Tenhemad - Geography and Climate

Geography and Climate

Ten Hamadi is situated at the southern boundary of the Sahara-Sahel region of southern Mauritania. By air it is located approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) southwest of the departmental capital of Aioun El Atrouss, and the main village of Ten Hamadi is accessed via a dirt trail leading south off National Route 3, which connects it to this town and to the town of Tintane to the west. The commune is bordered to the north by the village and rural commune of Doueirara, to the north-east by the town and urban commune of Aioun El Atrouss, to the east by the village and rural commune of Beneamane, to the south by the village and rural commune of Hassi Ehel Bechna Ahmed, and to the west by the village and rural commune of Hassi Abdallah.

The northern part of the commune is hilly but relatively favorable to agriculture, while the southern part is flat and characterized by sand dunes. Sixteen caves are found within the area. The earth is mainly composed of stony rocks, sandy loam soils, and clay loam soils in the beds of wadis in the area. The soils in the hills have pockets of alluvium and sandy loam suitable for crop development, particularly on the hillsides and at the foot of the hills. Clay loam soils are found in the bowls and beds of wadis, which although suitable for farming are susceptible to gully and water erosion during the rainy season. The aquifers of shallow wells with depths varying from 25–50 metres (82–160 ft), yielding little more than 2 cubic metres/hour (71 cu ft), vary widely in availability. Deeper aquifers offer larger quantities of water, but its quality is generally brackish. The wadis are generally dry, usually only inundated after rainfall.

Vegetation is typical of the Sahara-Sahel region, and is mainly desert with thorny steppe land. Soil erosion is a problem, as many previously wooded areas have disappeared as the locals use wood for fuel, and inadequate farming practices have sometimes resulted in soil exhaustion.

Ten Hamadi has three main climatic seasons. The wet season from July to October has temperatures of the order of 30–40 °C (85–105 °F) and irregular rainfall. The dry and cold season in November to February has temperatures that can fall below 20 °C (68 °F) during the night. During the hot and dry season from March to June temperatures reach 40–45 °C (105–115 °F) during the day.