b) When does rain occurs in the velds?
Answers
Answer:
Rain falls in the summer months (November to February) because of the warm ocean currents on the shores of the velds. Rain also falls in the winter months of July and and August, and there are droughts if rains are scanty.
VeldsThe temperate grasslands of South Africa are known as the velds, and they are are rolling plateaus with heights ranging from 600m to 1100m.
They are bordered by the Drakensberg Mountains on the east and the Kalahari desert in the west. In the north-eastern part are the 'high velds', with heights of up to 1600m.
The region is drained by the Orangeand the Limpopo rivers and their tributaries.
Climate
The velds have a mild climate due theinfluence of the Indian Ocean. Winters are cold and dry, and (because South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere) July is thecoldest month.
Summers are short and warm and the average temperature is 20° Celsius.
Rain falls in the summer months(November to February) because of thewarm ocean currents on the shores of the velds.
Rain also falls in the winter months ofJuly and and August, and there are droughts if rains are scanty.
Flora and Fauna
Vegetation is sparse and grasses dominate the landscape. Red grassgrows in the bush velds and trees such as accacia and maroola grow in the high velds.
The main animals seen in the velds arelions, leopards, cheetahs, and kudus.
People
There is little fertile land because grasses don't grow everywhere and the land is barren due to exposure to the sun. So no agriculture happens in most of the region and the main work is cattle rearing and mining.
In some fertile areas, crops such as maize, wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes, and cash crops such as tobacco, sugarcane, and cotton are grown.
Sheep rearing is the most important occupation. Sheep are mainly reared for wool, especially for the wool of the merino sheep which is very warm, and there is a well-developed wool industry in South Africa.
Dairy farming is the next important occupation, and cattle are reared in the wetter parts of the velds where butter, cheese, etc. are produced for local and international markets.
The area has rich deposits of minerals such as iron, coal, diamonds, gold, etc., and Johannesberg is known as the 'Gold Capital of the World'.
Kimberly is famous for its diamond mines, and its mineral-rich areas have an excellent system of transportation. The mining of gold and diamonds in South Africa led to the development of trade ties with Britain, but it then became a very poor British colony.
Explanation:
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