Arabic word meaning "shore" and referring to the dry area between the Sahara and the forests or grasslands south of it.
the southern fringe of the Sahara desert; Environment, Climates
A semiarid east-west swath across Africa, environmentally transitional between the Sahara Desert (to the north) and equatorial rainforests (to the south), in which recent desertification and drought have been particularly severe.
A narrow band of land bordering the southern Sahara, stretching across Africa. It is characterized by an average annual rainfall of between 150 and 500 millimeters and is mainly suited to pastoralism.
The transitional zone of several hundred kilometres between semiarid deserts in northern Africa and the open woodland savanna to the south. It extends over 6000 kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.
dry, sparsely vegetated area on the southern edge of the Sahara, marked by scattered grasses and low, thorny trees
A large savanna in northern Africa.
(sah HEEL) a region in what is now northern Nigeria and Cameroon, believed to be the origin of ancestors of Bantu-speaking peoples
A geographic region of semi-arid lands bordering the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in Africa. It is characterized by a long dry season and a short wet season from July to September.
the southern coast of the Sahara between the desert and the savanna.
The ecoclimatic region that borders the Sahara Desert to the south in the 6000 km (3720 mi) long, 500 km (310 mi) wide strip crossing the continent of Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea between the 100 mm (4") and 600 mm (24") isohyets of mean annual rainfall. It is characterized by low and erratic rainfall with little vegetation, most of which is seasonal. The word "Sahel" comes from the Arabic word for "edge".
The extensive grassland belt at the southern edge of the Sahara; a point of exchange between the forests to the south and North Africa. (p. 336)
