Locust plagues in Africa (2023)

This map was published Benjamin Nowak in 2023 as part of the initiative #30DayMapChallenge.

The map shows the number of locust swarms observed between 1985 and 2021 in Africa, according to data from the FAO.

During this period, the largest swarm appeared in Kenya in 2020. At its peak, it covered 2,400 square kilometres, an area equivalent to the size of Luxembourg. It is estimated that a swarm can contain between 40 and 80 million locusts per square kilometre, meaning that this swarm could have contained up to 200 billion locusts.

At the bottom, there is also a timeline graph showing the locust pest peaks in 1988, 2004, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

You can find more information about the initiative here. #30DayMapChallenge in what I wrote in the newsletter.

Sources

• A map about locust invasions in Africa