Could I get some guidance on this map in progress?

BACKGROUND

So I was working on a map, when I suddenly realized that despite the many helpful tutorials on this site I have very little idea what I'm doing. I thought it might be a good idea to put on the breaks and ask for a reality check before I build myself into a corner. Hopefully this will provide me with some guidelines for going further. (And hopefully it's not already a total mess.)

Here is the map as it stands. I've projected it over an equirectangular map of Earth to give a better idea of coordinates and scale. I've left the western antipodes, north, and any other landmasses basically uncreated for now, to give myself a free hand for later.

My priority is to get as close as I can to the projected biome placement. (I know, better to start at the bottom and work up. But here I am.) Please keep in mind this is my first attempt at creating a realistic map - I want to get it right, but many concepts are still new to me.

Map 1 - Elevation and Projected Biomes

What I would like the map to look like. Priority biomes are marked with an asterisk*, like so. Other biomes could be moved around more easily if needed. Mountains ranges are shaded. The biomes and elevation are pretty broad and simplistic right now, to be complicated later on - if anything is unclear please ask in the comments.

Notes:

Savanna - Preferably resembling northwestern sub-Saharan Africa. The saltwater swamp needs to be near it, but could be moved from its current location.

Highlands - Preferably resembling Ethiopia and the great rift valley.

Volcanic Desert - A bit of a misnomer, an important small desert surrounded by plains.

Map 2 - Tectonic Plates

Map 3 - Ocean Currents

QUESTION

Do the above maps hold together, and is the projected biome placement shaping up to be realistic? If not, what can I do to improve it? If yes, does the current geography also imply other necessary or probable features?

posted over 6 years ago

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