Fouta Djallon

The Fouta Djallon is located in the center of Guinea. The name comes from the Fula word for the place and the original inhabitants the Jalonke and the Djallonke. It mostly has rolling grasslands. The average elevation is 3000 feet. The highest point is Mount Lora at 4970 feet. It gets a lot of rainfall. The Fouta Djallon is often called the watertower of West Africa. The population of the region mostly has Fula or fulani people. They mainly speak Pular a dialect of Fula.

The Sahel, Adamawa highlands & Lake Chad

The Sahel (above)

The Sahel is the semiarid region of Africa. The Sahel is south of the Sahara. It is also the region that separates the Sahara from the Savanna. It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean eastward to north Senegal, south Mauritania, the Niger River in Mali, Burkina Faso, south Niger, north east Nigeria, south Chad, to Sudan. Many animals live in the Sahel such as camel, ox, grazing cattle and sheep. The Sahel has a natural pasture with low growing grass. The Sahel region is mostly flat land. It has many plateaus and mountains. The region gets about 200mm of rainfall. A big problem in the Sahel is desertification. Desertification is the spread of desert like conditions. Desertification is making farming and other activities difficult in the Sahel.

The Adamawa Highlands were named after the Muslim Fulani leader Modibo Adama. The highlands are located in the western/central region then stretching to the southeastern Nigeria to Cameroon then to the north by the Central African Republic. The Adamawa are the source of many waterways such as the Benue River. It is also important for its deposits of bauxite. Elevation reaches up to 8,700 feet. Cattle raising is very common in the area.

Lake Chad is economically important. It provides water for more than 20 million people that live in the four countries that surround ( Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria). The lake is mainly located in the far west of Chad this borders northeastern Nigeria. The Chari River contains over 90% of the Lake's water. A small amount of the water comes from The Yobe River. Lake Chad is very shallow it only reaches 34 feet at its deepest. Lake Chad gave the country of Chad its name. Chad in local meanings, means "large expanse of water" or lake. Lake Chad is home to over 1,000 species of algea. The lake also has a large area of swamp. Lake Chad gets very little rainfall. The lake gets rainfall from June to October. This makes it a dry climate.

Niger,Sengal & Volta River

The Volta River (above)

The Senegal River (above)
Niger River (above)

The Niger River is the principle river of western Africa. The Niger bend is important because it is one of the Sahara's water sources. The water in the Niger River is mainly used for hydro power although it permits irrigation. The river has many tributaries. The most important tributary is the Benue River.

The Senegal River makes the border between Senegal and Mauritania. It is 1,021 miles long. The main head streams are the Bafing and Bakoye. They meet in Mali forming the Senegal proper. The Senegal river basin is home to 3.5 million people. Hydroelectricity brings power to many cities.

The Volta River is located in west Africa. The Volta is divided into the Black Volta, the White Volta and the Red Volta. The Volta flows along Ghana and eventually empties into the Gulf Of Guinea. Major tributaries are the Afram and the Oti.