It is a transitional ecoregion of semi-arid grasslands, savannas, steppes, and thorn shrublands lying between the wooded Sudanian savanna to the south and the Sahara to the north. The topography of the Sahel is mainly flat ; most of the region lies between 200 and 400 meters (660 and 1,310 ft) in elevation.
What is life like in the Sahel?
Both desert and grazing land, the Sahel has attracted a population as varied as its environment. Some are semi-nomadic cattle herders , moving with the seasonal flooding of the Niger. Others are farmers, eking out a living from millet and sorghum.
What are 3 interesting facts about Sahel?
It lies at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and is located between the dry desert land to the north and the forest areas to the south. The Sahel has a tropical semi-arid climate. The temperature is high throughout the year . There is little rainfall in the Sahel (between 100-150 mm and 600mm).
What is the Sahel?
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.
What is the Sahel known for?
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.
What animals live in 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.
What is unique about the Sahel?
The Sahel has a tropical semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh). The climate is typically hot, sunny, dry and somewhat windy all year long. The Sahel’s climate is similar to, but less extreme than, the climate of the Sahara desert located just to the north.
Where do people in Sahel live?
This article focuses on the 10 countries that make up the Sahel region— Burkina Faso, Chad, Eritrea, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Sudan (see map). These 10 countries span over 7 million square kilometers and have close to 135 million inhabitants.
Why is Sahel so poor?
The region, frequently struck by drought and food insecurity, is projected to be one of the areas most severely affected by global climate change in the coming years. With up to 80% of its people living on less than $2 a day, poverty is more widespread in the Sahel than in most other parts of Africa.
What’s happening in the Sahel?
The arid belt of the Sahel stretches from Senegal on the coast of West Africa to Djibouti on the east. Hundreds of millions of people call the region home, but for years, this area has suffered the effects of frequent drought, desertification and other symptoms of a changing climate.
How many countries are in the Sahel?
The Sahel, comprising portions of ten (10) African countries, from left to right: [northern] Senegal, [southern] Mauritania, [central] Mali, [northern] Burkina Faso, [southern] Algeria, [southwestern] Niger, [northern] Nigeria, [central] Chad, [central] Sudan and [northern] Eritrea.
What are some fun facts about the savanna?
- Savannas can actually be found on most continents. ...
- The Serengeti is full of diverse wildlife. ...
- The Serengeti is also home to the largest animal migration. ...
- It’s the Maasai ancestral land. ...
- The first human remains were found here.
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 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.
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. ...
