<P> Due to Africa's position across equatorial and subtropical latitudes in both the northern and southern hemisphere, several different climate types can be found on the continent of Africa . Africa mainly lies within the intertropical zone between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn . Only the northernmost and the southernmost fringes of the continent have a Mediterranean climate . Because of this geographical situation, Africa is a hot continent as the solar radiation intensity is always high . Thus, warm and hot climates prevails all over Africa but the northern part is the most marked part by aridity and high temperatures . The climate of Africa is a range of climates such as the equatorial climate, the tropical wet and dry climate, the tropical monsoon climate, the semi-desert climate (semi-arid), the desert climate (hyper - arid and arid), the subtropical highland climate etc . Temperate climates remain rare through the continent except at very high elevations and along the fringes . In fact, the climate of Africa is more dependent to rainfall amount than to temperatures as they are consistently high . African deserts are the sunniest and the driest parts of the continent due to the prevailing presence of the subtropical ridge with subsiding, hot, dry air masses . Africa holds many heat - related records: the continent has the hottest extended region year - round, the areas with the hottest summer climate, the highest sunshine duration etc . </P> <P> Globally, heating of the earth near the equator leads to large amounts of upward motion and convection along the monsoon trough or Intertropical convergence zone . The divergence over the near - equatorial trough leads to air rising and moving away from the equator aloft . As it moves towards the Mid-Latitudes, the air cools and sinks, which leads to subsidence near the 30th parallel of both hemispheres . This circulation is known as the Hadley cell and leads to the formation of the subtropical ridge . Many of the world's deserts are caused by these climatological high - pressure areas, including the Sahara Desert . </P>

What are the 4 climate zones of africa