Niger - Mare Ounsolo or N'Solo

The site of Ossolo is located in the extreme west of Niger, 30km north-west of the city of Tera. Ossolo is a semi - permanent pool, fed by runoff waters and enjoying a large protective belt (bottom formation) composed mainly of Acacia nilotica. It covers an area of ​​9000 ha. The climate, like that of the whole region, is Sahelian. Rainfall heights decrease along a south - north axis from 250mm to 450mm. Temperatures vary between 42 ° C (in April) and 18 ° C (in the months of December - January). There are two winds to know: - the harmattan, hot and dry wind blowing from the Northeast to the Southwest (November - April); - the monsoon, a wind blowing from the Southwest to the Northeast, generally carrying rains. Soils are of three types: - sandy soils, consisting of coarse sand, are poor in organic matter and in some places form more or less mobile dunes; - sandy clay soils found in shallows, ponds and koris beds; - Lateritic soils, strongly eroded, unsuitable for agriculture, found in fallow land. The river called Dargol (tributary of the Niger River) crosses the pond of Ossolo in its upper course, has its source in Burkina Faso and flows in the West-East direction according to the general slope of the plain of Liptako Gourma.