n.
Vast tract of open savanna plains, north-central Africa.
Extending across 2,000,000 sq mi (5,000,000 sq km), it lies between the southern limits of the Sahara and Libyan deserts and the northern limits of the equatorial rainforests. It extends from the western coast more than 3,500 mi (5,500 km) to the mountains of Ethiopia and the Red Sea. The Sahel comprises the northern reaches.