Section 2 - Western desert case study

Question 1

Name 4 opportunities in the desert

Answer 1

1. Farming
2. Mineral extraction
3. Energy
4. Tourism

Question 2

Why is the western desert ideal for farming

Answer 2

It has lots of sunlight and high temperatures

Question 3

What % of the economy is farming here worth

Answer 3

10%

Question 4

What metals are often mined in the desert

Answer 4

Copper, lead, zinc

Question 5

How do farmers get water to farm

Answer 5

The western desert has lots aquifers (underground water) so once they dig wells its easy to extract

Question 6

How many jobs does solar power provide

Answer 6

360

Question 7

How many homes does solar power provide for

Answer 7

100,000

Question 8

What is the name of the Hydorelectric dam

Answer 8

Hoover dam

Question 9

How many people visit the desert each year

Answer 9

37 million

Question 10

What are the 2 lakes called

Answer 10

Lake Mead and Lake Powell

Question 11

Why do people like to visit the desert

Answer 11

Because of its natural beauty and fun lake activities such as sailing and power boarding

Question 12

Where does the Hoover dam get its water from

Answer 12

Lake Mead

Question 13

How many jobs did the Hoover dam create

Answer 13

5,000

Question 14

How many oil production sights are there

Answer 14

25 sights with 100 employees

Question 15

How much money did the oil industry make

Answer 15

$15 million

Question 16

How is farming in the western desert challenging

Answer 16

High temperatures make it difficult to work outside sometimes and also causes shortage of water due to evaporation

Question 17

How is water supply hard to maintain in the western desert

Answer 17

With high evaporation rates and low precipitation, it is often difficult to have a surplus amount of water. Howevver, this is why they built the hoover dam

Question 18

How much rainfall does the desert get each year

Answer 18

55mm

Question 19

How much money does the Hoover dam make

Answer 19

$1.5 billion

Question 20

What is are 2 challenges of the western desert

Answer 20

1. Extreme temperatures evaporate water and make work difficult
2. The desert is hard to access due to unsurfaced roads meaning transport links are bad

Question 21

What is the main road in the western desert

Answer 21

route 66