Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the
African continent which lies south of the
Sahara, or those
African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara.
[1][2] It contrasts with
North Africa, which is considered a part of the
Arab world.
[3][4][5][6][7]The Sahel is the transitional zone between the Sahara and the tropical savanna (the Sudan region) and forest-savanna mosaic to the south. The Horn of Africa and large areas of Sudan are geographically part of sub-Saharan Africa, but nevertheless show strong Middle Eastern influence and, with the exception of Ethiopia, are also part of the Arab world.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
The Sub-Saharan region is also known as Black Africa,[11] in reference to its many black populations. Notably, commentators in Arabic in the medieval period used a similar term, bilâd as-sûdân, which literally translates to "land of the blacks" in contrast with populations of the classic Islamic world.[12]
Since around 5,400 years ago,[13] the Saharan and sub-Saharan regions of Africa have been separated by the extremely harsh climate of the sparsely populated Sahara, forming an effective barrier interrupted by only the Nile River in Sudan, though the Nile was blocked by the river's cataracts. The Sahara Pump Theory explains how flora and fauna (including Homo sapiens) left Africa to penetrate the Middle East and beyond to Europe and Asia. African pluvial periods are associated with a "wet Sahara" phase during which larger lakes and more rivers exist.[14]
