AFRICA

Great Kordofan Region

Sudan The largest country in Africa, Sudan is the world’s biggest single producer of gum
arabic. A thick belt of hashab trees (Acacia senegal), from which the gum is extracted,
stretches from one end of the country to the other, supporting small-scale farmers. In the
past 50 years, drought has taken a toll on the forests and on the production of gum.
Gonder, Ethiopia
The imperial castle of Gonder dates back to 1636, when this city was the capital of Ethiopia.
Now a modern university town, Gonder is the largest city in the Amhara region, where most
of the 17 million inhabitants are smallholding farmers of cattle, sheep, goats, and poultry. As
temperatures and levels of rainfall rise, health officials fear the onset of malaria.
Lilongwe, Malawi
Malawi villages are often made with bomas, or palisades, to safeguard crops, harvests, and
livestock. The inhabitants of this nation are among the poorest people in the world; around
two thirds live below the national poverty line. They are unable to produce enough crops
to cover household needs in part because of drought and floods, which could worsen.
Cape Floral South, Africa
Surrounding the city of Cape Town at the most southwesterly point of Africa, the Cape Floral
Region is a 56,000-square-mile temperate bushland known for the diversity of its plants. It is
home to 9,000 plant species, a third of which are found nowhere else. An expected rise in
temperature and increase in wildfires by midcentury could threaten this diversity.
Congo Basin
This vast region contains the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, surpassed only by
the Amazon. The Congo Basin is especially species-rich; the Ituri forest is home to okapis,
chimpanzees, leopards, and elephants. Although 90 percent of the region is now untouched,
logging could eliminate half the forest by midcentury.
Timbuiktu, Mali
Bordering the Sahara in Mali, Timbuktu was once an economic and cultural hub of
the trans-Saharan trade routes. It is now home to the great Djingareyber, Sankoré, and
Sidi Yahia mosques, which were built between the 14th and 16th centuries. Their mud
walls are vulnerable to increases in temperature and precipitation.
Niger Delta, Nigeria
The Niger Delta extends over 12,400 square miles along Nigeria’s Atlantic coast. It is
home to Africa’s largest mangrove swamp, which supports a high concentration of
biodiversity. It also contains rich oil reserves. Increased flooding of the delta could
affect its saline balance, destroying the mangroves.
Nakuluft Park, Namibia
The Namib Desert is home to the world’s biggest migrating dunes, which reach
heights of nearly a thousand feet. As they travel inland at speeds in excess of 60
feet a year, they merge with the rich grass and scattered trees of the savanna. More
frequent droughts in the Namib Desert could threaten the area’s unique wildlife.
Kalahari Desert, Namibia
In the harsh climate of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, the San people are always on
the move, searching for wild fruits, berries, and nuts, and tracking water and game. Once
numbering in the millions, the San are down to fewer than 2,000 who live the traditional
hunting and gathering life. Their ancient scrubland is being threatened by ranchers and
drought.
Masai Mara, Kenya
The Masai Mara savanna in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania support the
largest migration of grazing animals in the world. Each July, 1.3 million
wildebeest, along with large herds of zebras and gazelles, migrate north from the
Serengeti Plain to the pastures of the Masai Mara. Changing rainfall patterns
threaten this region’s fragile ecosystem.
Mahajamba Bay, Madagascar
The fourth-largest island in the world, Madagascar contains mollusks, crustaceans,
turtles, and tropical fish, as well as rare indigenous birds like the Madagascar teal,
in the 2,000 square miles of mangrove wetlands on its western coastline. The
mangrove’s ecosystem, however, is at the mercy of a delicate saline balance.
Mount Kilimanjaro,Tanzania
Between 1912 and 2003, Mount Kilimanjaro lost about four fifths of its ice fields,
and the rest of the mountain’s snowcap could disappear within the decade. Down
the mountain’s slopes, heavy clouds that water the forests and feed the rivers have
diminished, due to an increase in temperatures. Forest fires are also on the rise. 
St-Louis, Senegal
French traders founded the city of St-Louis in 1659, and for nearly three centuries
it served as the capital of French West Africa. Today its economy is based on
tourism, sugar production, agriculture, and fishing. St-Louis, though, is vulnerable
to flooding. With sea levels rising and storms predicted to grow more intense,
floods could grow more frequent.
Okavango Delta, Botswana
From Earth’s orbit, the Okavango Delta resembles a bird’s footprint. This 9,000-
square-mile labyrinth of lakes, lagoons, and channels is the world’s largest inland
delta and a magnet for wildlife. Declining rainfall could cause the delta’s
enormous peat bogs to dry out and catch fire, releasing greenhouse gases.
Lake Chad
Situated in a savanna just south of the Sahara, Lake Chad is the most important
source of water for about 20 million people in Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and
Niger. Once one of the world’s largest lakes, it has shrunk in the last few decades
from about 16,000 square miles to less than 1,000, and may ultimately disappear
entirely.