Ferlo Desert

The Ferlo Desert, also known as the Ferio Desert, is a desert in northern-central Senegal. It is inhabited by the Serer and the Fulani.

Geography and landscape

The Ferlo Desert occupies an area of some 70,000 km², over one-third of the country's total area. It forms part of the region of Djourbel which extends to within 45 miles (70 km) to the east of Dakar to the west and south of St Louis, known as "Baol" to the locals. The Senegal River flows through the region, and valleys occur in the Sine Saloum Delta north of The Gambia. There are endless plains and sand dunes, with scattered rocks and small valleys with clay soils in which small water bodies form. The plain is crossed by the courses of numerous tributaries of the Senegal River, which for most of the year are dry and fill with water only occasionally during the rainy season (July to September).

The climate is very dry, characterised by a long dry season (which lasts for nine months a year), with winds from the very dry Sahara Desert. The wet season, in the period from July to September, is short and brings irregular rainfall brought by the humid air masses from the Gulf of Guinea. Due to the arid climate the region is sparsely populated; the area was also plagued by drought in the early 1970s and again in 1983-1984.Linguère, with nearly 13,000 inhabitants, is the largest town in this region. Desertification has also contributed to a regional population decline.