Africa Environmental Issues

 The political cartoon most likely describes which environmental issue in Africa?

• Flooding

• Desertification

• Infectious diseases

• Deforestation

The graph demonstrates which environmental concern in Africa?

• The relationship between poor soil and deforestation

• Unequal water distribution across the continent

• The impact of water pollution on drinking water

• The impact of desertification

How did the Aswan High Dam change Egyptian farming?

• The dam has allowed year-round irrigation

• The dam allowed more silt to be washed down the river

• The dam has increased the annual flooding of the Nile River

• Many men were able to give up farming and work in construction

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

• The Nile River no longer has 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

In which region of Africa is there short grasses and a dry environment with few trees? This region is also suffering from desertification.

• Sahara

• Sahel

• Savanna

• Tropical Rain Forest

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

Which of the following explains how desertification impacts the environment of Africa?

• The quality of water will improve, leading to an increase in population.

• The Sahel region is decreasing which will allow vegetation to grow in the region.

• The food produced by farms will become more available, eliminating hunger problems.

• The ability of land to support life will decrease leading to famine and increased poverty.

Despite the damage their actions do to the environment, how do people living near the rain forests in Africa typically meet their basic needs?

• by digging oil wells in the fields near the forests

• by fishing in rivers already depleted by overfishing

• by mining gold and diamonds in large surface mines

• by cutting down trees for fuel and to clear land for farms

Use the information to answer the question,

In 2010, an extreme drought occurred in the Sahel region West Africa.

Which of the following best explains how this led to a scarcity of food in the region?

• Because the wind was so harsh, animals in the region on which people relied for food migrated to other areas.

• Because the temperature in the region was high, people could not travel to get the food they needed.

• Because the region received little rainfall, people were unable to grow the food they needed.

• Because the weather was so wet, the soil in the region became too muddy to grow food.

What is NOT a cause of deforestation in Africa?

• Population growth

• Flooding

• Clearing land for farms

• Commerical Logging