Which strait separates the island of Madagascar from Africa? Mozambique, of course! This strait is considered the longest in the world, its course is very warm, which contributes to the formation of hot air masses over the island and the regions of Africa that adjoin it. The climatic conditions of Madagascar range from humid equatorial to arid tropical. The natural zones that are found here are deserts, savannas, and evergreen impenetrable jungle. Now we will examine in detail which strait separates the island of Madagascar from Africa, how it is notable and how it affects the lands that adjoin it.
General information about the strait
These waters are located in the western Indian Ocean and wash the shores of East Africa and the islands of Madagascar. In the upper part of the strait are the Comoros, consisting of lands of volcanic origin. Many of them are “completed” with corals, the smallest are completely uninhabited. The length of this strait is already 1,760 kilometers, and the width varies between 1250 - 422 kilometers. Mozambique's deepest point is located at a distance of 4250 meters from the surface of the water, but in most of the territory its depth reaches 2000 meters. The salinity of the water is about 36%.
History of education
Sarcastically, even the dinosaurs that inhabited the planet during the Jurassic period knew which strait separates the island of Madagascar from Africa. Approximately 165 million years ago, from the supercontinent Gondwana, which existed according to one of the theories, in the place where Africa is now, a piece of land broke off, which went into the ocean and became the island of Madagascar. Thus, it has been in its place for more than 100 million years. And, most importantly - does not move. The depression separating this plot of land began to form at the junction of two periods - the Jurassic and Cretaceous, and gradually filled with salt water. At the same time, the rest of the continents were separated from Gondwana - Africa became independent, the features of Hindustan were distinguished, Australia “left” far to the east. All this happened about 70 million years ago. But at the same time, the Strait of Mozambique has already existed for 60 million years.
Weather and Climate
To understand which strait separates Madagascar from Africa - cold or warm, we will consider its climatic features. Most of the winds - trade winds, come here from the African continent. The strait lies in the subequatorial and tropical strip, because both dry and wet winds sweep over it. From the East, the South Indian anticyclone blows it, which brings cooler air. Rains here begin in November and end in March, and the amount of rainfall is approximately 2000 mm per year. The air temperature does not change with the seasons and is approximately 25-28 degrees. To the same level, the surface waters of Mozambique are warmed up.
Adjoining coast - the island of Madagascar, Africa. Descriptions of the nature of the regions
Mozambique is washed by two large shores: this is the country of the same name located in Africa, and the island of Madagascar, where the autonomous state is also located. Both geographical objects lie in the humid subequatorial zone and in the tropics, and therefore nature is diverse here. The shores of Madagascar are covered with evergreen tropical jungle, the climate there is very humid and hot. Above this area, the maximum amount of precipitation is formed - up to 3000 mm, which falls mainly in the winter. In the depths of the island, forests turn into savannas and deserts. Here, as on the continent, there are typical African animals: giraffes, zebras, elephants. The situation in Mozambique is about the same. Coastal tropical thickets pass into desert territories, which are blown by trade winds and are characterized by tropical storms.
Relief and coast of Madagascar
The island, separated from Africa by the Strait of Mazambique, has a diverse relief. In the northern part, the coastline is indented with cliffs. The coast here is rocky, steep, and swamps are very common. The northwest of Madagascar is characterized by quiet bays, where the shallows stretch for tens of miles. Water warms up to a maximum at any time of the year. The southern part of the island is most suitable for a beach holiday - there are plain steppes and a gentle entrance to the sea. On the island there are mountains - Ankaratra. The heights they reach are 2500 m or more. Among the mountains there are extinct volcanoes, which, however, are still the cause of earthquakes.
Residents of the coastal areas of the Strait of Mozambique
Like the mainland - Africa - Madagascar is populated mainly by the Negroid race, mulattos, mestizos and, in rare cases, Indians. But it is worth highlighting that in the state of Mozambique, people settled much earlier than on the island. They are characterized by a great commitment to African traditions and religions. Also among them there are much more indigenous blacks than among the inhabitants of Madagascar. On the same island, the mentality is represented by various cultures, ranging from typically African to South Asian.
Summarizing
We briefly examined which strait separates the island of Madagascar from Africa. They learned what climate it is characteristic of when it was formed and what its features are. We also visited the island of Madagascar: where it is located, climate, population, topography and much more. It was possible to determine that in many ways the state of Mozambique and Madagascar are similar, but at the same time, differences, especially for local residents, play a very significant role.