The
Sahara Desert, located in northern Africa,
is the largest desert in the world. It is over 3,500,000
square miles; about 1,000 miles from north to south,
and about 3,200 miles from east to west. It is a similar
size to the United
States. Of that size only about 80,000 square miles are partially
fertile oases. The Sahara is constantly changing size.
The southern boundaries have shrunk since 2002 probably
due to increased rainfall to the area. Over 8,000 years
ago there was no Sahara Desert; what is now the Sahara
Desert used to be grain fields.
The Sahara Desert is divided into regions. The Western Sahara consists of rocky plains and sand deserts. The land has almost no rainfall or surface water; however, there are a number of underground rivers which flow from the Atlas and other mountains. Where the rivers break the surface you will find oases. The irrigated areas and the area around the oases are fertile and grow excellent crops.
The central plateau region of the Sahara has mountain peaks that vary from 6,000 feet to over 11,200 feet tall (Mount Koussi). Rainfall is scanty in this area although several of the mountain peaks are snowcapped part of the year.
The Eastern Sahara, which includes the Libyan Desert, is the driest region of the Sahara. The land consists of sandy wastes and large dunes. Some dunes reach 400 feet in height. Water is almost non-existent and there are few oases. Although most of the Sahara Desert is well above sea level there are some spots such as the Qattera Depression (436 feet below sea level) in Egypt which are well below sea level.
Overall, most areas of the Sahara get less than five inches of rain a year; some areas go years without any rainfall. The temperature ranges from freezing to 130 degrees. Outside of oases and irrigated areas there is little vegetation; only a few thorny shrubs. Some artificial oases have been created by drilling water wells over 3,280 feet deep.
It is estimated that 2,500,000 people live in the Sahara Desert; the majority of them are nomads. This is a population density of less than one person per square mile; one of the lowest population densities on Earth.
Parts of the Sahara Desert are located in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan.
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