Droughts and their impact on African river revenues

Abstract

The continent of Africa differs from other continents in that the equator almost divides it into two nearly equal halves, extending north to latitude 375°N at Cape Bon in Tunisia, and south to latitude 345°N at Mount Aguelhos in the Republic of South Africa.
The Tropic of Cancer passes through its northern half, and the Tropic of Capricorn through its southern half, so about 77% of the continent's area lies between the two tropics, and for this reason it is truly a tropical continent, with all types of tropical climates: equatorial, Sudanese, monsoon, and desert.
This has resulted in the parts where a temperate climate prevails being very limited and concentrated in the northern and southern edges of the continent where the Mediterranean climate is found.
This location, in relation to latitudes, plays an important role in exposing large areas of the continent to severe waves of drought, both north and south of the equator, as a result of the movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) according to the apparent movement of the sun in January and July. In addition to this, in recent years the human factor has been added, and all scientists have realized that the latter factor is the main reason for the worsening of drought in Africa. It is true that natural factors were responsible for the occurrence of drought in the past, but the combination of the two sets of factors is responsible for the increase in drought and the spread of famine in Africa in recent decades.