Sahel
Africa's transitional band
The Sahel is the semi-arid region of Africa stretching across the continent just south of the Sahara Desert, from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea.
The name comes from Arabic for "shore" or "coast"—the Sahel being the shore of the desert sea.
The zone includes parts of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan.
It appears frequently in discussions of drought, desertification, and climate change: Famine has again struck the Sahel.
West African republic
- MaliWest African country
- ChadCentral African country
- MauritaniaNorthwest African coastal state
- SenegalWest African republic
Burkina Faso · Sudan · savanna · semi-arid · sub-Saharan · Timbuktu · Lake Chad · Niger River
Prolonged water scarcity
- desertificationLand becoming barren, infertile
- aridityAbsence of moisture
- rainy seasonExtended period of precipitation
- dust stormsWindblown particulate weather events
harmattan · heatwave · water scarcity · aquifer · soil erosion · rainfall · dry season · evaporation
Unsettled, roving people
- pastoralistsPeople raising grazing animals
- herdersLivestock guardians and guides
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
- migrationMovement to new territory
farming · food insecurity · famine · malnutrition · humanitarian aid · refugees · displacement · conflict
Thorny warm-climate shrub
- baobabBulbous African tree species
- savannaTropical grassland, sparse trees
- milletSmall-seeded food crop
- sorghumWarm-climate cereal grass
livestock · pastoralism · grazing · cattle · goats · camels · locusts · migratory birds
Nigerian jihadist organization
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
- jihadistReligious warfare combatant
- peacekeepingPreventing or ending conflict
- military interventionUse of troops abroad
terrorism · humanitarian crisis · instability · border security · counterterrorism · displacement · refugees · ethnic conflict
Niger
West African republic
- MaliWest African country
- ChadCentral African country
- MauritaniaNorthwest African coastal state
Senegal · Burkina Faso · Sudan · savanna · semi-arid · sub-Saharan · Timbuktu · Lake Chad · Niger River · Dakar
drought
Prolonged water scarcity
- desertificationLand becoming barren, infertile
- aridityAbsence of moisture
- rainy seasonExtended period of precipitation
dust storms · harmattan · heatwave · water scarcity · aquifer · soil erosion · rainfall · dry season · evaporation · sandstorm
nomads
Unsettled, roving people
- pastoralistsPeople raising grazing animals
- herdersLivestock guardians and guides
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
migration · farming · food insecurity · famine · malnutrition · humanitarian aid · refugees · displacement · conflict · water access
acacia
Thorny warm-climate shrub
- baobabBulbous African tree species
- savannaTropical grassland, sparse trees
- milletSmall-seeded food crop
sorghum · livestock · pastoralism · grazing · cattle · goats · camels · locusts · migratory birds · gum arabic
Boko Haram
Nigerian jihadist organization
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
- jihadistReligious warfare combatant
- peacekeepingPreventing or ending conflict
military intervention · terrorism · humanitarian crisis · instability · border security · counterterrorism · displacement · refugees · ethnic conflict · arms trafficking
Saheltropical rainforest
Humid equatorial biome with dense vegetation
Amazon basin · Congo Basin · temperate rainforest · Pacific Northwest · wetlands
Sahelrainforest
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
breadbasket · river valley · Nile Delta · Great Plains · old-growth forest
- Sahara DesertMassive North African arid region
- Western SaharaContested northwest African territory