The Western IslesBoard

Climate, Geography and Biomes

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Climate varies greatly within Mênna Shuli. Most of the nation is comprised of tropical and sub-tropical savanna, which becomes wetter the further south and east one travels. Vênimi Huta, the mountains in the northwest, form a windbreak, which creates an extremely dry, arid area in their shelter, the Vêshêkâsuhwa Kilâm (Glass Sands) Desert. In the mountain highlands, temperatures range between 10 and 20 °C (50 and 68 °F) during cold and hot seasons respectively. The desert region has diurnal temperature ranges near 30 °C. The high temperatures are a result of the high sun angles throughout the year and having the highest percentage of sunshine of any climate. No month has an average temperature below 18°C (64.4°F) and many places have consecutive average monthly temperatures in the mid 30°s Celsius (90°F). Daytime temperatures can reach 50°C (120°F) at low elevation inland deserts.

Altitudes in the savanna range from 920 to 1,850 metres (3,020 to 6,070 ft) with mean temperatures varying from 15 to 25 °C (59 to 77 °F). Although the climate is usually warm and dry, rainfall occurs in two rainy seasons: March to May, and a shorter season in October and November. Rainfall amounts vary from a low of 508 millimetres (20 in) to a high of 1,200 millimetres (47 in). The highlands, which are considerably cooler than the plains and are covered by montane forest, mark the eastern border of the basin in which the savanna lies. The rest of the country has temperatures rarely falling lower than 20 °C (68 °F). The hottest period extends between May to August (25–31 °C or 77.0–87.8 °F) while the coldest period occurs between November and February (15–20 °C or 59–68 °F). Annual temperature is 20 °C (68.0 °F). The climate is cool in high mountainous regions.

In Köppen climate classification, the savanna is classified "Aw", the mountains are "BSh", the desert is "BWh", the rainforest is "Af", and the coast is "Am".

The mountains in northwestern Mênna Shuli are volcanic and active. With seismic activity is fairly frequent, eruptions are less so. The last major eruption occurred in 1788, when Ê Nimitihê exploded. This resulted in irrevocable changes to the mountain landscape, taking Ê Nimitihê from the tallest mountain in the nation to the second tallest as a result of a loss of 1100 feet due to the resultant crater. Where once the mountain stood at 4,562 ft, it now stands at 3441 ft, second to Ê Nimimina.

Interestingly, inselbergs are common across the entire nation, regardless of biome. Some scientists theorize that these massive rocks were abandoned at ice withdrawal after the last major ice age, while others suggest that seismic forces have either transported these stones or forced them upwards from beneath. Regardless, the "travelling stones", as they are referred to in many local cultures, are an interesting throughpoint across the nation's diverse ecosystems.

The shallow seas around the country are home to large and varied reef ecosystems, and the water is noted for its surprising warmth. Beyond the reefs, drop-off into trenches are steep.

Flora and Fauna

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Mênna Shuli is known for its abundance of wildlife and high biodiversity, the greatest range of which exists in the Mennan Savanna. Hundreds of species exist across the biomes and ecosystems of the nation. The most notable in the savanna include lions, elephants, ibex, crocodiles, ostriches, flamingos, wildebeest, hyenas, chimpanzees, baboons and more. The eastern rainforest is also dense with various species, most notably the Mênnan orangutan. The seas around Mênna Shuli are home to thousands of species of fish, marine mammals, invertebrates and marine predators, especially in its reefs, of which the various breeds of shark are the most iconic.

Savanna Wildlife
Predators: Black Mamba, Black-Necked Spitting Cobra, Cheetah, Crocodile, Honey Badger, Jackals, Leopard, Lion, Martial Eagles, Mongoose, Otter, Puff Adder, Python, Serval, Spotted Hyena, Striped Hyena, Wild Dog, Wolf

Large Mammals: Black Rhinoceros, Buffalo, Bushbuck, Coke's Hartebeest, Common Eland, Dik-Dik, Elephant, Fringe-Eared Oryx, Gazelle (Thomson's and Grant's), Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Ibex, Impala, Klipspringer, Lesser Kudu, Roan Antelope, Topi, Warthog, Waterbuck, Wildebeest, Zebra

Small Mammals: Aardvark, Aardwolf, Bat-eared Fox, Cape Hare, Crested Porcupine, Ground Pangolin, Hyrax

Primates: Baboons, Black-and-White Colobus, Chimpanzee, Patas Monkey, Vervet Monkey

Birds: Crowned Crane, Kori Bustards, Helmeted Guineafowl, Lesser Flamingo, Lovebird, Marabou Stork, Ostrich, Oxpecker, Secretarybird, Southern Ground Hornbill, Vulture, Yellow-Billed Stork

Reptiles: Chameleon, Leopard Tortoise, Nile Monitor, Rainbow Agama, Serrated Hinged Terrapin

Savanna Plantlife
Balanites, Candelabra Euphorbia, Commiphora, El-Nino Flower, Mexican Poppy, Pan Dropseed, Red Dropseed, Red Grass, Sausage Tree, Strangle Fig, Toothbrush Tree, Umbrella Tree, Whistling Thorn, Wild Date Palm, Yellow Fever Tree

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Desert Wildlife
Predators: Black-Backed Jackal, Desert Hawk, Desert Lion, Hyena

Large Mammals: Desert Elephant, Oryx, Springbok

Small Mammals: Golden Mole, Kangaroo Rats, Meerkats

Birds: Ostrich

Reptiles: Barking Geckos, Desert Viper

Desert Plantlife
Camelthorn, Ringwood, Spiny Cladoraphis, Welwitschia

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