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Question

Difficulty: Very hardBiomes and Aquatic/Terrestrial Habitats

Arrange the following Nigerian ecological vegetation zones in sequence from the zone receiving the lowest mean annual precipitation to the zone receiving the highest mean annual precipitation.

  1. 1Sahel Savanna
  2. 2Sudan Savanna
  3. 3Southern Guinea Savanna
  4. 4Tropical Rainforest
  5. 5Mangrove Swamp Forest

Answer

The correct sequence from lowest to highest mean annual rainfall is: Sahel Savanna, Sudan Savanna, Southern Guinea Savanna, Tropical Rainforest, and Mangrove Swamp Forest.
In Nigeria, mean annual rainfall follows a steep gradient running from South to North. The coastal Mangrove Swamp Forest receives the highest rainfall (>2500 mm per year), followed by the southern inland Tropical Rainforest (1500–2500 mm). Moving into the savanna belts, the Southern Guinea Savanna receives 1000–1500 mm, the Sudan Savanna receives 500–1000 mm, and the northernmost Sahel Savanna receives the lowest rainfall (<500 mm). Thus, the correct sequence from lowest to highest rainfall begins with Sahel Savanna and ends with Mangrove Swamp Forest.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the latitudinal climatic gradient across Nigeria from North to South.
Identified that annual precipitation increases consistently from the arid northern border down to the Atlantic coastal south.
The moisture-laden Maritime Tropical air mass brings rain from the Atlantic Ocean, depositing maximum rainfall at the coast and diminishing inland toward the north.
2
Assign mean annual precipitation ranges to each specified ecological zone.
Sahel (<500 mm) < Sudan (500–1000 mm) < Southern Guinea (1000–1500 mm) < Rainforest (1500–2500 mm) < Mangrove (>2500 mm).
Vegetation structure directly reflects the moisture availability across these ecological belts.
3
Sequence the items incrementally according to precipitation values.
The final ordered sequence progresses from Sahel Savanna to Sudan Savanna, Southern Guinea Savanna, Tropical Rainforest, and lastly Mangrove Swamp Forest.
This establishes the strict progression requested by the prompt.

Key Concept

Nigerian ecological zones and environmental precipitation gradients
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Topics

Biomes and Aquatic/Terrestrial Habitats

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