Environmental Issues of Africa

What is one of the major problems facing those who depend on the Nile River for their water?

• The Nile River no longer has any fish.

• The Nile is too shallow to be used for transportation.

• The river always dries up during the summer months.

• The water is contaminated with human and industrial waste.

How did the Aswan High Dam change Egyptian farming?

• The Dam washed more silt down the river.

• The Dam has allowed year-round irrigation.

• The Dam has increased the annual flooding of the Nile River.

• The Dam created many jobs in the construction industry.

What is silt?

• a type of chemical fertilizer

• a chemical used to produce electricity

• industrial pollution found in the Nile River

• rich topsoil carried from one location to another by floodwaters

Continued use of chemical fertilizer causes what to build up in soil?

• silt

• salt

• animal waste

• rocks and gravel

Which part of Africa has access to the Niger River?

• Sahel

• Lake Victoria

• Sahara Desert

• Kalahari Desert

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

Which BEST describes a major use of the Congo River?

• irrigation of farmland

• supplying water to Egypt

• water only for rainforest animals

• transportation of goods and people from the interior of Africa to the Atlantic Ocean

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

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.

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

• years of heavy flooding

• the development of factories

• continuous farming and over-grazing

• repeated use by nomads and camel caravans