Drought In Africa 1972-1974

By: Kristina and Destiny

Classification

Atmospheric This means that

the droughts are caused by, produced by or are operated by the Atmosphere.

Drought in Africa 1972-1974

The drought affected the following countries the most:

Mali Chad Mauritania Senegal Upper Volta Niger

Consequences & Aftermath

Two major rivers the Niger and the Senegal fell to their lowest recorded levels in a century

Lake Chad evaporated to 1/3 of its original size

Nomads became sedentary farmers because they could not find food

Caused a political crisis in Niger causing an overthrow of the government

Crops were ruined, many animals died, people died of starvation

Other Potential Natural Hazards

Droughts Floods Windstorms Extreme Heat

Waves

Population

Before: 49.1 Million

Death toll: 200, 000

6 Main Factors

Frequency: Every two rainy seasons there is a mild drought. Every few decades there is a sufficiently large drought.

Duration: This event lasted 2 years Extent: This affected a large region. Many

countries in the North of Africa Speed of Onset: The drought occurred slowly over

a period of years Spatial Dispersion: This area is likely to be

affected by this particular event due to it’s location. Africa is a very warm country and droughts are frequent

Temporal Spacing: Droughts in Africa occurs over time and in a cycle