Case Study: Sahara Desert
Geography: AQA GCSE, topic 2.3.6
Development Opportunities in the Sahara Desert
The Sahara desert is 9.2 million kilometres2 and it spans north Africa. It is Earth's hottest desert and provides these economic opportunities:
Mineral extraction in the Sahara desert
- The Algerian part of the Sahara desert contains lots of iron ore.
- Morocco is the biggest exporter of the mineral, phosphate, in the whole world.
- Niger's part of the Sahara desert contains lots of uranium.
Energy production in the Sahara desert
- Oil, coal, and natural gas are all common in the Sahara desert.
- Countries have developed oil fields to harvest this oil and oil makes up 20% of Algeria's GDP and 85% of its exports to other countries.
- Because of the sunlight that the Sahara desert receives, solar power is popular in North Africa. Businesses are currently trying to build an enormous solar power plant in Réjim Maâtoug, Tunisia to try to create solar power for North Africa and Europe.
Tourism in the Sahara desert
- Tourism is a vital part of the Egyptian economy and many tourists visit the Sahara desert at Siwa in Egypt.
- Tourists can go on camel treks or go sandboarding on dunes in the Sahara desert.
Agriculture and farming in the Sahara desert
- The Aswan Dam is a dam built across the River Nile in Egypt.
- Farming in the Sahara desert is very difficult, so water and irrigation from dams like the Aswan are vital to allow farming to happen.
The Sahara desert
Challenges of Developing in the Sahara Desert
Development in hot deserts is difficult.
Extreme temperatures
- Temperatures are so high that most animals are nocturnal.
- This shows how hard it is for humans working in the day in the Sahara desert.
- Temperatures will be 40oC in the day and then below 0oC at night. No workers want to live and work in these conditions.
- There is also not much water in the Sahara desert.
Inaccessibility
- Almost nobody lives in the Sahara desert. It is a massive expanse of sand, infertile soil and not much else.
- There are not many roads in the Sahara desert and transporting anything is very expensive.
Water supply
- Hot deserts have less than 25cm of rain each year and in some years, it may not rain at all.
- Water can be found in underground wells, but water supplies can be unreliable, making it hard to plan.
Test yourself on Case Study: Sahara Desert
What are the main opportunities for economic development in the Sahara?
What are the main challenges to economic development in the Sahara?
Which of the following is NOT a challenge to economic development in the Sahara?