Title: Africa’s Environment &

Geography

Warm-Up:Go back and look at the Africa

Geography Activity and record 5 facts about Africa’s geography.

Desertification

•Definition: the gradual transformation of habitable land into desert; is usually caused by climate change or by destructive use of the land

•What causes it?: clearing of forests (for wood for fuel, grazing land, farming land) lack of rain

•Where?: The Sahara- spreading southward into sub-Saharan Africa

•Why is this a problem?: causes dust storms, air pollution, soil erosion, lack of arable land

                                                                                                                            

                                 

Deforestation

Definition: clearing of forests for fuel, hunting, agriculture, housing development

Why is it a problem?: can cause lower rainfall, erosion, concerns over extinction, lack of clean water

Where?: Ethiopia, Central Africa (Congo Basin)

What can be done?: educate people about planting new trees, come up with alternative building materials, prohibit the cutting of trees, improve traditional farming techniques that are inefficient and land-intensive

                                                                                                                       

                                      

                                                                                                            

DroughtWhy is it happening?: Lack of rainfall, greenhouse effect

Why is it a problem?: lack of drinkable water, agricultural problems, famine, malnutrition, fires, conflicts over water usage, migration

Where? Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Activity: Africa’s Environmental

Problems TASK #1: As a class we will look at each slide. You are to answer the accompanying questions for each slide. The questions sheet will go into your notebook .

TASK #2: You will create a foldable where you will choose three environmental issues in Africa. For each you will record facts about each and draw an image of the issue on the front flap.

1

The Sahel stretches across Africa, roughly 15 degrees north of the Equator. Satellite measurements of vegetation reveal it as a transition zone between the sands of the Sahara and the jungles of the Congo in the heart of Africa. This map shows vegetation in the final two weeks of June 2005, near the end of the dry season in the Sahel. Dark green indicates dense vegetation, while light green and beige indicate sparse vegetation and barren land.

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1900s

Africa’s Environmental Problems

Visual Visual Visual

Inside- 3 sentence summary about the problem

Inside- 3 sentence summary about the problem

Inside- 3 sentence summary about the problem

Africa’s Environmental Problems