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WORLD’S WORST 22-23
The 1921 drought in Russia, which was caused
by the drying up of the Volga basin, killed more
people than the First World War, which had
just ended!
Other big droughts …
In 1921, a drought in Russia, Ukraine,
and Georgia led to a famine that killed an
estimated five million people. Thousands left
their homes and ate anything from grass to
clumps of earth.
The US suffered a drought, known as the
American Dust Bowl, from 1933 to 1938.
During this long period, crops failed and the
topsoil turned dry and loose. This soil was
lifted by the wind and transformed into huge
clouds of dust. In 1934, about two-thirds
of the country was reeling under severe
drought, and almost fifty million acres of
land was affected. About half a million
people were forced to leave their farms.
In drought-stricken Ethiopia, women Did you know?
and children have to walk for hours
to collect water. Scientists have found that
matriarchal elephants, or the
female elephants that lead the
herd, have memories of places
where they could find water and
food. This helps the herd survive
in extreme droughts.
I distinctly
remember...
Africa—Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Chad, Mauritania, and Mozambique.
The 1921 drought in Russia, which was caused
by the drying up of the Volga basin, killed more
people than the First World War, which had
just ended!
Other big droughts …
In 1921, a drought in Russia, Ukraine,
and Georgia led to a famine that killed an
estimated five million people. Thousands left
their homes and ate anything from grass to
clumps of earth.
The US suffered a drought, known as the
American Dust Bowl, from 1933 to 1938.
During this long period, crops failed and the
topsoil turned dry and loose. This soil was
lifted by the wind and transformed into huge
clouds of dust. In 1934, about two-thirds
of the country was reeling under severe
drought, and almost fifty million acres of
land was affected. About half a million
people were forced to leave their farms.
In drought-stricken Ethiopia, women Did you know?
and children have to walk for hours
to collect water. Scientists have found that
matriarchal elephants, or the
female elephants that lead the
herd, have memories of places
where they could find water and
food. This helps the herd survive
in extreme droughts.
I distinctly
remember...
Africa—Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Chad, Mauritania, and Mozambique.
