Chapter 18, section 3

Human environment interaction

1. Desertification of the Sahel
i. Sahel: shore of the desert
ii. Desertification: an expansion of dry conditions
b. Human causes of desertification
i. Overgrazing of cattle exposes the soil, they can also trample the ground
ii. Farming also increases desertification, when they expose the soil, the wind can cause erosion
iii. As more farmland is needed, desertification increases
c. Results of desertification
i. Large forests have been destroyed by desertification
2. Harming the environment in Nigeria
a. A major Oil producer
i. Nigeria is the eighth leading oil exporter in the world
ii. Oil accounts of 85% of Nigeria income
iii. In the 70s, an oil boom made Nigeria one of the wealthiest countries in Africa
iv. Oil prices fell, and Nigeria became poorer than before the oil boom
b. Destroying the land and people
i. More than 4,000 oil spills have occurred in the Niger delta over the past four decades
ii. Between 1998 and 2000, oil pipeline explosions killed 2,000+ people
3. Controlling the Nile
a. Problems with the dam
i. During the Aswan High Dam’s construction, thousands of Nubians had to be relocated
ii. One of Egypt’s treasures, the temples at Abu Simbel, had to be moved
iii. The dam decreased the fertility of the soil surrounding it.
iv. Silt: sediment that is rich with nutrients for the soil.
v. Farmers now need to rely on expensive artificial fertilizers that can damage the environment
vi. Salts from deep in the river are decreasing the fertility of the soil
vii. Malaria and other diseases have increased due to the still lakes of Nasser and its irrigation canals
viii. Because the Nasser holds the water, water is lost to evaporation
4. Summary:
a. This section talked about how humans have impacted themselves and the area around them. How Nigeria had an oil boom (literally), and ended up poorer than before. And how the Aswan High dam is ruining farming in Egypt. Or how farmers are causing desertification.