In fact, recent research has shown that the Sahara Desert is expanding southward. This map shows areas affected by deforestation. Deforestation involves the clearing away of trees and other vegetation in an area. Many of the economies of Africa have had to clear away land for agriculture. As a result, deforestation has caused degraded soils.
Vegetation is essential to pull moisture into the ground.
Without vegetation, the soil is eroded and left depleted. This map shows that the now susceptible dry lands are being made more vulnerable to desertification, because they are being stripped of too much vegetation. This map depicts the distribution of hundreds of women dying from childbirth. Sahel Africa has some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world with an average of 750 deaths per 100,000 births. By comparison, there are less than 29 maternal deaths out of every 100,000 births in the United States.