The Sahara Was Once Green

Introduction & Top Questions References & Edit History

Images

Photo of a small tree-lined lake surrounded by sand.

Two side-by-side maps of Africa show the seasonal path of the African monsoon. Arrows indicate wind systems, including the northeast trade winds and the hot, dry Harmattan winds. Shaded bands in varying greens represent rainfall amounts, with the Intertropical Convergence Zone shifting northward and rainfall bands reaching farther into West Africa from June to September, and moving southward with rainfall concentrated in central and southern Africa from January to March.

The Sahara Was Once Green: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

John P. Rafferty
John P. Rafferty writes about Earth processes and the environment. He serves currently as the editor of Earth and life sciences, covering climatology, geology, zoology, and other topics that relate to the natural world.

Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	New article added.	John P. Rafferty	Jun 18, 2026