Sajun.org
:''See also
Sahel, Tunisia, a region of eastern
Tunisia.''
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The '''Sahel''' (from
Arabic '''ساحل''' ''sahil'' for shore or border) is the boundary zone in
Africa between the
Sahara to the north and the more fertile region to the south, known as the
Sudan (not to be confused with the country of the same name).
The Sahel is primarily
savanna and runs from the
Atlantic Ocean to the
Horn of Africa. Over the history of Africa the region has been home to some of the most advanced kingdoms benefiting from trade across the desert. Collectively these states are known as the
Sahelian kingdoms.
The countries of the Sahel today include
Senegal,
Mauritania,
Mali,
Burkina Faso,
Niger,
Nigeria,
Chad,
Sudan,
Ethiopia,
Eritrea,
Djibouti, and
Somalia. Sahel is also used to refer to the countries of West-Africa.
The Sahel receives 150-500 mm (6-20 in) of rainfall a year, primarily in the
monsoon season. The rainfall is characterized by year to year and decadal variability.
There is a strong correlation between rainfall in the Sahel and intense
hurricane activity in the Atlantic.
In the 1970s major famine in Sahel lead to the founding of the
IFAD.
==External links and references==
*
Notes on Sahel Africa
* Landsea, C., and Gray, W.
The Strong Association between Western Sahel Monsoon Rainfall and Intense Atlantic Hurricanes. ''Journal Of Climate'', Vol. 5, No. 5, May 1992
*
Sahel rainfall index, 1898 - 2002
*
Desertification - a threat to the Sahel
de:Sahelzoneit:Sahel fr:Sahel africain nl:Sahel
