Which one of the following is the characteristic climate of the Tropical Savannah Region?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) A definite dry and wet season
The tropical savannah climate is the Koeppen 'Aw' type, called tropical wet and dry. Its defining feature is a distinct wet season and a distinct dry season. The dry season is long and the drought is severe.
- ✗ (a) Rainfall throughout the year, with no dry season, describes the tropical wet (Af) climate of the equatorial rainforests. It does not describe the savannah.
- ✗ (b) Savannah rain falls mainly in the hot, high-sun season, which is summer. Winter is the dry season.
- ✗ (c) The savannah's dry season is not extremely short. Compared with the wetter tropical climates, its wet season is shorter and its dry season longer, with more severe drought.
- ✓ (d) Savannah climate has a clear wet season and a clear dry season, which is why it is called tropical wet and dry. The savannah is a tropical grassland with scattered trees and seasonal rainfall.
Remember · Savannah = Koeppen Aw (tropical wet and dry): distinct wet and dry seasons, rain mostly in summer, long dry winter, grassland with scattered trees.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 11 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 11 (practise this chapter) · Class 8 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 1 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 11 · Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 11 “The wet season is shorter and the dry season is longer with the drought being more severe.”
- NCERT Class 11 · Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 11 “Tropical wet and dry climate occurs north and south of Af type climate regions.”
- NCERT Class 8 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Chapter 1 “The savannah is a tropical grassland ecosystem that has wide open spaces, scattered trees, and seasonal rainfall.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·

