Sahel

The Sahel (from Arabic 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. The countries of the Sahel include Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia. Sahel is also used about 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.

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