Nigeria is located in western Africa and lies between latitudes 4

2.4.3 Guinea Savanna

The Guinea Savannah, located in the middle of the country, is the most extensive ecological zone in Nigeria, covering near half of the country. This zone consists of the larger part of the savannah zone and is sometimes divided into the Southern Guinea Savannah and Northern Guinea Savannah. It is the broadest vegetation zone in the country and it occupies almost half of its area. It is a belt of mixture of trees and tall grasses in the South, with shorter grasses and less trees in the North. The Guinea Savannah, with its typically short trees and tall grasses, is the most luxuriant of the Savannah vegetation belts in Nigeria (figure 3).

The Guinea savannah is characterized by grasses such as Pennisetum, Andropogon, Panicum, Chloris, Hyparrhenia, Paspalum and Melinis.

In the Northern Guinea Savannah species such as Isoberlinia doka and I. tomentosa form the bulk of the scattered woodland. Also found are Locust Bean trees (Parkia filicoidea), Shea Butter trees (Butyrospermum parkii) and Mangoes (Mangifera indica). Comparatively, there are fewer trees in the Northern Guinea Savannah than in the Southern Guinea Savannah and the trees are not as tall as those found in the Southern Guinea Savannah. Most of the tall grasses found in the derived Guinea Savannah, are also found in the Guinea Savannah, however, they are less luxuriant. The appearance of this zone differs from season to season. During the rainy season, the whole zone is green and covered with tall grasses that grow and reach maturity rapidly and thus become fibrous and tough. In the dry season they tend to die and disappear and one can see for kilometers without obstruction. This clearing is due to several periodical bush-burning that occurs during the dry season between November and April, carried out to either assist in farm clearance or hunting.

Figure 3: Guinea Savanna

2.4.4 Sudan Savanna

North of the zone of the Guinea savanna the amount of precipitation decreases to 500-1000 mm and the dry period lasts more than six-seven months, and a zone of Sudanese savanna with a dense but low grass cover is located.

A distinctive appearance of the landscape is given by different types of acacia with an umbellate crown and thorny bushes(figure 4).

It is difficult to imagine the Sudanese savanna without baobabs. Next to them, you can meet the palms of doom, the whale, the whitish acacia, which sheds the leaves in the wet season, and during the draught is covered with fresh leaves serving as food for animals.

Generally, natural conditions of the Sudanese savanna are favorable for the progress of agriculture and animal farming. Herds of sheep, cattle, and goats graze on vast pastures. Relative to the dryness of the climate, there is no tsetse fly here. figure 4 :Sudan Savanna