The Sahel and Western Africa The Sahel What

The Sahel and Western Africa

The Sahel • What is the Sahel? – The area below the Sahara Desert and above the coastal region • Why was the Sahel important to the development of Africa? – Trade rout linking North Africa, the Mediterranean and West Africa • Traded ivory, gold, salt and slaves – Center of learning • Cultural center that flourished with education, arts and religion

The Sahel • What effect has the expansion of the Sahel had on the people in the region? – Most people are employed in agriculture, despite the dry climate • Farmers grow crops during a short, rainy season, using shifting agriculture • Some herd camels, cattle or sheep – Desertification and Deforestation has turned arable land into desert wastelands, creating an even greater shortage of land grass – Many rural people flee as refugees, hoping to find a safe -haven somewhere else

The Sahel • What are countries in the Sahel doing to improve their future? – Withstanding the harsh environment • Planting trees to conserve soil • Accepting aid from foreign countries – Developing natural resources • Use rivers for transportation and irrigation • Encouraging sale of resources like bauxite, iron, copper, and uranium – Making the most of their human resources and cultures • Most of the area is democratic but it needs to stay stable • Changing the economy into a more industrial economy

West Africa • Location gives them two advantages 1. Wetter climate gives them adequate rainfall to grow crops 2. Being on the coast allows them to be able to trade easily • • In the past these countries would trade gold, ivory, palm oil and slaves Today they only export a few goods such as peanuts, cocoa beans, and iron ore