International records / Internet Archive

Floods in West Africa: Natural Hazards

eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/19000/19084/Nigeria_AMO_2007145_lrg.jpg May 25, 2007 (4.87 MB JPG) Sandwiched between the vast Sahara Desert of northern Africa and the equatorial forest of central Africa is the semi-arid, but fertile Sahel grassland. One of Africa's most significant crop areas, the Sahel swings between frequent drought and frequent floods. In September 2007, floods dominated. Unusually heavy and persistent rains hammered much of the Sahel, swelling rivers from Senegal on the Atlantic coast to Kenya on the Indian Ocean coast. As many as 17 countries across the Sahel …