 Gentle breeze Leaves and twigs on trees move constantly, 12-19
small flags straight
4 Moderate breeze Loose papers and small branches move, big 20-29
flags extended
5 Fresh breeze Smaller trees sway, large flags flap and ripple 30-39
6 Strong breeze Large branches move, telephone wires 40-50
‘whistle’
7 Near gale Whole trees moved, effort needed to walk 51-61
against the wind
8 Gale Twigs broken from trees, difficult to walk in 62-74
wind, cars veer
9 Strong gale Buildings slightly damaged, some roof slates 75-87
blown away
10 Storm Trees blown over, considerable damage to 88-101
buildings
11 Violent storm Widespread damage to buildings 102-119
12 hurricane Most buildings damaged or destroyed 120

PRECIPITATION:

Precipitation is the word used for any of the deposits of water (in liquid or solid form) which reach
the ground from the atmosphere.

It includes:
•Precipitation which falls from the clouds as rain, snow, hail and sleet
•Precipitation which forms on the ground and on objects near the ground such as dew and
frost.

RAIN:
Rain is the most important form of precipitation for life on Earth. The total amount which falls
varies greatly
• from place to place: areas with less than 250mm of rain a year are deserts
•From season to season: some places have rain all year, some places have rain mostly or
only in one season.
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Rain is measured in a rain gauge. Readings are made at the same time every day. The amount
of rain that is received is measured in millimetres.

SNOW:
Snow is formed in clouds where the water vapour condenses at temperatures below freezing
point. The water vapour condenses directly into tiny snow crystals. These snow crystals link
together to form feathery clumps we call snowflakes.

HAIL:
Hail forms in high storm clouds where the air is churning wildly up and down. Hailstones are
pellets of ice between 5 and 50mm in diameter. They grow as ice pellets that are carried up and
down in storm clouds. On each upward journey they collect another layer of ice. The winds are
so strong in these storm clouds that an ice pellet can move up and down many times until the air
current can no longer support it. Then it falls to the ground as a hailstone.

Activity 11: Date:

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1. List the elements of weather.

2. Look at figures 1-4 above. Identify the photographs that show more than one element of
weather.

3. Name two kinds of precipitation you can see in the photographs. Give the number of the figure
and the kind of precipitation it shows.

4. Think of times when you have experienced humid weather conditions. Write a sentence to
describe how humidity feels.

KINDS OF CLIMATE

Climates vary throughout the world. Some places are hot and dry, other places are cold and wet.
The world can be divided into climatic regions, each with its own climatic conditions of
temperature and precipitation. These conditions are affected by latitude, altitude and
distance from the sea.

1. Tropical Climate:

• Occurs between the equator at 25⁰ North and 25⁰ South of the equator.
• High temperatures and high rainfall.
• Main natural vegetation is rainforests.
• Two kinds of tropical climate: wet tropical and dry tropical.
• Wet tropical climates occur closer to the equator like the Amazon in Brazil.
• Dry tropical climates occur closer to the tropics.
• They have a wet season and a dry season.

2. Subtropical climate

• Regions are further from the equator.

• There are two main seasons: summer and winter.
• KZN has a subtropical climate.

3. Temperate climate

• Mild climate.
• They do not have very high or low temperature or rainfall.
• Most rain falls in winter.

4. Desert climate

• A desert is an area that receives less than 250mm of rain a year.

• There are cold deserts and hot deserts.
• The Sahara Desert is the world’s largest hot desert.
• Antarctica is the largest cold desert.
• Lack of rainfall and extreme temperatures means that there is very little vegetation.

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5. Semi-desert climate

• The temperatures are high, and rainfall is unpredictable.

• Droughts are common.
• The Kalahari region is a semi-desert region in South Africa.
• There is a high temperature range between day and night.

6. Continental climate

• Occurs only in the northern hemisphere.

• Summers are short and winters are long.

7. Polar climate

• Occurs close to the north and south poles.

• These areas have two very separate seasons.
• The summers are short but because the days are long, there are many hours of weak
sunshine that can raise the temperature to above freezing.
• During the long winter months there are only a few hours of daylight.
• Because of the low temperatures, there is very little rainfall.

8. Mediterranean climate

• Occurs in areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

• Noted for its warm summers and cool wet winters.

MAP WITH CLIMATE REGION

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Activity 12: Date:

1. Which climate type lies on both sides of the Tropic of Cancer in North Africa?
2. Name three climate regions that are north of the Arctic Circle.
3. What type of climatic region is in Southwest Australia?
4. Which line of latitude is central to the tropical rain forest climate?
5. What kind of climate does Western Europe have?

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