Which one of the following lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert? [2022]

Which one of the following lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert?

Lake Victoria
Lake Faguibine
Lake Oguta
Lake Volta

Explanation

Option (b) is the correct answer

Lake Faguibine, located in northern Mali, has turned into a desert due to severe and prolonged droughts since the 1970s. The lake was historically fertile and relied on seasonal floods from the Niger River. However, climate change and erratic rainfall patterns have reduced water inflow to the lake.

Mali

Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa.
It is bordered by:
- Algeria to the north
- Niger to the east
- Burkina Faso and Mauritania to the south
- Senegal and Guinea to the southwest
The capital of Mali is Bamako.

Political map of West Africa showing country borders, major cities, and bodies of water. Countries are color-coded with labels for capitals and notable geographic features like Lake Volta and Gulf of Guinea, highlighting regional geography and political divisions.

Niger River

The Niger River is the third-longest river in Africa, after the Nile and the Congo. The Niger Delta is Africa’s largest delta.
It is the main river of West Africa. It flows through 11 countries: Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Libya.
It originates in the Fouta Djallon Mountains of Guinea and it flows through the Sahara Desert, the Sahel, and the Niger Delta into the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean.

Political map of West African countries highlighting national capitals and major cities with red squares and black squares. Countries are color-coded with labeled borders, major lakes like Lake Volta and Lake Kossou, and key coastal features such as Gulf of Guinea and Bight of Benin.

Option (a) is incorrect

Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake by area, the world’s largest tropical lake, and the world’s second largest freshwater lake by surface area after Lake Superior in North America. It is bordered by Kenya (6%), Uganda (43%), and Tanzania (51%). It is a source of the White Nile River, which flows northward and eventually joins the Blue Nile in Sudan to form the Nile River, which drains into the Mediterranean Sea. Lake Victoria touches the Equator on its northern side.

Map of Africa highlighting major rivers and lakes with labeled cities in magenta boxes. Key water bodies like Nile, Congo, Niger rivers, and lakes Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi are marked in blue, showing geographic distribution and hydrological features.

Nile River

It is the longest river in the world.
It rises south of the Equator and drains into the Mediterranean Sea.
Its basin includes parts of Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Sudan, and the cultivated part of Egypt.
Two main branches
- Blue Nile coming from the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands (Source of 85% of total flow).
- White Nile, coming from the Great Lakes region.
The White Nile meets the Blue Nile at Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.
The Blue Nile originates from Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

Option (c) is incorrect

It is situated in southeastern Nigeria. It is a freshwater lake, part of the River Niger basin.

Option (d) is incorrect

Located in Ghana, it is one of the world’s largest artificial lakes, created by the Akosombo Dam on the Volta River. Lake Volta serves as a major source of hydroelectric power for Ghana and supports fishing and transportation. It has faced challenges related to ecological impacts and displacement of local communities.

Volta River

The Volta River Basin spans approximately 400,000 km² across six countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Togo.
Size: It is the ninth largest river basin in sub-Saharan Africa.
Distribution: About 85% of the basin is in Burkina Faso and Ghana, while Togo, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali share the remaining 15%.
The Volta River Basin ultimately drains into the Gulf of Guinea. The river flows southward through Ghana, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf of Guinea.

Answer: (b) Lake Faguibine; Difficulty Level: Hard

2022, PYQs