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Sahara Desert

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The Sahara desert is located in Africa and spreads across the boundaries of many countries in North Africa. Two deserts bigger in size than the Sahara desert are Cold Antarctica and Arctic deserts. The Sahara desert measures 4,800 kilometers approximately from east to west and has a total area of 8,600,000 square kilometers. The Sahara is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea in the north, the Red Sea in the east, and the Sahel in the south.

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Sahara Desert

Physical Features of Sahara

The main physical and topographical features of the Sahara include deep, seasonally inundated basins and large oasis depressions, and is extensively covered plains, with plateaus, mountains and sand sheets. The highest point of the desert is situated at 3,415 meters in Tibesti Mountains in Chad.

Sahara Desert Map

Map

Sahara Desert Map

Interesting Facts About the Sahara Desert

  1. Some interesting facts about the sahara desert include:
  2. Sahara desert is world’s largest hot desert and also third largest desert, after Antarctica and the Arctic.
  3. Sahara desert is located n North Africa and covers large section of the continent, of about 9,200,000 square kilometers.

How Hot is the Sahara Desert?

Sahara desert is referred to as the hottest desert in the world and the average annual temperature is 30 degree celsius and the area receives less rainfall. Temperatures drop drastically at night and reach as low as -6 degree celsius.

How big is the Sahara Desert?

The Sahara desert covers a large area of 9.2 million kilometers and is referred to as largest hot desert in the world and third largest overall desert.

Sahara Desert- Largest Hot Desert of the World

The Sahara desert is the largest hot desert in the world and covers 10 countries, which includes Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia. Some important features include:

  1. The Sahara desert has dry valleys, mountains, salt flats, barren and rocky plateaus, and dunes.
  2. A total of 20 lakes are present in the Sahara desert and mostly they are saltwater lakes.
  3. Lake Chad is only a freshwater lake.
  4. The hottest temperature recorded in the Sahara desert is about 58 degrees Celsius and many volcanic eruptions have risen in the desert which includes, including Emi Koussi, in Northern Chad.
  5. Important cities of the Sahara desert are Largeau in Chad, Timbuktu in Mali, etc.

Sahara Desert- Size of the Largest Hot Desert in the World

  1. The length of the Sahara desert is 4,800 kilometers.
  2. The width of the Sahara desert is 1,800 kilometer.
  3. The Sahara desert covers around 8 percent of the total land area present in the world.
  4. Sahara desert constitutes 31 percent of the total area of Africa.

Thar Desert- Largest Desert in India

  1. The thar desert is also referred to as Great Indian Desert, is a arid region which is present in northwestern part of Indian subcontinent.
  2. 85% of Thar Desert is located in India and rest 15% is situated in Pakistan.
  3. The Thar Desert spreads across states like Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab and certain provinces of Pakistani provinces.
  4. Thar desert is the 9th largest subtropical desert and is 17th largest desert. The spread of the desert is 200,000 square kilometers and also forms a boundary between India and Pakistan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Sahara desert hot or cold?

Sahara desert is considered to be one of the hottest deserts of the earth, which reached over 50 degree celsius.

Where is Sahara desert located in India?

The thar desert of India lies to the western of the Aravalli mountain range in northwestern India and includes Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Punjab.

What is the real name of Sahara desert?

The real name of sahara desert is Al-Sahra al- Kubra.

Why is Sahara so dry?

Sahara is dry due to the stability of the atmosphere above desert which prevents any convective overturning and also makes rainfall non-existent.

How old is Sahara desert?

Sahara desert dates between 5.3 and 2.6 million years ago.


Last Updated : 10 Nov, 2023
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