Geography of Nigeria - wikipedia

 Geography of Nigeria

 Jump to : navigation , search Location of Nigeria Nigeria map of Köppen climate classification . Satellite image of Nigeria

 Nigeria is a country in West Africa . Nigeria shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west , Chad and Cameroon in the east , and Niger in the north . Its coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the south and it borders Lake Chad to the northeast . Noted geographical features in Nigeria include the Adamawa highlands , Mambilla Plateau , Jos Plateau , Obudu Plateau , the Niger River , River Benue and Niger Delta .

 Nigeria is found in the Tropics , where the climate is seasonally damp and very humid . Nigeria is affected by four climate types ; these climate types are distinguishable , as one moves from the southern part of Nigeria to the northern part of Nigeria through Nigeria 's middle belt .

 Contents

 ( hide )

 1 Climate types found in Nigeria

 2 Seasons

 3 Trade winds

 3.1 Tropical maritime airmass

 3.2 Tropical continental airmass

 3.2. 1 Effects of the tropical continental airmass

 4 Temperature

 5 Topography

 6 Niger Delta

 6.1 Vegetation of the Niger Delta

 6.2 Human population in the Niger Delta

 6.3 Rainfall in Niger Delta

 7 Vegetation

 8 Natural resources and land use

 9 Extreme points

 10 References

 Climate types found in Nigeria ( edit )

 The tropical monsoon climate , designated by the Köppen climate classification as `` Am '' , is found in the southern part of the country . This climate is influenced by the monsoons originating from the South Atlantic ocean , which is brought into the country by the ( maritime tropical ) MT airmass , a warm moist sea to land seasonal wind . Its warmth and high humidity gives it a strong tendency to ascend and produce copious rainfall , which is a result of the condensation of water vapour in the rapidly rising air .

 The Tropical monsoon climate has a very small temperature range . Then temperature ranges are almost constant throughout the year , for example , Warri town in the southern part of Nigeria , records a maximum of 28 ° C ( 82.4 ° F ) for its hottest month while its lowest temperature is 26 ° C ( 78.8 ° F ) in its coldest month . The temperature difference of Warri town is not more than 2 ° C ( 5 ° F ) .

 The southern part of Nigeria experiences heavy and abundant rainfall . These storms are usually convectional in nature due to the regions proximity , to the equatorial belt . The annual rainfall received in this region is very high , usually above the 2,000 mm ( 78.7 in ) rainfall totals giving for tropical rainforest climates worldwide . Over 4,000 mm ( 157.5 in ) of rainfall is received in the coastal region of Nigeria around the Niger delta area . Bonny town found in the coastal region of the Niger delta area in southern Nigeria receives well over 4,000 mm ( 157.5 in ) of rainfall annually . The rest of the southeast receives between 2,000 and 3,000 mm ( 118.1 in ) of rain per year .

 The southern region of Nigeria experiences a double rainfall maxima characterised by two high rainfall peaks , with a short dry season and a longer dry season falling between and after each peaks . The first rainy season begins around March and last to the end of July with a peak in June , this rainy season is followed by a short dry break in August known as the August break which is a short dry season lasting for two to three weeks in August . This break is broken by the short rainy season starting around early September and lasting to Mid October with a peak period at the end of September . The ending of the short rainy season in October is followed by long dry season . This period starts from late October and lasts till early March with peak dry conditions between early December and late February .

 The tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate , is extensive in area and covers most of Western Nigeria to central Nigeria beginning from the Tropical rainforest climate boundary in southern Nigeria to the central part of Nigeria , where it exerts enormous influence on the region .

 This climate , the tropical savanna climate exhibits a well marked rainy season and a dry season with a single peak known as the summer maximum due to its distance from the equator . Temperatures are above 18 ° C ( 64 ° F ) throughout the year . Abuja , Nigeria 's capital city found in central Nigeria , has a temperature range of 18.45 ° C ( 65.21 ° F ) to 36.9 ° C ( 98.4 ° F ) , and an annual rainfall of about 1,500 mm ( 59.1 in ) with a single rainfall maxima in September .

 The single Dry season experienced in this climate , the tropical savanna climate in central Nigeria beginning from December to march , is hot and dry with the Harmattan wind , a continental tropical ( CT ) airmass laden with dust from the Sahara Desert prevailing throughout this period .

 With the Intertropical Convergence Zone ( ITCZ ) swinging northward over West Africa from the Southern Hemisphere in April , heavy showers coming from pre-monsoonal convective clouds mainly in the form of squall lines also known as the north easterlies formed mainly as a result of the interactions of the two dominant airmasses in Nigeria known as the Maritime tropical ( south westerlies ) and the Continental tropical ( north easterlies ) , begins in central Nigeria while the Monsoons from the south atlantic ocean arrives in central Nigeria in July bringing with it high humidity , heavy cloud cover and heavy rainfall which can be daily occurrence lasting till September when the monsoons gradually begin retreating southward to the southern part of Nigeria. Rainfall totals in central Nigeria varies from 1,100 mm ( 43.3 in ) in the lowlands of the river Niger Benue trough to over 2,000 mm ( 78.7 in ) along the south western escarpment of the Jos Plateau .

 The Sahel climate or tropical dry climate , is the predominant climate type in the northern part of Nigeria . Annual rainfall totals are lower compared to the southern and central part of Nigeria . The rainy season in the northern part of Nigeria last for only three to four months ( June -- September ) . The rest of the year is hot and dry with temperatures climbing as high as 40 ° C ( 104.0 ° F ) .

 Alpine climate or highland climate or mountain climate are found on highlands regions in Nigeria . Highlands with the alpine climate in Nigeria , are well over 1,520 metres ( 4,987 ft ) above sea level . Due to their location in the tropics , this elevation is high enough to reach the temperate climate line in the tropics thereby giving the highlands , mountains and the plateau regions standing above this height , a cool mountain climate .

 Seasons ( edit )

 Nigeria , like the rest of West Africa and other tropical lands , has only two seasons . These are the dry season and the rainy season . The dry season is accompanied by a dust laden airmass from the Sahara Desert , locally known as Harmattan , or by its main name , The Tropical Continental ( CT ) airmass , while the rainy season is heavily influenced by an airmass originating from the south atlantic ocean , locally known as the south west wind , or by its main name , The Tropical Maritime ( MT ) airmass . These two major wind systems in Nigeria are known as the trade winds .

 Trade winds ( edit )

 Tropical Maritime airmass ( edit )

 The tropical maritime airmass ( MT ) is responsible for Nigeria 's rainy season . This wind ( the tropical maritime airmass ) invades the country from February in the southern part of Nigeria while it takes longer for the wind to fully cover the whole of the country , reaching the northern part of Nigeria in June . Its invasion is as a result of the northward retreat , of the tropical continental airmass ( CT ) known as the harmattan . The northward retreat of the tropical continental airmass ( CT ) , is caused by the sun 's northward shift from the tropic of capricorn in the southern hemisphere to the tropic of cancer in the northern hemisphere . This shift begins from February and ends in June , when the sun is fully overhead , at the tropic of cancer in the northern hemisphere .

 During this northward migration of the sun as a result of the earth tilting along its axis , the sun crosses the equator ( around March ) , moving over west Africa at this time on its journey to the northern hemisphere . West Africa comes directly under the sun at this time . The sun is overhead throughout west Africa and over Nigeria during this period of the sun 's northward migration to the tropic of cancer in the northern hemisphere .

 The whole of West Africa is heated intensely as result of the increased insolation received from the sun being overhead over west Africa . Temperatures can climb as high as 35 ° C ( 95.0 ° F ) over west Africa during this time . Temperatures in the northern part of Nigeria can go as high as 48 ° C ( 118.4 ° F ) in cities like Maiduguri .

 The high temperatures coupled with an increase in insolation causes a region of low pressure to develop over west Africa and Nigeria ( between March to May ) . The Tropical continental airmass ( CT ) from the Sahara Desert in the northern part of West Africa , is weakened due to the overheating of the land surface in west Africa and Nigeria at this time . The Tropical continental airmass ( CT ) begins to retreat northwards to the Sahara Desert due to massive heating of the land which transfers heat in the form of convection into the Tropical continental airmass ( CT ) which constitutes the main layer of air above the land . This transfer of heat in the Tropical continental airmass ( CT ) in turn , causes the wind to expand and become lighter as this is the normal behaviour for winds moving above intensely heated grounds . The Tropical continental airmass ( CT ) loses its strength as a major airmass in the region of west Africa and over Nigeria at this time ( around February in the southern part of Nigeria to June in northern Nigeria ) and begins to retreat coupled with the rising of air in form of convection within this airmass ( Tropical continental airmass ( CT ) ) , further weakening the dominance of the wind over west Africa and Nigeria . The Tropical continental airmass ( CT ) finally retreats from most part of Nigeria , and the West African atmosphere around April to May , leaving an empty atmosphere over Nigeria . The sun 's rays enters into the atmosphere of Nigeria more intense than it does during the presence of the Tropical continental airmass , which contained dust ( in form of haze ) that reduced the intensity of the sun . The overheating of the west Africa land mass and Nigeria in particular creates a low pressure region over west Africa and Nigeria . This low pressure zone attracts the Tropical Maritime Airmass ( MT ) from the south Atlantic Ocean since areas of low pressures experiences inward blowing winds because winds are moving air blowing outwards from regions of high pressure to regions of low pressure .

 The Tropical Maritime Airmass is a warm humid and unstable trade wind due to its warmth . Convectional currents are easily set up within the airmass whenever there is little instability in the airmass as a result of a slight to a very high orographic uplift in mountainous regions like the obudu plateau or the heating of the land which can trigger the formation of cumulonimbus cloud leading to thunderstorms within the airmass .

 During the dominance of the Tropical Maritime Airmass ( MT ) in the rainy season of Nigeria , mornings are bright and sunny , the sun 's heating of the land in the mornings and afternoons sets up convectional currents , these currents rise vertically and cumulonimbus clouds are formed , by afternoons to evenings , torrential downpour follows .

 The Easterly wave or the African easterly waves is another major contributor of rainfall during the summer monsoons months of May to September in Nigeria .

 The nature of this waves changes at about the 15 degrees line . The waves that pass south of this line carry moisture and create convection that leads to rain clouds . Nigeria 's northern end is south of the 15 degrees line at about 14 degrees . Nigeria 's location in the wetter part of the easterly waves south of the 15 degree line creates wetter climatic conditions for Nigeria especially during the monsoons .

 Tropical continental airmass ( edit )

 The Tropical Continental Airmass ( CT ) locally known as the harmattan , is a wind originating from North Africa which crosses the Sahara Desert into west Africa to Nigeria . This airmass dominates Nigeria 's climate during the dry season from December to March . The Tropical continental airmass is dusty and creates a haze within the atmosphere of west Africa and Nigeria when it predominates . The haze is as a result of the dust within the airmass limiting visibility and blocking much of the sun 's rays from reaching the earth .

 Effects of the tropical continental airmass ( edit )

 The mass has no ability of forming rain due to low humidity within the airmass , since it crosses the Sahara Desert , it picks up dust instead of water thereby creating little chances for rainfall .

 The airmass makes life difficult as a result of low visibility which hampers transportation . The dust haze creates an almost desert conditions in the country during the dominance of the Tropical continental airmass ( the harmattan ) . But its coming brings some relief to farmers since the low humidity present in the air quickens the drying of their crops .

 Temperature ( edit )

 Nigeria 's location in the tropics has given her a tropical hot climate . Temperatures in Nigeria vary according to the seasons of the year as with other lands found in the tropics . Nigeria 's seasons are determined by rainfall with rainy season and dry season being the major seasons in Nigeria .

 The rainy season of Nigeria brings in cooler weather to the country as a result of an increased cloud cover that acts as a blockage to the intense sunshine of the tropics by blocking much of the suns rays in the rainy season ; this in turn cools the land , and the winds above the ground remains cool thereby making for cooler temperatures during the rainy season . But afternoons in the rainy season can be hot and humid , a feature of tropical climates . In the rainy season it is damp , and the rainfalls are usually abundant .

 The dry season of Nigeria is a period of little cloud cover in the southern part of Nigeria to virtually no cloud cover in the northern part of Nigeria . The sun shines through the atmosphere with little obstructions from the clear skies making the dry season in Nigeria a period of warm weather conditions.In the middle of the dry season around December , a dusty wind from the Sahara Desert called the harmattan enters Nigeria from the northeastern part of the country blocking sun rays partially from shining and also creating haze in the atmosphere , this activities of the wind lowers temperatures considerably saving inhabitants for sometime , from the scorching heat that would have occurred as a result of clearer skies during the dry season . But with the withdrawal of this wind around March to April following the onset of the rainy season , temperatures can go as high as 44 ° C ( 111.2 ° F ) in some parts of Nigeria .

 Semi temperate weather conditions prevail on the highlands in central Nigeria above 1,200 metres ( 3,937 ft ) above sea level , namely the Jos Plateau . Temperatures on the Jos plateau ranges between 21 ° C to 25 ° C which are cool all year round .

 Temperate weather conditions occur on the highlands along the Nigeria Cameroon border , in the eastern part of Nigeria . Highlands in these region attain an average height of more than 1,524 m ( 5,000 ft ) to some standing above 2,000 metres ( 6,562 ft ) above sea level . The climate on these highlands is temperate all year round . The major highlands in this region are the Obudu Plateau above 1,584 m ( 5,197 ft ) , Mambilla Plateau above 1,524 m ( 5,000 ft ) and Mt Chappal Waddi above 2,000 m ( 6,562 ft ) .

 Topography ( edit )

 Topography of Nigeria

 Nigeria 's most expansive topographical region is that of the valleys of the Niger and Benue River valleys ( which merge into each other and form a `` y '' shaped confluence at Lokoja ) . Plains rise to the north of the valleys . To the southwest of the Niger there is `` rugged '' highland , and to the southeast of the Benue hills and mountains are found all the way to the border with Cameroon . Coastal plains are found in both the southwest and the southeast .

 Niger Delta ( edit )

 This section needs expansion . You can help by adding to it . ( January 2011 )

 The Niger Delta is located in the southern part of Nigeria . It is one of the world 's largest arcuate fan - shaped river deltas .

 The riverine area of the Niger Delta is a coastal belt of swamps bordering the Atlantic ocean . The swamps are vegetated tidal flats formed by a reticulate pattern of interconnected meandering creeks and distributaries of the River Niger .

 Vegetation of the Niger Delta ( edit )

 The vegetation of the Niger Delta consist mainly of forest swamps . The forest are of two types , nearest the sea is a belt of saline / brackish Mangrove swamp separated from the sea by sand beach ridges within the mangrove swamp . Numerous sandy islands occur with fresh water vegetation . Fresh water swamps gradually supersede the mangrove on the landward side . About 70 % of Nigeria 's crude oil and gas production is from the area .

 Human population in the Niger Delta ( edit )

 This section needs expansion . You can help by adding to it . ( January 2011 )

 The riverine area is home to a large population of people living mainly in small villages scattered along the banks of rivers and creeks .

 Rainfall in Niger Delta ( edit )

 Rainfall in the coastal belt of the Niger Delta is heavy due to the closeness of the Delta region to the equator . Annual rainfall totals vary from 2400 to over 4000 millimeters .

 Niger Delta cities and their annually rainfall totals in millimeters :

 Warri -- 2,730 mm

 Forcados ( coastal town in the Niger Delta ) -- 4,870 mm

 Port Harcourt -- 2,400 mm

 Calabar ( coastal city ) -- 3,070 mm ( rainiest city with over one million people in Nigeria )

 Bonny ( south of Port Harcourt ) -- 4,200 mm

 Vegetation ( edit )

 Vegetation map of Nigeria .

 Nigeria is covered by three types of vegetation : forests ( where there is significant tree cover ) , savannahs ( insignificant tree cover , with grasses and flowers located between trees ) , and montane land . ( The latter is the least common , and is mainly found in the mountains near the Cameroon border . ) Both the forest zone and the savannah zone are divided into three parts .

 Some of the forest zone 's most southerly portion , especially around the Niger River and Cross River deltas , is mangrove swamp ( see Central African mangroves ) . North of this is fresh water swamp , containing different vegetation from the salt water mangrove swamps , and north of that is rain forest .

 The savannah zone 's three categories are divided into mm ' Guinean forest - savanna mosaic , made up of plains of tall grass which are interrupted by trees , the most common across the country ; Sudan savannah , similar but with shorter grasses and shorter trees ; and Sahel savannah patches of grass and sand , found in the northeast .

 Natural resources and land Use ( edit )

 Nigeria 's natural resources include but are not limited to petroleum ( see petroleum in Nigeria ) , tin , columbite , iron ore , coal , limestone , lead , zinc , natural gas , hydropower , and arable land .

 Extreme points ( edit )

 This is a list of the extreme points of Nigeria , the points that are farther north , south , east or west than any other location .

 Northernmost point -- unnamed location on the border with Niger immediately northwest of the town of Chadawa , Sokoto State .

 Easternmost point -- unnamed location on the border with Cameroon immediately east of the village of Munyego , Borno State .

 Southernmost point -- unnamed headland south of the town of Egeregere , Bayelsa State .

 Westernmost point -- unnamed location on the border with Benin Republic immediately east of the Beninoise town of Jabata , Oyo State .

 References ( edit )

 Jump up ^ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/390302/monsoon

 Jump up ^ `` Archived copy '' . Archived from the original on 2011 - 05 - 11 . Retrieved 2011 - 05 - 27 .

 Jump up ^ http://iahs.info/redbooks/a281/iahs_281_277.pdf

 Jump up ^ Adedoyin J.A. ( 1989 ) . `` Initiation of West African squall lines '' . Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics. 41 : 99 -- 103 . doi : 10.1007 / BF01043455 .

 Jump up ^ `` Jos Plateau forest - grassland mosaic '' . Terrestrial Ecoregions . World Wildlife Fund .

 Jump up ^ http://sunday.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3565:maiduguri-residents-how-we-cope-under-harsh-48-degree-celsius&catid=41:latest-news&Itemid=26 Archived 2011 - 08 - 30 at the Wayback Machine .

 Jump up ^ http://desertification.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/late-dust-storm-covers-nigeria-google-ap/

 Jump up ^ College Park MD ( SPX ) ( Jun 11 , 2004 ) . `` EARTH OBSERVATION Researchers Seeing Double On African Monsoons '' . SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS . Retrieved 27 May 2011 .

 Jump up ^ `` About the Country Nigeria '' . CANUK. 2011 . Archived from the original on 16 March 2011 . Retrieved 27 May 2011 .

 Jump up ^ http://www.nigeria-weather.com/

 ^ Jump up to : `` Nigeria '' . Encarta . Microsoft . Archived from the original on 2009 - 11 - 01 . Retrieved 2007 - 07 - 19 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` The Human and Physical Characteristics of Nigeria '' . Geographical Alliance of Iowa . University of Northern Iowa . Archived from the original on 2010 - 03 - 28 . Retrieved 2007 - 08 - 13 .

 Nigeria articles

 History

 Kingdoms

 Empires

 Aro

 Benin

 Fulani

 Kanem - Bornu

 Nri

 Oyo

 Timeline

 Northern Nigeria

 Southern Nigeria

 Civil War

 Geography

 Adamawa Plateau

 Cities

 Ecoregions

 Environmental issues

 Islands

 Jos Plateau

 Mountains

 National parks

 Niger Delta

 Rivers

 Niger

 Benue

 Wildlife

 Politics

 Administrative divisions

 Cabinet

 Constitution

 Elections

 Federal Executive Council

 Foreign relations

 Human rights

 Law enforcement

 LGBT history

 Military

 National Assembly

 House of Representatives

 Senate

 Political parties

 PDP

 APC

 President

 Vice-President

 Supreme Court

 Economy

 Agriculture

 Central Bank

 Economic history

 Energy

 Mining

 Naira ( currency )

 Petroleum

 Stock Exchange

 Telecommunications

 Tourism

 Transport

 Society

 Capital punishment

 Corruption

 Demographics

 Diaspora

 Education

 Ethnic groups

 MASSOB

 MOSOP

 Oodua Peoples Congress

 Health

 Languages

 Organized crime

 Poverty

 Rankings

 Refugees

 Water supply and sanitation

 Islamist insurgency

 Communal conflicts in Nigeria , Herder -- farmer conflicts in Nigeria

 Niger Delta conflict

 2016 Biafra conflict

 Culture

 Anthem

 Cinema

 Nollywood

 Colonial era

 Golden Age

 Video film era

 New Wave

 Coat of arms

 Cuisine

 Demonyms

 Flag

 List of Nigerians

 Literature

 Media

 Newspapers

 Radio

 TV

 Music

 Public holidays

 Religion

 Smoking

 Sport

 Video gaming

 Outline

 Index

 Portal

 Geography of Africa

 Sovereign states

 Algeria

 Angola

 Benin

 Botswana

 Burkina Faso

 Burundi

 Cameroon

 Cape Verde ( Cabo Verde )

 Central African Republic

 Chad

 Comoros

 Democratic Republic of the Congo

 Republic of the Congo

 Djibouti

 Egypt

 Equatorial Guinea

 Eritrea

 Ethiopia

 Gabon

 The Gambia

 Ghana

 Guinea

 Guinea - Bissau

 Ivory Coast ( Côte d'Ivoire )

 Kenya

 Lesotho

 Liberia

 Libya

 Madagascar

 Malawi

 Mali

 Mauritania

 Mauritius

 Morocco

 Mozambique

 Namibia

 Niger

 Nigeria

 Rwanda

 São Tomé and Príncipe

 Senegal

 Seychelles

 Sierra Leone

 Somalia

 South Africa

 South Sudan

 Sudan

 Swaziland

 Tanzania

 Togo

 Tunisia

 Uganda

 Zambia

 Zimbabwe

 States with limited recognition

 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

 Somaliland

 Dependencies and other territories

 Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla ( Spain )

 Madeira ( Portugal )

 Mayotte / Réunion ( France )

 Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha ( United Kingdom )

 Western Sahara

 Climate of Africa

 Sovereign states

 Algeria

 Angola

 Benin

 Botswana

 Burkina Faso

 Burundi

 Cameroon

 Cape Verde ( Cabo Verde )

 Central African Republic

 Chad

 Comoros

 Democratic Republic of the Congo

 Republic of the Congo

 Djibouti

 Egypt

 Equatorial Guinea

 Eritrea

 Ethiopia

 Gabon

 The Gambia

 Ghana

 Guinea

 Guinea - Bissau

 Ivory Coast ( Côte d'Ivoire )

 Kenya

 Lesotho

 Liberia

 Libya

 Madagascar

 Malawi

 Mali

 Mauritania

 Mauritius

 Morocco

 Mozambique

 Namibia

 Niger

 Nigeria

 Rwanda

 São Tomé and Príncipe

 Senegal

 Seychelles

 Sierra Leone

 Somalia

 South Africa

 South Sudan

 Sudan

 Swaziland

 Tanzania

 Togo

 Tunisia

 Uganda

 Zambia

 Zimbabwe

 States with limited recognition

 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

 Somaliland

 Dependencies and other territories

 Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla ( Spain )

 Madeira ( Portugal )

 Mayotte / Réunion ( France )

 Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha ( United Kingdom )

 Western Sahara

 Coordinates : 10 ° 00 ′ N 8 ° 00 ′ E  /  10.00 ° N 8.00 ° E  / 10.00 ; 8.00

 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geography_of_Nigeria&oldid=831059315 '' Categories :

 Geography of Nigeria

 Hidden categories :

 Webarchive template wayback links

 Articles to be expanded from January 2011

 All articles to be expanded

 Articles using small message boxes

 Coordinates not on Wikidata

 Talk

 Contents

 About Wikipedia

 Languages

 Asturianu

 Български

 Español

 Français

 한국어

 Hausa

 Հայերեն

 Italiano

 עברית

 Polski

 Português

 Русский

 Shqip

 Українська

 Vèneto

 Yorùbá

 中文

 9 more

 Edit links

 This page was last edited on 18 March 2018 , at 14 : 23 .

 Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply . By using this site , you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation , Inc. , a non-profit organization .

 About Wikipedia

Question: the south west wind blows across nigeria between

arrives in central Nigeria in July
till September


Health ( Gaming ) - wikipedia

 Health ( Gaming )

 Jump to : navigation , search A health bar , a possible representation of the health of a character .

 Health or vitality is an attribute assigned to entities , such as the player character , enemies and objects within a role - playing or video game , that indicates its state in combat . Health is usually measured in hit points or health points , shortened to HP . When the HP of a player character reaches zero , the player may lose a life or their character might become incapacitated or die . When the HP of an enemy reaches zero , it may be defeated or die and the player is usually rewarded in some way .

 Any entity within a game could have a health value , including the player character , non-player characters and objects . Indestructible entities have no diminishable health value .

 Health might be displayed as a numeric value , such as `` 50 / 100 '' . Here , the first number indicates the current amount of HP an entity has and the second number indicates the entity 's maximum HP . In video games , health can also be displayed graphically , such as with a bar that empties itself when an entity loses health ( a health bar , typically red ) , icons that are `` chipped away '' , or in more novel ways .

 Contents

 ( hide )

 1 History

 2 Usage

 2.1 Regeneration

 3 Display

 4 References

 History ( edit )

 Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Dave Arneson described the origin of hit points in a 2002 interview . When Arneson was adapting the medieval wargame Chainmail ( 1971 ) to a fantasy setting , a process that with Gary Gygax would lead to Dungeons & Dragons , he saw that the emphasis of the gameplay was moving from large armies to small groups of heroes and eventually to the identification of one player and one character that is essential to role - playing as it was originally conceived . Players became attached to their heroes and did not want them to die every time they lost a die roll . Players were thus given multiple hit points which were incrementally decreased as they took damage . Arneson took the concept , along with armor class , from a set of a naval American Civil War game 's rules .

 US Navy used similar concept in their tactical war games already in 1920s and 1930s . In their simulation each ship had Life parameter . The unit of Life of the ship was a number of `` equivalent penetrative 14 - inch shell hits '' . The Navy considered ie. that Kongō - class battlecruiser had 12 Life points and Nagato - class battleship had 18.8 .

 A visual power meter representing stamina was used in Nintendo 's 1983 arcade game Punch - Out ! ! and Data East 's 1981 DECO Cassette System arcade game Flash Boy .

 Usage ( edit )

 In action video games as well as in role - playing games , health points can usually be depleted by attacking the entity . A defense attribute might reduce the amount of HP that is lost when a character is damaged . It is common in role - playing games for a character 's maximum health and defense attributes to be gradually raised as the character levels up . In game design , it is deemed important that a player is aware of it when they are losing health , each hit playing a clear sound effect . Author Scott Rogers states that `` health should deplete in an obvious manner , because with every hit , a player is closer to losing their life . '' The display of health also helps to dramatize the near - loss of a life .

 Regeneration ( edit )

 Player characters can often restore their health points by consuming certain items , such as health potions , food or first - aid kits . Staying a night at an inn fully restores a character 's health in many role - playing video games . In general , the different methods of regenerating health has its uses in a particular genre . In action games , this method is very quick , whereas role - playing games feature slower paced methods to match the gameplay and realism .

 Some video games feature automatically regenerating health , where lost health points are regained over time . This can be useful to not `` cripple '' the player , making them still able to continue even after losing lots of health . However , automatically regenerating health may also cause a player to `` power through '' sections they might otherwise have had to approach cautiously , simply because there are no lasting consequences to losing a large amount of health .

 This mechanic initially appeared in action role - playing games , with early examples including the Hydlide series , the Ys series , and Woody Poco . In Woody Poco , the rate at which health recharges is based on food level . In Hydlide and Ys , the player character has to stand still for their health to automatically regenerate . This system was popularized in first - person shooters by Halo : Combat Evolved ( 2001 ) , though regenerating health in The Getaway ( 2002 ) has been cited to be more comparable to later use of the mechanic in first - person shooters .

 Display ( edit )

 Heart - shaped icons can indicate the amount of health a player has left .

 The way health is displayed on the screen has an effect on the player . Many games only show the health of the player character , while keeping the health of enemies hidden . This is done in the Legend of Zelda series , Minecraft and Monster Hunter series to keep the player 's progress in defeating their enemy unclear and therefore exciting . In these games , the fact that the enemies are being damaged is indicated by their behavior . On the other hand , many fighting games , such as the Street Fighter series , use easy - to - read health bars to clearly indicate the progress the player is making with each hit .

 It is common in first - person shooters to indicate low health of the player character by blood spatters or by a distorted red hue on the screen , attempting to mimic the effects of wounding and trauma . These visual effects fade as health regenerates .

 References ( edit )

 ^ Jump up to : Moore , Michael ( 2011 - 03 - 23 ) . Basics of Game Design . CRC Press . pp. 151 , 194 . ISBN 1439867763 . Retrieved 2014 - 12 - 09 .

 Jump up ^ Chris Antista . `` The 10 most creative life bars '' . GamesRadar. 2010 - 08 - 17 . p. 2 . Archived from the original on 2014 - 12 - 28 .

 ^ Jump up to : Rogers , Scott ( 2010 - 09 - 29 ) . Level Up ! : The Guide to Great Video Game Design . John Wiley & Sons . pp. 276 -- 277 . ISBN 0470970928 . Retrieved 2014 - 11 - 21 .

 Jump up ^ Allen Rausch ( 2004 - 08 - 19 ) . `` Dave Arneson Interview '' . GameSpy . Retrieved 2014 - 01 - 09 .

 Jump up ^ American Calculations of Battleline Strength , 1941 - 2 , Alan D. Zimm , The Northern Mariner / le marin du nord , XIX No. 3 , ( July 2009 ) , 291 - 317

 Jump up ^ `` Glass Joe Boxes Clever '' . Computer + Video Games . Future Publishing : 47 . August 1984 . Retrieved 2015 - 01 - 02 .

 Jump up ^ John Szczepaniak , History of Japanese Video Games , Kinephanos , ISSN 1916 - 985X

 Jump up ^ Nickogibson ( 2012 - 09 - 12 ) . `` What is an RPG - Intro to RPG Games '' . Slideshare . Retrieved 2015 - 01 - 09 .

 ^ Jump up to : Fullerton , Tracy ( 2008 - 02 - 08 ) . Game Design Workshop : A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games . CRC Press . pp. 72 , 73 . ISBN 0240809742 . Retrieved 2014 - 12 - 19 .

 Jump up ^ Duggan , Michael ( 2011 ) . RPG Maker for Teens . Cengage Learning . pp. 109 , 141 . ISBN 1435459679 . Retrieved 2014 - 12 - 09 .

 Jump up ^ Jonathan Moriarty ( 2010 - 12 - 02 ) . `` Video Game Basics : The Health Bar '' . Baltimoregamer.com . Archived from the original on 28 April 2012 . Retrieved 2014 - 11 - 21 .

 ^ Jump up to : Dunn , Jeff ( 2012 - 11 - 15 ) . `` Stop , Drop , and Heal : The history of regenerating health '' . GamesRadar . Retrieved 2015 - 01 - 08 .

 Jump up ^ Sulliven , Lucas . `` Top 7 ... Games you did n't know did it first '' . GamesRadar . Retrieved 2015 - 01 - 08 .

 ^ Jump up to : John Szczepaniak ( 2016 ) . `` dB - SOFT Gaming 101 '' . The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers . 2 .

 Jump up ^ Szczepaniak , John ( 7 July 2011 ) . `` Falcom : Legacy of Ys '' . Games ( 111 ) : 152 -- 159 ( 153 ) . ( cf . Szczepaniak , John ( July 8 , 2011 ) . `` History of Ys interviews '' . Hardcore Gaming 101 . Retrieved 6 September 2011. )

 Jump up ^ Jon Martindale ( 2012 - 10 - 03 ) . `` Let 's Kill off Health Bars '' . Kit Guru Gaming . Archived from the original on May 28 , 2015 . Retrieved 2014 - 11 - 21 .

 Jump up ^ Novak , Jeannie ( 2013 - 04 - 11 ) . The Official GameSalad Guide to Game Development . Cengage Learning . p. 31 . ISBN 1133605648 . Retrieved 2014 - 11 - 21 .

 Jump up ^ Voorhees , Gerald A. ; Call , Joshua ; Whitlock , Katie ( 2012 - 11 - 02 ) . `` Disposable Bodies : Cyborg Regeneration and FPS Mechanics '' . Guns , Grenades , and Grunts : First - Person Shooter Games ( Google eBook ) . Bloomsbury Publishing USA . ISBN 1441191445 . Retrieved 2014 - 11 - 21 .

 ( hide )

 Concepts of video games

 Glossary of video game terms

 Attributes

 Health

 Life

 Experience point

 Magic

 Mechanics

 Item

 Power - up

 HUD

 Warp

 Fog of war

 Invisible wall

 Cutscene

 Mini-map

 Paper doll

 Destructible environment

 Loading screen

 Replay value

 Scripted sequence

 Password

 Line of sight

 Critical hit

 Level

 Permadeath

 Status effect

 Hitbox

 Movement techniques

 Rocket jumping

 Strafe - jumping

 Strafing

 Trickjump

 Modes

 Player type

 Single - player

 Multiplayer

 Cooperative

 Competitive gameplay

 eSports

 Speedrun

 Gameplay type

 Capture the flag ( CTF )

 Deathmatch

 Last man standing

 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_(gaming)&oldid=819315199 '' Categories :

 Role - playing game terminology

 Video game terminology

 Hidden categories :

 All articles lacking reliable references

 Articles lacking reliable references from September 2016

 Talk

 Contents

 About Wikipedia

 Deutsch

 Español

 فارسی

 Français

 한국어

 Italiano

 עברית

 ქართული

 Nederlands

 日本 語

 Norsk

 Norsk nynorsk

 Polski

 Português

 Русский

 Suomi

 Svenska

 Українська

 中文

 Edit links

 This page was last edited on 8 January 2018 , at 18 : 11 .

 Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply . By using this site , you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation , Inc. , a non-profit organization .

 About Wikipedia

Question: what does hp mean in war and order