European exploration of the Sahara began in the early 1800's. France, Spain, Italy, and Britain occupied parts of the Sahara from the late 1800's to the mid-1900's. By the 1960's, all the areas occupied by the European powers, except Spanish Sahara, had become independent countries. Spain gave up control of Spanish Sahara in 1976, and the region came to be called Western Sahara. Since 1968, severe droughts have struck much of the Sahel, an area of Africa that lies along the southern borders of the Sahara.
Some people blame the droughts on expansion of the Sahara.
But the droughts are actually part of normal, periodic climate variations in the area. How to cite this article.