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Year 10
AQA

Development opportunities and challenges in the Kalahari Desert

I can understand the opportunities and challenges of developing hot desert environments in the Kalahari Desert.

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New
New
Year 10
AQA

Development opportunities and challenges in the Kalahari Desert

I can understand the opportunities and challenges of developing hot desert environments in the Kalahari Desert.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Kalahari Desert is an example of a hot desert.
  2. There are opportunities for development in the Kalahari Desert (mineral extraction, energy, farming, tourism).
  3. There are challenges for developing hot desert environments in the Kalahari (extreme temperatures, water supply).

Keywords

  • Arid - a climate with little to no rainfall

  • Indigenous - the people or animals that originally lived and may continue to live in a particular country or region

  • Mineral extraction - the process of removing valuable minerals from the earth

  • Tourism - the business of attracting and taking care of visitors to a place

Common misconception

Hot deserts are barren, lifeless areas with no real economic potential.

Deserts can have significant opportunities for economic development, for example mineral extraction, solar energy, tourism and irrigated farming.


To help you plan your year 10 geography lesson on: Development opportunities and challenges in the Kalahari Desert, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Set students the task of developing a fact file on this case study for homework, which they can then use for revision closer to the exam.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Less than how many millimetres of annual rainfall characterises a hot desert?
Correct Answer: 250, 250 mm, Two hundred and fifty
Q2.
In a climate graph as shown, what type of graph displays rainfall?
An image in a quiz
line graph
Correct answer: bar graph
scattergraph
pictogram
Q3.
Looking at the climate graph of the desert in Las Vegas, identify the month which has the lowest rainfall.
An image in a quiz
February
March
Correct answer: June
December
Q4.
Which industry would be involved in organising tours of hot deserts for people to photograph desert features and wildlife?
Large-scale agriculture
Correct answer: Tourism
Manufacturing
Logging
Q5.
Which of these are positives of tourism in hot desert locations?
Correct answer: Creates jobs
Creates additional water stress
Correct answer: Brings investment and income
Correct answer: Spreads understanding of the value of vulnerable desert landscapes
Q6.
Which of these is a major challenge for human settlement in hot deserts?
Easy access to clean water
High population density
Correct answer: High temperatures and scarce water
Abundant fertile land

6 Questions

Q1.
Name the countries that the Kalahari desert is spread across.
Correct answer: Namibia
Zimbabwe
Correct answer: Botswana
Kenya
Correct answer: South Africa
Q2.
Which of the following is a significant economic opportunity in the Kalahari Desert?
Logging of forests
Correct answer: Mineral extraction
Urban development
Growing water-intensive crops
Q3.
Which word means the people or animals that originally lived and may continue to live in a particular country or region?
Nomadic
Correct answer: Indigeneous
Immigrant
Settler
Q4.
Match each challenge in the Kalahari Desert with its impact on development.
Correct Answer:Extreme temperatures,Heat makes it difficult for people to work outside
tick

Heat makes it difficult for people to work outside

Correct Answer:Water scarcity,Limits agriculture and tourism
tick

Limits agriculture and tourism

Correct Answer:Inaccessibility,Requires costly infrastructure for access
tick

Requires costly infrastructure for access

Correct Answer:Indigenous displacement,Causes social tensions and cultural loss
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Causes social tensions and cultural loss

Q5.
Why does the Kalahari have such great potential for creating renewable energy such as solar power?
Correct answer: Equatorial location means it receives long hours of sunshine through the year
Frequent rainfall provides a clean water source to cool solar panels
Correct answer: High air pressure zone location means clear skies and uninterrupted sunshine
The desert’s high winds help generate consistent solar energy
Correct answer: Open desert landscapes provide ample space for large solar farms
Q6.
Which of the following is a key environmental challenge for development in the Kalahari Desert?
High number of sunshine hours annually
High population density
Frequent floods
Correct answer: Water scarcity
Mineral deposits

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