Sahel Flashcards
What was the population of the Southern edge of the Sahara from Mauritania to Eritrea by 2000?
Population: 2 billion
How does rainfall vary in the region, and what was the trend in the latter part of the 20th century?
Rainfall variation: From 100mm on the edge of the Sahara to 800mm on southern margins
Trend: Rainfall fell by 15-30% in the latter part of the 20th century.
What factors contribute to annual changes in the region’s climate, affecting West African monsoons?
Warm sea surface temperatures causing strong conventional uplift
What were the impacts of the Ethiopian-Eritrean drought in 1999-2000?
10 million people needed food assistance.
Describe the population growth trends and factors contributing to them in the region.
Population doubles every 20-30 years due to high birth rates, lower death rates, and refugees from neighboring countries affected by drought and civil wars.
In the 1990s, the region’s population increased by 18.5%.
What were the human impacts of drought and food scarcity in the region?
In 1974, 200,000 people in Niger were entirely dependent on food aid.
300,000 deaths due to drought in Ethiopia between 1983-4.
What were the social, economic, and environmental impacts of drought and food scarcity in the region?
Social impacts: Increased food prices, unemployment, soil erosion, and long-term fertility issues for farming.
Economic impacts: Crop failure, lack of clean water leading to diseases, children missing school, and health issues from carrying heavy loads.
Environmental impacts: Drying of rivers and water holes, vegetation loss, animal deaths or migration, and increased soil erosion and contamination.
