Case Study - Sahara Desert

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Case Study - Sahara Desert

Advantages

  • Mineral Resources - Morocco is the world's largest exporter of Phosphate
  • Oil and Gas - 60% of Algeria's income from the oil and gas industry
  • Solar Energy - A 100 km² area solar energy development in Tunisia was planned to supply enough electricity for 2 million homes in Western Europe by 2018
  • Tourism - Popular tourist destinations and activities such as Camel Trekking in Morocco
  • Farming - Aswan Dam provides year-round water supply in Eqypt

Disadvantages

  • Extreme Temperatures - 40 degrees in the day to below freezing at night, causing illness or death
  • Inaccessibility - It is difficult to provide service to remote regions/It takes 5 days by truck to transport salt from salt mines in Mali out of the desert
  • Water Supply - Sahara has a very low annual rainfall (less than 70mm) therefore water for irrigation is scarce

Evaluation

The Sahara is the world's largest desert, almost the size of the United States. It stretches across many parts of North Africa and has opportunities for economic development. The harsh conditions mean that the Sahara's population is only about 2 million. Development in the Sahara is challenging - it is difficult to locate and exploit resources in the hot, dry, remote desert.

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