GEOGRAPHY: DESCRIBING A LANDSCAPE

• Sahara Desert

      The Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert and one of the harshest environments on the planet. It        is the largest desert in the world

• Description 

  At 3.6 million square miles (9.4 million square kilometers), the Sahara, which engulfs most of        North Africa. The desert covers large sections of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania,    Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia.

The Sahara is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the western edge, the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea on the east, and the Sudan and the valley of the Niger River on the south. The Sahara is divided into western Sahara, the central Hoggar (Ahaggar) Mountains, the Tibesti Mountains, the Air Mountains, an area of desert mountains and high plateaus, Ténéré desert and the Libyan desert, which is the most arid region. 

• Climate of Sahara

The Sahara’s northeasterly winds can reach hurricane level and often give rise to sand storms and dust devils. Half of the Sahara receives less than an inch of rain per year, and the rest receives up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) per year. The infrequent rain is usually torrential.The temperature variation is high because it has a cold nights and hot days. Due to this kind of climate in the sahara the landscape is mainly desertic with big dunes and few trees.

• Flora

Due to the dry condition, the Sahara contains almost no flora.  From the Mediterranean vegetation which covered the Sahara mountains before they became a desert. Plants were adapted to the climate to reduce evaporation and increase water absorption: very small leaves, very long roots which can reach the most humid, water accumulation in the tissues and leaves covered with wax (succulent).

      Red Acacia Tree 

                                                                          Doum palm

• Fauna

Animals have also created some strategies to preserve water and avoid hot weather: thick skin and underground life like the scorpions and insects, recuperation of water steam in pulmonary air by condensing it in nostrils, production of drained faeces and concentrated urine for some birds, loss of sudoriferous glands,  clear colored skin to reflect the sun, search for water and food at night, accumulation of water in internal pockets, increase of internal temperature to avoid perspiration…

Camel

Dromedary


Adax


Fenéc fox