It has been widely planted on farms throughout the plains of the subcontinent. The species grows on saline, alkaline soils, and on those with calcareous pans. Subspecies hemispherica is restricted to dry sandy streams beds near Karchi, ssp. A. nilotica occurs from sea level to over 2000 m. Annual rainfall varies from 250 - 1500 mm.
Trees are generally deciduous during the dry season, though riverine ssp.
The species is naturally widespread in the drier areas of Africa, from Senegal to Egypt and down to South Africa, and in Asia from Arabia eastwards to India, Burma and Sri Lanka. It has also been cultivated elsewhere, including Australia, Cape Verde islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Nepal, Vietnam, and the West Indies. Since the time of the Pharoahs, large timber trees have been exploited from the riverine forests of the Nile. At present the Sudan forests are managed on a 20-30 year rotation producing termite resistant timber especially suitable for railway sleepers. In India and Pakistan riverine plantations are managed on a 15-20 year rotation for fuelwood and timber.