See also Sahel, Tunisia, a region of eastern Tunisia.
The Sahel (from Arabicساحلsahil 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 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 (http://maps.unomaha.edu/Peterson/funda/Notes/Notes_Exam4/Sahel.html)
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.
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.
Africa is thus composed of two segments at right angles, the northern running from east to west, the southern from north to south, the subordinate lines corresponding in the main to these two directions.
Africa is home to the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human race originating from this continent.
In South Africa, which was unique in having a significant number of European settlers, English and Afrikaans are the native languages of a significant portion of the population.
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