The Sahel, the vast semi-arid region of Africa separating the Sahara Desert to the north and tropical savannas to the south, is as much a land of opportunities as it is of challenges.
Is the Sahel a grassland or desert?
Africa’s Sahel region, a margin of semi-arid grassland around the southern limit of the Sahara Desert, gets most of its rainfall between June and September.
Why is the Sahel becoming a desert?
The Sahel is a narrow belt of land which lies immediately to the south of the Sahara Desert and which extends across most of Africa. The main causes of desertification include: ... Overgrazing – an increasing population results in larger desert areas being farmed . Sheep, cattle and goats are overgrazing the vegetation.
Is the Sahel a semi desert?
A largely semi-arid belt of barren , sandy and rock-strewn land, the Sahel marks the physical and cultural transition between the continent’s more fertile tropical regions to the south and its desert in the north.
Is the Sahel a desert yes or no?
Sahel, Arabic Sāḥil, 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.
Which is the hottest desert in the world?
Seven years of satellite temperature data show that the Lut Desert in Iran is the hottest spot on Earth. The Lut Desert was hottest during 5 of the 7 years, and had the highest temperature overall: 70.7°C (159.3°F) in 2005.
What animals live in the Sahel?
The animal life of the Sudan and of the Sahel is rich and varied. Large herbivorous mammals include gazelles, antelopes, giraffes, and elephants . The main carnivores are lions, panthers, and hyenas.
Are deserts growing or shrinking?
The world’s most noted deserts have been formed by natural processes interacting over long intervals of time. During most of these times, deserts have grown and shrunk independent of human activities .
What Sahel means?
The Sahel (/səˈhɛl/; ساحل sāḥil [ˈsaːħil], “coast, shore” ) is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south.
Why is Sahel important?
The Sahel is endowed with great potential for renewable energy and sits atop some of the largest aquifers on the continent. Potentially one of the richest regions in the world with abundant human, cultural and natural resources.
Is the Sahel growing or shrinking?
The need for food, animal feed and fuel in the Sahel belt is growing year on year, but supply is not increasing at the same rate. Over this ten-year period, the population of the region grew from 367 million to 471 million. ...
What is the climate of Sahel?
The climate of the Sahel is arid and hot, with strong seasonal variations in rainfall and temperature . The Sahel receives about 200-600 mm (6-20 in) of rainfall a year, which falls mostly in the May to September monsoon season.
What is causing the Sahel to expand in recent years?
The study results suggest that human-caused climate change, as well as natural climate cycles such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) , caused the desert’s expansion.
Which countries are Sahel?
The Sahel countries— Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad —face many challenges, including chronic insecurity, rising extremism, a lack of economic prospects, and poor access to education, employment and essential services such as water and electricity. Climate change is weakening the region even more.
Is Egypt in the Sahel?
The Northern Coast of Egypt (Arabic: الساحل الشمالي, “El Sahel El Shamally”, North Coast, commonly shortened to الساحل “El Sahel”, “The Coast” or “The Egyptian Coast”) extends for about 1,050 km (650 mi) along the Mediterranean Sea, it covers entirely the northern territory of Egypt.
