Band 9: The chart below shows the percentage of land area affected by desertification in three different regions of the world in 1990 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The bar chart compares the percentages of land affected by desertification in four regions of the world in 1990 and 2010.

Overall, Sub-Saharan Africa had by far the highest proportion of land affected by desertification in both years, and this figure increased considerably over the period. By contrast, Australia was the only region where the percentage decreased, while the figures for North America and Europe rose.

In North America, the proportion of land affected by desertification increased from 12% in 1990 to 15% in 2010. A similar upward trend was seen in Europe, where the figure rose from 9% to 11%. However, the increases in these two regions were relatively small compared with those in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of affected land climbed from 25% in 1990 to 32% in 2010, remaining the highest among the four regions in both years. In contrast, Australia experienced a slight decline, with the figure falling from 14% to 13%. Despite this decrease, Australia still had a higher proportion of affected land than North America and Europe in 1990, although it was lower than North America in 2010.