ABSTRACT
South of the Sahara lies the great grasslands region of West Africa, called the savanna, or sometimes, in the past, the Sudan. This region stretches from the Atlantic coast eastwards, in a belt hundreds of miles wide. The grasslands cover much of West Africa and support most of its population. A large part of it is watered, inadequately, by the great Niger River, its tributary the Benue, the Senegal and Gambia Rivers, the various branches of the Volta River, and some other rivers, and a fairly large area is in the basin of Lake Chad. The rearing and marketing of cattle are major occupations of the people of Northern Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Upper Volta and other savanna areas. Slavery was also important in the kingdom of Bornu, which lies to the east of Hausaland.
