STUDY GUIDE
Sahara and Sahel regions Test
Objective
I can locate the
following physical
features by:
Relative location= Subregion
it is located in and its location
relative to nearby major
physical features (i.e. Atlas
Mountains are in the Northern
region of Africa, East of the
Atlantic Ocean.)
Absolute location= I can use
latitude and longitude to
locate a physical feature on a
map.
I can describe four
geographic
characteristics of each
subregion of Africa.
Notes
Physical Features I can Locate:
• Kalahari and Sahara Deserts
Kalahari- Southern Africa region, south of the Congo Basin
Sahara Desert-Northern Africa region, North of the Sahel region
• Atlas Mountains and Mt. Kilimanjaro
Atlas Mountains-Northern Africa region, East of Atlantic Ocean
Mt. Kilimanjaro-Eastern Africa region, South of the Ethiopian Highlands
• Niger and Nile rivers
Niger River- South of Sahara Desert, feeds into Atlantic Ocean
Nile River-West of Ethiopian Highlands, flows into Mediterranean Sea
• Meditteranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Red Sea
-Congo Basin-Central Africa
North: West
-Sahara Desert -mostly Dry, grassland plains
-Dry climate -Arid/Semi Arid (north)
-mostly Desert vegetation w/ broadleaf &Tropical Wet/Dry (Equator
green forest around Nile -tropical grassland vegetation
-oil is a key resource -oil is key resource
Central and South: East:
-Tropical wet near Equator -Arid/Semiarid
changes to semiarid southward -Ethiopian Highlands/Mt. Kili.
-Broadleaf evergreen forest near Congo -Nomadic Herding &
-Congo Basin and Kalahari Desert Subsistence farming
-Diamonds, Gold, Manufacturing
I can identify where the
Sahara Desert, Sahel, Sahara Desert Oases
and Oases environments
are located in Northern
Africa

Sahel grasslands
I can identify two major • Environmental challenges of Sahara Desert:
environmental 1.Sandstorms- strong winds stir up enormous dark clouds of dust and sand
challenges of the Sahara, from the desert floor.
Sahel and Oases
environments 2.Unpredictable rainfall and temperatures-may rain three inches in one
spot, while nearby nothing falls. Soaring above 100 degress F during day
and below freezing at night.

3.Flash floods-carry away rocks, people and even vehicles.

• Environmental challenges of Sahel Desert:

1.Drought-long periods with little to no rainfall

2.Marginal Land for usage- land that is not well suited for growing crops
and therefore, life.

3.Desertification- process by which land becomes more and more dry until
it turns into desert. May be a result of climate chance, human activity, or
both.

• Environmental challenges of Oases:

1.Farmers struggle against the harsh desert environment

2.Limited available water

I can explain two ways 1.Satellite phones to keep in touch with customers
for how technology has
improved trade in 2.Drilling machines cut through rock to locate underground water
Northern Africa
3.Trucks and planes improve transportation and for bringing people and
goods between oases.

I can identify and Date Palms are extremely useful; Its fruit, the date, is eaten fresh or dried.
explain the importance Its trunk and leaves are used as building materials, and the fiber from its
of dates in an Oases bark is twisted together to make rope. Date pits, or seeds are burned as fuel
environment. or fed to animals.
I can explain the An Oases provides relief for those who live in the arid Sahara region, as it
significance of an Oases has fresh water and therefore vegetation (plants.) among a vast, dry area of
in a desert Environment desert. It is a place for nomadic clans to stop, trade, and get water.
I can describe two ways Human modification #1 and way it has caused environmental stress:
human modifications -One modification is the use of cash crops: these are goods produced to
made to the Sahel make profit (opposite of subsistence farming.) It depletes the environment
Environment have because of its wear on the soil, since so much is grown at one time and does
caused environmental not suit the land better than raising traditional crops.
stress and can propose
two solutions. Solution #1: Begin to be more knowledgeable of the land; grow traditional
crops that are still valuable, and won't deplete the land as fast or as much.
Return to more subsistence farming, where you raise enough crops to
support yourself and family.

Human modification #2 and way it has caused environmental stress:

-Another modification could be cutting down trees for things such as
firewood. This depletes the land because it causes deforestation which
eventually leads to desertification of the land.

Solution for #2:

- A solution could be to switch to alternative resources to burn, such as coal,
which cuts down on deforestation. Also engaging in organizations that
plant trees for every one cut down.

Human modification #3 and way it has caused environmental stress:

-Another modification is how some nomads have increased the size of their
herds so that they have a surplus of animals to sell for cash. This leads to
environmental stress as it results in too many animals on limited grazing
land. Loss of vegetation from overgrazing (because its destroying the
land's cover) may also contribute to soild erosion and thus desertification.

I can give a definition for
pastoral nomads and
identify two ways they
are successful in
Northern Africa.
Solution for #3: A solution would be to decrease herd sizes; this would
mean less wear and tear on the land; raising livestock is definitely a way of
life for people, but too many is very destructive to the land.
Definition: groups of herders who move with their animals from place to
place in search of pasture and water.
Reason #1: They travel in smaller clans (100 or less); this helps for
traveling purposes as well as sharing resources and food when they reach
Oases.
Reason #2: They are better able to practice Agriculture Shifting, which is
using the land and abandoning it after a couple years in order to let it
revive; nomads are extremely adept to packing and moving.