The savanna is one region in Nigeria that is covered with grasses and surrounded by forests. The savanna aside from being home to animals also serves as the site for tourist attractions. In this article, the types of savanna in Nigeria would be discussed extensively.
The types of savanna in Nigeria would be addressed below:
-
Sudan Savanna
The Sudan savanna is a type of savanna found in Nigeria. You can find the Sudan savanna in the northern part of the Guinea savanna. This savanna is known for Its prolonged dry season that lasts up to seven months. The Sudan savanna is a savanna that consists of low grasses, scrubs, and quite several amazing short trees. These trees include baobabs, acacia, whale, the palms of doom, and the white acacia, among others. The acacia trees always have thorny bushes with an umbrella look. The white acacia tree leaves on the other hand always serve as feed for ruminant animals. Their leaves are also shed during the rainy season and blossom during the dry season.
You can find the Sudan savanna in the Northwestern, Northeastern, and North Central states in Northern Nigeria. You can also find farmers and nomadic farmers who rear livestock such as goats, sheep, and cattle. This is because the region is perfect for animal husbandry and farming. The farmers there grow crops that can yield and produce well during drought and dry seasons. These crops include corn, millet, groundnut, and sorghum, among others. The reason these crops are suitable to be grown in the Sudan savanna is that they do not require much rainfall. The Sudan savanna is home to grazing animals. It is not unusual to see animals feeding on the expanse of land.
-
Guinea Savanna
The Guinea savanna is a type of savanna that consists of tall grasses. This region is home to big animals due to the presence of tall grasses. The Guinea savanna is known to have a few dispersed tall trees. These trees include isoberlina, dum palm, oil palm, mitragyna, and shea butter, among others. The rainfall in the Guinea savanna is often within the range of about 1400 mm yearly. There is always an annual fire outbreak in this region as a result of the weather. The outcome of this fire is the obvious appearance of the trees in the region. A few of them have twisted trunks.
The trees in the Guinea savanna do not blossom during a part of the dry season. During the hottest part of the dry season, the fire occurs burning the dry grasses and thus preparing the land for the plants that would be planted. The trees and plants then blossom at the absorption of the first rain of the year. The trees in the Guinea savanna are also deciduous with obvious hard barks. Their roots are tap roots. The leaves of the trees are always tiny looking. It is a common sight to see the grasses in the Guinea savanna looking green and fresh during the rainy season and then brown and dry during the dry season.
The Guinea savanna in Nigeria is known to be home to farmers of rice. As much as the soil in the region has limited organic matter and a rough-looking surface, this can be managed by the application of organic and inorganic manure or fertilizer. Ondo, Kwara, Osun, and Oyo states, some Southwestern states are the states where the Guinea savanna can be found in Nigeria. Other states include parts of Kogi, Kaduna and Benue.
Other trees that one can find in the Guinea savanna include Afzelia Africana, slide, vitex doniana, hymenocardia, and Daniellia oliveri. You can find guinea fowl, Snakes, deer, grasshoppers, and rats in the Guinea savanna. You can also find grasses like pennisetum, andropogan, and hypomania.
-
Sahel Savanna
The Sahel savanna is a savanna that is found in the northern part of the Guinea savanna. You can find the Nigerian Sahel savanna in parts of the Yobe and Borno states. The vegetation in the Sahel savanna is always dry. This savanna does not have an adequate amount of rainfall. This is because the rainy season does not last long. This is the reason why the grasses and the plants in the region are always short. They include plants like African myrrh and Acacia radiant.
The Sahel savanna is known to have trees with relatively narrow leaves. The trees are also thorny. There is also the presence of scattered shrubs. It is a common sight for fire outbreaks to occur in the Sahel savanna. This is a result of the extremely hot weather. The grasses and the leaves of the trees in this region are always green and fresh during the short rainy season and extremely dry and brown during the dry season. During these fire outbreaks, it is only the parts of the grasses on the earth’s surface that get affected by the fire. The parts of the grasses below the ground are unaffected and they sprout and grow during the rainy season.
In the Sahel savanna, animals like antelope, Buffalo, elephants, bush cows, and others can be found. Other plants that can be found in the Sahel savanna region include plants like leptodenia, balanites, panicum, date palsete, Pennisetum, stipoides, and many others. Normally, there are periodic droughts and food shortages in the Sahel savanna due to a lack of adequate rainfall in the region.
The savanna region in Nigeria plays a vital role in the Nigerian economy. They do not only provide food for animals, but they also provide food for humans. Food like maize, rice, groundnut, and millet are grown in this region thereby providing food for humans. The animals in the savanna region of Nigeria also serve as meat for us. Another important thing the savanna does for us is that the savanna provides wood used for construction. They provide the wood used in the manufacture of tool handles and canoes used for fishing and transportation. Also, the wood from the trees in the savanna is used to build yam barns and fence the rural areas.