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6 days ago · Sahel, semiarid region of western and north-central Africa extending from Senegal eastward to Sudan. It forms a transitional zone between the arid Sahara (desert) to the north and the belt of humid savannas to the south. Learn more about the Sahel here.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Sahel has a hot semi-arid climate and stretches across the southernmost latitudes of North Africa between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea. Although geographically located in the tropics, the Sahel does not have a tropical climate.
- Geography and Climate
- Countries of The Sahel
- African Kingdoms of The Sahel
- People of The Sahel
The Sahel is approximately 5,900 km long. Its width differs depending on location, though its average width is 300 km. The total land area of the Sahel is 3,053,200 sq. km. In terms of topography, the Sahel tends to be quite flat. Elevations in the region average between 200 and 400 meters above sea level. The region is home to isolated plateaus an...
The Sahel passes through 10 African countries. It begins on the Atlantic coasts of Senegal and Mauritania, and passes east through the central parts of Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan into northwestern Eritrea, ending at Eritrea’s Red Sea coast. Part of the Sahel also reaches into the extreme northern parts of Burkina Faso and Nigeria, and the extreme...
The Sahel can be a harsh region to live in. Nevertheless, several African kingdoms have prospered in the region. The first large state to materialize in the Sahel was the empire of Ghana, not to be confused with the modern-day country of Ghana in Western Africa, for which it is named. Actually, modern-day Ghana is nowhere near the area that was hom...
The Sahel is home to several people and cultures. The most northerly ethnic group of the Sahel region are the Tuareg, a people of Berber origin, whose Sahelian people live in northern Mali and northern Niger. Further to the west are the Soninke, the ethnic group that founded the Ghana Empire. The modern-day Soninke live near Bakel, on the Senegal R...
The Sahel climate is characterised by extreme temperatures with fluctuating periods of rainfall and intense drought. The area is particularly vulnerable to climate change, according to the United Nations, with temperatures increasing at 1.5 times the rate of the global average.
Ahmadou Aly Mbaye and Fama Gueye discuss the climate change and food security challenges faced by the African Sahel region and what can be done to mitigate these.
Nov 21, 2023 · The climate of the Sahel region is considered semi-arid steppe land. Semi-arid can be defined as a dry location that receives some rain, while steppe refers to flat and unforested...
Nov 20, 2020 · Africa's semi-arid Sahel region is a crucible of climate change, population movement and jihadist attacks. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this month called it a "microcosm of...
