Environmental Concerns of Africa

1) Which part of Africa has access to the Niger River?

• Sahel
• Lake Victoria
• Sahara Desert
• Kalahari Desert

2) Which BEST describes a major use of the Niger River?

• little used because it is too shallow
• source of much hydroelectric power
• used for transportation and agriculture
• used for irrigation projects in the Sahara Desert

3) Which BEST describes a major use of the Congo River? 

• irrigation for farmland
• supplying water for Egypt
• transportation of goods and people from the interior of Africa to the Atlantic Ocean
• water only for rainforest animals

4) What do some people believe might lead to “water wars” in Africa in the future?

• demands to reroute water to the deserts
• competition among countries that share a river system
• demands to reroute rivers to supply water to the rainforests
• United Nations decrees telling African nations how to share water

5) Why do some governments ignore industrial pollution of major rivers and waterways?

• They want the industries to be profitable
• The people of most countries do not care about pollution
• Industries always have plans in place to clean up polluting wastes.
• Most government officials do not recognize pollution as a problem.

6) What destroyed the grassland and forests that were once found in the Sahel?

• years of heavy flooding
• the development of factories
• continuous farming and overgrazing
• repeated use by nomads and camel caravans

7) Why are droughts a problem for farmers in the Sahel? 

• animals move into the desert to find water
• the desert stops expanding when there is rain in the Sahel
• the soil is of poor quality and dry conditions result in even fewer crops
• people do not try to farm in the Sahel any more due to the increased rainfall

8) Which African country is losing its rainforest most rapidly today?

• Egypt

• Congo

• Kenya

• Nigeria

9) Why is most rainforest area lost today?

• unchecked forest fires
• harsh drought and high winds
• diseases that attack old growth trees
• logging for industry, farming, and fuel

10) In what area are desertification problems the greatest?

• Sahel
• Sahara
• Kalahari
• Taklimikan