Sahara Desert: You might be surprised to know that the world's largest hot desert, the Sahara, was once a lush plain. As per cave paintings, there were rivers with crocodiles. Elephants, lions and giraffes were found. But climate change resulted in transforming it to a very hot and dry region. Read on to find out more.
What is a desert?
To put it simply, a desert is a large dry area of land with little or no vegetation. Deserts are characterized with extreme temperatures and little rainfall. Living conditions in deserts are quite difficult for both humans and animals. The inhabitants of such land practice agriculture where ever little water is available.
How are deserts formed?
Deserts are formed by a weathering process due to erosion and other ecological reasons. Weathering is the process of breaking up of rocks on the surface of the Earth. Erosion is the wearing of landscape by wind and water.
How many types of deserts are there?
On the basis of temperatures deserts can be classified as hot and cold deserts. Sahara desert is an example of hot desert while Ladakh desert is an example of cold desert.
What is the Sahara Desert?
Sahara comes from the Arabic word ‘Sahra’ which means ‘desert’. The Sahara desert is the world’s largest hot desert and is located in Africa. It spans across a large area, covering countries including Egypt, Libya, Mali, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan, Tunisia, Chad, Algeria and Mauritania. Sahara is the third largest desert area-wise after Arctic and Antarctic deserts.
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What is the total area of the Sahara Desert?
The Sahara desert covers a vast area of 9.2 million square kilometers. The Atlantic Ocean borders it in the West, Mediterranean Sea in the North and Red Sea in the East.
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What is the climate of the Sahara Desert?
The Sahara desert is characterized by extreme temperatures and a short rainfall season. Its two major climatic zones are dry tropical climate in the south and dry subtropical climate in the north. Temperatures during daytime in the Sahara desert are extremely high and hot, while during night the area experiences cold and chilly weather.
What is the flora and fauna of the Sahara Desert?
The plant life in the Sahara desert is sparse with scattered concentrations of acacia, cactus and date palms, shrubs and grasses. Animals and birds living in the area include camels, hyenas, scorpions, lizards, ostriches, guinea fowls.
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Who are the people inhabiting the Sahara Desert?
Despite the fact that the Sahara desert has one of the harshest environments, the area has been inhabited by nomadic tribes such as the Bedouins and Tuaregs who rear livestock. Scattered inhabitants have settled near the oasis. Crops like millet, wheat and barley are grown.
In recent years, the tribesmen have taken to employment in the cities in oil operations.
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Note: All images have been taken from NCERT Class 7 Geography textbook (Our Environment).
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