Why is the Sahel important?
The Sahel is a relatively fertile region, which makes it much more inhabitable than the Sahara Desert to the north. It is home to some of our earliest hominid ancestors who lived in the area millions of years ago, and is the namesake of ancient species such as Sahelanthropus tchadensis.
What problems does the Sahel face?
Over the last half century, UNEP notes, the combined effects of population growth, land degradation (deforestation, continuous cropping and overgrazing), reduced and erratic rainfall, lack of coherent environmental policies and misplaced development priorities, have contributed to transform a large proportion of the …
Why is Sahel dangerous?
A vast transition zone between Africa’s Saharan north and savanna south, the region holds a toxic stew of al Qaeda- and Islamic State-affiliated groups that are expanding their operations and becoming deadlier, even as communal violence surges. The spike in Sahelian violence is stark.
What does Sahel mean?
The Sahel (/shl/, sil; Arabic pronunciation: [sail] “coast, shore”) is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south.
Which countries are in Sahel?
Commonly, the Sahel stretches from Senegal on the Atlantic coast, through parts of Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Sudan to Eritrea on the Red Sea coast. Culturally and historically, the Sahel is a shoreline between the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.
Who lives in the Sahel?
Who lives in the Sahel? CILSS countries alone are home to around 58 million people, the majority of them subsistence farmers, sharing similar cultures and livelihoods even while their religions, languages and customs vary widely.
What is life like in the Sahel?
The Sahel is a semiarid grassland along the Sahara’s southern edge. Its environment is not quite as harsh as the Sahara. But the Sahel often suffers from drought, or long periods with very little or no rain. This decrease in rainfall has made life there even more challenging.
Where is Sahel located?
Africa
What is happening in the Sahel region of Africa?
As of March 2019, 4.2 million people have been displaced from their homes in the countries of the Sahel region. This is one million more than at the same time last year. Violence has escalated in the past year – especially in parts of Mali, the areas around Lake Chad, Burkina Faso and parts of Niger.
Is Sahel a country?
Sahel, Arabic Sāḥil, semiarid region of western and north-central Africa extending from Senegal eastward to Sudan. It forms a transitional zone between the arid Sahara (desert) to the north and the belt of humid savannas to the south.
How is the Sahel changing?
The Sahel is experiencing extreme temperatures, fluctuating rainfall, and droughts, all of which can degrade land, change grazing patterns, and reduce water supply for both animals and people.
What is the major cause of desertification in Africa?
‘Climatic variations’ and ‘Human activities’ can be regarded as the two main causes of desertification. removal of the natural vegetation cover（by taking too much fuel wood）, agricultural activities in the vulnerable ecosystems of arid and semi-arid areas, which are thus strained beyond their capacity.
Why is desertification bad?
Agriculture is a main source of income for many desert communities. The increase in desertification in these regions has degraded the land to such an extent where people can no longer productively farm and make a profit. This has negatively impacted the economy and increased poverty rates.
Which countries are most affected by desertification?
The commission’s Joint Research Centre found that a total area half of the size of the European Union (1.61 million square miles, or 4.18 million square kilometers) is degraded annually, with Africa and Asia being the most affected.
How many countries are affected by desertification?
168 Countries