10 Facts about the Sahel Desert

Find out Facts about the Sahel Desert in the below post. It spans on south-central area of Northern Africa. Sahel has a semi-arid climate. It sits at the transition zone between Sudanian Savanna and Sahara Desert.  The term Sahel is taken from the Arabic word. The literal meaning is coast or shore. Sahel spans in a number of countries in Africa such as southern and central Sudan, Niger, north of Nigeria, northern Senegal, Cameroon, Eritrea, and others. Let us check other interesting facts about Sahel Desert below:

Facts about the Sahel Desert 1: the characteristics of Sahel Desert

As I have stated before, Sahel Desert has the semi-arid climate. It is filled with shrubs, woodland, savanna and grassland.

Facts about the Sahel Desert 2: the grass species

Sahel Desert is a home to a number of grass species such as Aristida stipoides, Schoenefeldia gracilis, and Cenchrus biflorus. The dominant tree in Sahel is acacia species. The most prevalent ones are Acacia tortilis, Acacia laeta and Acacia senegal.

Facts about the Sahel Desert 3: other tree species

Sahel Desert is also a home to Boscia senegalensis, Faidherbia albida, Balanites aegyptiaca and Commiphora africana.

Facts about the Sahel Desert 4: desert shrub

The desert shrub can be found in the northern areas of Sahel. The species include Aristida sieberana and Panicum turgidum. It is also filled with savanna and grassland.

Facts about the Sahel Desert 5: grazing mammals

Grazing mammals can be found living in Sahel. They include dama gazelle, giant prehistoric buffalo, scimitar-horned Oryx, Bubal hartebeest, red-fronted gazelle and Dorcas gazelle.

Facts about the Sahel Desert 6: large predators

You have to be careful when wandering around Sahel since it is also a home for big predators such as East African lion, Northeast African cheetah, African wild dog, East African lion and Northwest African cheetah.

Facts about the Sahel Desert 7: climate

According to the Koppen climate classification, it has the hot steppe and tropical climate.  The condition is dry, hot and sunny. Compared to the climate of Sahara desert, it is less extreme.

Facts about the Sahel Desert 8: the precipitation rate

The precipitation rate of Sahel is irregular and low. In a year, it only receives around 100 to 600 mm of rain.

Facts about the Sahel Desert 9: the people in Sahel

The semi-nomad people settle in Sahel.  They support themselves by having livestock and farming.

Facts about the Sahel Desert 10: the common practice

The common traditional practices in Sahel are female genital mutilation, child marriage and polygamy.

What do you think on facts about the Sahel Desert?