Sudan

ScienceFactoid

Country: Sudan

Investigation: Climate Change 

The climate of a country can be very much determined by it’s location on the world but it mostly depends upon the latitude of the country. Sudan situated in Africa, is placed above the Equator, where the sunlight shines directly on it. Since the Earth is tilted due to its spinning on its own axis, the sunlight spreads over the lower part of the Earth, causing the sunlight to be weaker than the energy directed in the smaller area of the nothern part of the Earth. With more concentrated sunlight more on the Nothern Hemisphere and the Equator, Sudan is clearly vulnerable to the sun since the country is just above the Equator at 0°. It also lies within the  tropic of cancer (23.5°).

Sudan is extended between latitude 3°53′ N and 21°55′ N and longitude 21°54′ E and 38° 30′ E.

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The mean daily Temperature is 27.1 °C in January and 40.9 °C in June. The capital of Sudan, Khartoum, has a temperature average about 81°F (27°C).

Due to Sudan’s latitude of being just above the Equator, this effects very much of Sudan’s climate including affecting seasonal rainfall and the yearly seasons. Winter and autumn has never occured and with rainfall occuring rarely. Throughout the year, it is mostly summer in Sudan, being constantly arid and hot. With the Earth being tilted, most countries in the Southern Hemisphere is in daylight whilst most countries in the Nothern Hemisphere are in night time unless the countries are near the Equator. If a country in the Southern Hemisphere such as Australia is at daylight, Sudan is at daylight as well since the country is settled so close the Equator and the Earth is tilted. If Sudan is in daylight, a country further away from the Equator such as Germany would be in nighttime. Of course, the Earth doesn’t stay in the same position forever since the Earth rotates so as the Earth rotates, the daytime and nighttime changes quite slowly. If Germany is at nighttime, Sudan is at daytime even if both the countries are in the Northern Hemisphere. Germany’s latitude is far from the Equator itself whilst Sudan’s latitude is closer to the Equator. If Australia is at daytime then Sudan would follow it’s example. Being near to the Equator results to very a torrid weather.

Climate change has occured in the course of ten year in Sudan. Summers have been excessively scorching. It has been said that the average annual temperature in Sudan have gone up at least 10° in every region.

Sudan, despite being settled near to the water, has faced countless economic proplems due to the climate. With the water being scant and seasonal rainfall being quite rare, Sudan has faced water scarcity. Water scarcity not only affects the people themselves, being unable to shower, drink but they are unable to tend to the crops. With the climate being mostly hot and dry, this has affected the land, causing desertification and the seasonal rainfall, causing rarity of water. Women are subjected to walk 2-3 kilometers to reach fresh water everyday and sometimes, along the way, many of them are raped and injured by the rebel groups of Sudan.

These factors have hindered the country’s growth and development. The effects of climate change have also threatened many livelihoods of the Sudanese especially those depending on agriculture. Prolonged drought and desertification looms over regions in Sudan which destroyed vegetation. These two results which have been caused by the climate has affected the people themselves and the loss of biodiversity. Most of Sudan’s trades with the other countries (such as gum) revolve around the materials created with the crops though most of the crops have died out and lands have turned dry due to desertification. Without the seasonal rainfall, the ecosystem of Sudan has spun out of control. Sudan had made the world weather records with the lowest yearly average rainfall in Wadt Hadt the amount of rainfall was 3mm/0.1in.Animals will soon cease to exist in Sudan due to starvation and water for most of Sudan’s lands are dry and sandy. The southern part of Sudan is less dry than expected with small plains and swamps which are at the process of dying out. Many of the Sudanese people have confronted one another and have conflicted one another for land and water, it has even been suspected that due to water scarcity and the deforestation of land, the Darfur genocide was the result. The UN secretary general stated that -“Darfur is also an environmental crisis — a conflict that grew at least in part from desertification, ecological degradation and a scarcity of resources, foremost among them water.” Therefore, the country is not able to grow economically, socially, or physically.

reference:

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/weather/266/cities/Africa/Sudan.html

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