Sahara Desert

The Sahara Desert is the largest and the hottest desert in the world. It is spread over more than 9,000,000 Square Km (3,630,000 sq miles). It covers the most of North Africa and is as big as the United States. The desert starts at the Red sea, across the Mediterranean, and over to the Atlantic Ocean. It is spread over 12 African nations, Egypt, Chad, Algeria, Eritrea, Libya, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Sudan, Western Sahara, and Tunisia.

The history of the Sahara Desert goes back thousands of years. The sand dunes of the desert are big that they reach heights of 600 feet.

Life in the Sahara Desert is very difficult due to its climate. It receives less than 3 inches of rain every year. It may rain twice in one week, to an extreme of no rainfall over the next three years. Oasis are scattered throughout this desert, however, because of its size, it’s not easy to trace.

The Sahara Desert is the hottest place in the world with the temperature reaching up to 57.7 degree Celsius (135.8 degree F). Scientists have said that the desert expands and shrinks. Currently, it has been recorded that the Sahara is growing southward by 48 km every year.

The typical fauna that can be seen in the desert are domestic camels and goats. As far as the wild life is concerned, it is a common sight to see a scorpion, monitor lizard, sand vipers, wild dogs, ostriches, cheetah, and many more. The only types of birds that can be visible are African Silver bills and black throated fire finch.