The Western Sahel -
Discover sites, natural wonders and protected areas

The Sahel is often described as a transition zone between the Sahara Desert and the savannas further south and passes from west to east of the African continent. For this exercise I limit myself to the Western Sahel and the countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, The Gambia, Senegal, Nigeria, Niger, and Mauritania.

The interactive map on this page shows a selection of sights & places. Click on the icons to find out more !



Note: The map makes no claim to completeness; it contains a rather random selection and is far from complete. The below text and the selection of sights and attractions serve as a template.
Main focus during the creation of the website and maps has been on practicing visualization and web mapping skills rather than on through research .
sahel

The Sahel
Landscape

Southern Sahel: The southern areas of the Sahel, closer to the Sahelian-Sudanese transition zone, have relatively more abundant water resources and fertile soils. This region supports more intensive agriculture, including the cultivation of crops like millet, sorghum, maize, and rice. Livestock farming is also common, benefiting from better grazing conditions. As a result, the southern Sahel tends to have higher population densities and more significant urban centers. Northern Sahel: The northern parts of the Sahel, closer to the Sahara Desert, have a more arid and semi-arid climate, with limited access to water and less fertile soils. Consequently, economic activities in these areas are generally more limited, with fewer opportunities for agriculture and pastoralism. Nomadic or semi-nomadic herding of livestock, particularly camels, is often practiced as a means of livelihood. Due to the harsher environment, population densities are lower in the northern Sahel (Wikipedia) .

Head to the sub-pages available under the "layer menu" to access more maps .