Sahel In English

The Sahel, which the Arabic means coast or border, is a range of 500 km to 700 km wide, and 5400 km long. It is situated in sub-Saharan Africa between the Sahara desert to the North, and the Sudan savanna to the South. Between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea.



The Sahel straddles the following countries: Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia. Is a transition zone between the paleoártica and the afro-tropical cozened, i.e. between the aridity of the Sahara and the fertile Savannah.


It is a fitogeográfica region dominated by the steppe vegetation, which receives a rainfall varied over the years.


Might think that agriculture in the Sahel is completely doomed to misfortune. However, the region is protected by a green belt consisting of a highly diversified flora which protects it from the winds of the Sahara. The Sahel also facing long periods of drought. Between 1968-1974, the prolonged drought has led to a situation of hunger in the countries of the region, what motivated the establishment of the International Fund for agricultural development, a United Nations specialized agency