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Encyclopedia > Sahel

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See also Sahel, Tunisia, a region of eastern Tunisia.
The location of Sahel in Africa
The location of Sahel in Africa

The Sahel (from Arabic ساحل, sahil, shore, border or coast of the Sahara desert) 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). Sahel is an area of Tunisia. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (800x800, 87 KB) Description: A map of Africa; the Sahel highlighted in orange. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (800x800, 87 KB) Description: A map of Africa; the Sahel highlighted in orange. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Motto Al-Nasr Lana(Arabic) Victory is Ours Anthem نحن جند للہ جند الوطن  (Arabic) We are the Army of God and of Our Land Capital Khartoum Largest city Omdurman Official languages Arabic, English Government Government of National Unity  -  President Omar al-Bashir  -  First Vice President Salva Kiir  -  Second Vice President Ali Osman Taha Independence...

Contents

Geography

The Sahel is primarily savannah and runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Horn of Africa, changing from semi-arid grasslands to thorn savanna. 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. Savannah may refer to: Four cities in the United States: Savannah, Georgia, a city known for its historic district Savannah River, which flows past the Georgia city Savannah River Site, a nuclear facility near Augusta, Georgia, upriver from Savannah Savannah, Missouri Savannah, New York Savannah, Tennessee sav is so awesome... The Horn of Africa. ... An Inner Mongolia Grassland. ... The Sahelian kingdoms were a series of empires that had many similarities. ...


The countries of the Sahel today include Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, and Eritrea.


A map of the region can be viewed here.


Sahil is an Arabic word which means coast.


Sahel had a plant called the jujube.The Sahel is also 2,400 miles long.


Environment

About 12,500 years ago, the Sahel was a part of the Saharan desert, and was covered in sand dunes which have shaped the landscape that we see today. The Sahel receives 150–500 mm (6–20 in) of rainfall a year, primarily in the monsoon season. The rainfall is characterized by great variation from year to year and from decade to decade. The most important limitations to land productivity in the Sahel are water and soil fertility. Soils in the Sahel are mostly acidic (which results in aluminum toxicity to plants), and are very low in nitrogen and phosphate. Monsoon in the Vindhya mountain range, central India A monsoon is a rainy season which lasts for several months and has lasting climatic effects. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless gas Standard atomic weight 14. ... Above is a ball-and-stick model of the inorganic hydrogenphosphate anion (HPO42−). Colour coding: P (orange); O (red); H (white). ...


There is a strong correlation between rainfall in the Sahel region and intense hurricane activity in the Atlantic[1]. This article is about weather phenomena. ...


Transhumance

Traditionally, most of the people in the Sahel have been semi-nomads, farming and raising cattle in a system of transhumance, which is probably the most sustainable way of utilizing the Sahel. The difference between the dry north with higher levels of soil-nutrients and the wetter south is utilized so that the herds graze on high quality feed in the North during the wet season, and trek several hundred kilometers down to the south, to graze on more abundant, but less nutritious feed during the dry period. Increased permanent settlement and pastoralism in fertile areas has been the source of conflicts with traditional nomadic herders. Kazakh nomads in the steppes of the Russian Empire, ca. ... Transhumance is the seasonal movement of livestock between mountainous and lowland pastures. ...


Droughts

Further information: Sahel drought

There was a major drought in the Sahel in 1914, caused by annual rains far below average, that caused a large-scale famine. The 1960's saw a large increase in rainfall in the region, making the Northern drier region more accessible. There was a push, supported by governments, for people to move northwards, and as the long drought-period from 1968 through 1974 kicked in, the grazing quickly became unsustainable, and large-scale denuding of the terrain followed. Like the drought in 1914, this led to a large-scale famine, but this time it was somewhat tempered by international visibility and an outpouring of aid. This catastrophe led to the founding of the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The Sahel drought in 1970s and 1980s created a famine that killed a million people and afflicted more than 50 million. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The International Fund for Agricultural Development is an agency of the United Nations. ...


See also


  Results from FactBites:
 
Sahel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (571 words)
The Sahel (from Arabic ساحل, sahil, shore, border or coast of the Sahara desert) 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, changing from semi-arid grasslands to thorn savanna.
Soils in the Sahel are mostly acidic (which results in aluminum toxicity to plants), and are very low in nitrogen and phosphate.
Sahel - LoveToKnow 1911 (130 words)
SAHEL (Arabic for "shore"); a common place-name in countries where Arabic is the dominant language.
By sahel any coast belt may be indicated, but the name has become the definite designation of certain districts, e.g.
Sahel thus understood comprises regions which form the inter mediate zone between the fertile lands of the Sudan and the desert.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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