Sahel

The Sahel is a region of Africa. Countries Countries of The Sahel Chad Completely land-locked, and well off-the-beaten-path for all but the hardiest of travellers; very unstable in the north Mali A country with a remarkable history and heritage; home to the ancient trade capitals and seats of learning of Djenné and Timbuktu Mauritania Interest for the traveller here is primarily centred on the Saharan dune regions Niger Similar in nature to neighbouring Mali and perhaps the most popular Sahelian country with travellers Sudan One of the largest countries in Africa and home to the world's oldest continuous major civilisations; sadly very prone to conflict in recent years The Sahara Cities There is a very low population in this area of Africa, and cities are rare and far between but here are the main ones. Agadez — historically a very important stage on the trans-Saharan caravan routes in northern Niger Bamako — capital of Mali Khartoum — capital of Sudan and by far the largest city in the region Mopti — one of the main ports in Mali and a good gateway for many impressive attractions such as Djenné, Timbuktu, and Dogon Country. N'Djamena — capital of Chad Niamey — capital of Niger and perhaps the most accessible Sahelian city for the traveler Nouakchott — capital of Mauritania Port Sudan — large Red Sea port city Timbuktu — a city of great historical importance particularly for education and the spread of Islam. Other destinations Balleyara Market — Two hours from Niamey in Niger, one of West Africa's largest animal markets, plus a colorful array of other traditional market and artisanal goods (Sundays) Dogon Country —a trek through this landscape of scattered cliff-side villages in is not to be missed by any Mali visitor Djenne — once a religious and commercial center to rival Timbuktu, this small town of multi-storey mud buildings in Mali is quite a sight W National Park — a large trans-border National Park, most accessible from Niamey in Niger Understand The Sahel runs 3,862 km from the Atlantic Ocean coast of Mauritania in the west to the Red Sea coast of Sudan in the east. The ecoregion definition takes in part of other countries but for the purposes of this travel guide, it includes all of Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Sudan. The region consists of semi-arid grasslands, savannas, steppes, and thorn shrublands lying between the Central African wooded savanna to the south, and the Sahara to the north. The topography of the Sahel is mainly flat, and the region mostly lies between 200 and 400 meters elevation. History Over the history of Africa the region has been home to some of the most advanced kingdoms benefiting from trade across the desert. Collectively these states are known as the Sahelian kingdoms which were a series of empires, based in the Sahel, which had many similarities. The wealth of the states came from controlling the Trans-Saharan trade routes across the desert. Their power came from having large pack animals like camels and horses that were fast enough to keep a large empire under central control and were also useful in battle. The first large Sahelian kingdoms emerged after 750, and supported several large trading cities in the Niger Bend region, including Timbuktu, Gao, and Djenné. Climate Annual rainfall varies from around 200 mm in the north of the Sahel to around 600 mm in the south. Talk Get in Get around See Itineraries Do Eat Drink Stay safe Get out This article contains content from Wikipedia's Sahel article. View that page's revision history for the list of authors. This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!