Africa Geography and Environmental Issues

In sub-Saharan Africa, less than 50% of the population has access to safe drinking water because of environmental pollution. How has this shortage of safe drinking water most likely affected development in sub-Saharan Africa?

• It has slowed economic growth.

• It has increased the size of the Sahara.

• It has increased population growth.

• It has slowed deforestation of the rainforest.

What effect does poor soil and deforestation have on land in Africa?

• Land is excellent for archaeological dig sites.

• Land becomes useless for agriculture.

• Land becomes part of national park systems.

• Land becomes a better place to raise a family.

In the Sahel, overgrazing and drought have resulted in a decrease in the steppe region and increase of the Sahara. What is this process called?

• Deforestation

• Desertification

• Unequal Distribution

• Environmental Pollution

Which of the following pictures shows one of the results of allowing animals to over-graze the steppe regions of Africa?

• 
• 
• 
• 

Which of the following would be a result of fertilizer running off of fields near the Nile river?

• The Sahara desert would creep into the Sahel and cause deforestation there.

• The water would becomes extremely good for irrigation and for people to drink because of the extra nutrients.

• The Sahel would spread into the Sahara causing there to be less land available for grazing of animals in the Sahara.

• The water would become polluted and not use-able for drinking or irrigation.

Which of the following explains why the population of the Sahara is low?

• There is too much oil there.

• There is too much water there.

• There is a scarcity of oil there.

• There is limited access to water there.

In which of the following regions in Africa would you most likely find someone working in the logging industry?

• The Sahara

• The Sahel

• The Savannah

• The Tropical Rainforest

If African's living in the Sahel know that their nomadic and semi-nomadic herding lifestyles are causing desertification, why do they keep doing it?

• They need to feed their families and it is the only economic opportunity they have.

• They are more concerned with becoming wealthy than they are with protecting the environment.

• They farm land is so good in the Sahel that they get bored and look for something else to do.

• They believe spreading the desert will eventually result in more arable land in the region.

Which of the following is most likely the reason for the thin line of densely populated area in the northeastern corner of Africa?

• The Niger River

• Lake Victoria

• The Atlas Mountians

• The Nile River

In the Sahel region of Africa, desertification is causing the desert to spread. As plants die, the soil blows away and leaves the ground unfit for agriculture. What is a major result of desertification?

• Tourists come to the region to enjoy the warm climate

• As the soil blows away, it is easier to mine gold

• A lack of adequate food production for the people

• The development of new clean technologies to provide jobs