What is the meaning of Sahel?

coast or shore
In pure geographic terms the Sahel, or Sahil in Arabic, meaning coast or shore, is a vast region that stretches along the Sahara desert’s southern rim from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. Wedged between the desert to the north and tropical forests and savannah to the south, the belt has a tropical semi-arid climate.

Does Sahel mean desert?

The Sahel[p] is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition, in Africa, between the Sahara desert to the north and the Sudanian Savannas to the south, having a semi-arid climate.

What are the characteristics of the Sahel?

It is a transitional ecoregion of semi-arid grasslands, savannas, steppes, and thorn shrublands lying between the wooded Sudanian savanna to the south and the Sahara to the north. The topography of the Sahel is mainly flat; most of the region lies between 200 and 400 meters (660 and 1,310 ft) in elevation.

Where is Sahel located?

Africa
The Sahel, the vast semi-arid region of Africa separating the Sahara Desert to the north and tropical savannas to the south, is as much a land of opportunities as it is of challenges.

What does Sahel stand for?

The Arabic word sāḥil literally means “shore, coast” as describing the appearance of the vegetation of the Sahel as a coastline which delimits the sand of the Sahara . The Sahel covers parts of Senegal , southern Mauritania , central Mali , southern Algeria and Niger , central Chad, southern Sudan , northern South Sudan and Eritrea .

What are some characteristics of a Sahel?

The Sahel has a tropical, hot steppe climate (Köppen climate classification BSh). The climate is typically hot, sunny, dry and somewhat windy all year long.

What is the meaning of the word Sahel?

Sahel as a boys’ name is a Hindi name, and Sahel means “leader”. Sahel is a variant form of Sahil (Hindi). STARTS/ENDS WITH Sa-, -el.

What is the significance of Sahel?

Historically, the Sahel is important for having been the first area used for agriculture in Africa. In the 9th and 18th centuries, it was home to a number of Sahelian kingdoms. During the colonization of the continent, the region became an essential part of the slave trade, and the French took control of the region as part of the French West Africa .