(a) Give any three reasons why irrigation agriculture is more important in the Nile Basin than in the Niger Basin (b)(i) Outline four other uses of the River Nile (ii) State any four characteristics of the river which limit its usefulness
Explanation
(a) Reasons why irrigation agriculture is more important in the Nile Basin than in the Niger Basin: (i) Higher population in the Nile than in the Niger basin leads to greater demand for food production (ii) The Nile basin occupies a desert area especially in Egypt. It supplies virtually all water requirements while the Niger areas receive more rainfall (iii) More intensive use of land on the Nile than on the Niger basin (iv) Richer alluvial flood plains in the Nile Basin good for agriculture than in the Niger Basin (v) Nile basin used more for cash crop production than in the Niger basin (b)(i) Other uses of the River Nile: (i) Domestic and municipal uses (ii) HEP,generation (iii) Transportation (iv) Fishing (v) Industrial use (vi) Tourism and recreation (ii) Characteristics of the River Nile which limits its uses: (i) Falls and rapids (ii) Occasional flooding (iii) Occurrence of sand spits and bars (iv) Fluctuation in volumes (v) Silting at the mouths (vi) Occurrence of water weeds (vii) Load carried in suspension