ABSTRACT
The Sahara is divided among numerous countries. Originally (excepting Libya, which was Italian) most of it was in the hands of France, but during the middle decade of this century her former colonies obtained their independence and the map of the desert is now much intersected by political boundaries. Algeria still holds the major share of the desert on the north, and to the south it is shared between a chain of states formerly comprising French West Africa and part of French Equatorial Africa. These are now Chad, Niger, Mali and Mauritania and stretch across the intermediate zone between the savanna and the true desert. Thus within their borders they include vegetation belts responding from south to north to the diminishing rainfall. Much of the Atlantic coast remains in the hands of Spain, as do the offshore Canary Islands. In the east (and examined under ‘The Nile Basin’) are the two independent states of Egypt (United Arab Republic) and Sudan.
