HI150: 20Th-Century Non-Western History

HI150: 20th-Century Non-Western History Map Exercise #3: Desertification, Vegetation, and Climate

Objective: To deduce the relationship between desertification and natural vegetation cover.

Introduction: Desertification represents an extreme form of soil degradation where the natural productivity of the soil (its ability to sustain vegetation) is severely reduced. The term does not refer to naturally occurring deserts, but to the spread of desert-like conditions.

Atlas Reference: Climate (pp.18-19); Vegetation and Soil (pp.20-21); Environmental Concerns (pp.22-23) and World Physical (pp.10-11).

Activities: 1. Consider the climate maps on pp.18-19. List the climatic regions shown within Africa as one moves north from the equator towards the northern coast.

2. On a blank outline map of Africa (on the back) draw in two parallel lines, one at 20 degrees north latitude and one at 15 degrees north latitude. This belt of sub-Saharan land is highly prone to desertification. (Note that in reality, this zone does not fit neatly within this band).

3. If this particular region is an example of desertification tendencies, what type of soil, vegetation, and climatic conditions increase the risk?

4. What other risk factors, primarily human, might be present in this sub-Saharan region to cause desertification?

5. Using the Vegetation and Soils map and the Climate map identify at least one other area other than in Africa that has the same or similar risk factors detected in activities 3 and 4 above. Explain your answer.