Despite popular belief, the Sahara desert on the map is by no means the largest in the world. In fact, in terms of its area, it is inferior to the Antarctic desert, but among the hot deserts and located on the inhabited continents, the Sahara is the undisputed leader.

Sahara desert on the map of the world and Africa

The Sahara is the greatest desert in the world, not by its size, but by its influence on history and modern life person. Mankind lived in the Sahara many millennia ago, as evidenced by more than 3 thousand rock paintings in various parts of the desert.

And now the Sahara has a huge impact on the political, economic and cultural life of North Africa.

Because of their huge The size of the Sahara is characterized by a rather diverse climate, soil type, living conditions and local inhabitants - from the Arabs in the north to the Negro peoples in the south of the desert.

What continent is it on?

The Sahara is located in the northern part African continent and extends from the coast in the north to the tropical savannas of the Sahel in the south at 16 ° N. sh., from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the east of the continent.

Which country does it belong to?

The following African states are wholly or partially located on the territory of the Sahara:

  • Libya;
  • Tunisia;
  • Algeria;
  • West Sahara;
  • Mauritania;
  • Mali;
  • Niger;
  • Chad;
  • Sudan.

History of origin and name

Scientists believe that in 5th-4th millennium BC e. trees grew on the territory of the Sahara, the earth's surface was covered with grasses and shrubs, and water resources were represented by numerous lakes.

Presumably, complex desertification began at the same time due to a decrease in moisture and the predominance of evaporation of moisture over precipitation.

Cause it could be like natural factors(climate change), and the anthropogenic factor - the transition of local tribes to the pastoral type of animal husbandry, which led to desertification. On the other hand, such a transition could be caused by the transformation of the once flourishing savannahs into a desert.

Be that as it may, for about a thousand years The Sahara turned into a desert, and the process of desertification was completed by the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. e.

The name Sahara is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "ṣaḥārā" which means "desert". Another version of the origin of the name is from the Arabic "sahra", which means "red-brown". The name of the desert has been recorded since the 1st century AD. e. after the Arabic-speaking tribes reached the Sahara.

If acquaintance with the Sahara is accompanied by a vacation in Tunisia, then find out what the weather conditions are in the country for months.

Climatic conditions

The climate of the Sahara deserted(arid), a characteristic feature of which is the predominance of evaporation processes over moisturizing processes.

South part the desert has dry tropical climate with hot summers and mild winters. The amount of precipitation per year is usually about 130 mm. IN winter time at night the air temperature can drop below zero, and in summer it often reaches +50°C.

The northern part of the desert has dry subtropical climate with hot summers and relatively cold winters. The average air temperature in summer reaches +37°C, and in winter mountainous areas can drop down to -18°C. This part of the desert is characterized by high daily fluctuations in air temperature due to night cooling. The average annual rainfall does not exceed 75 mm.

Sandy sea - what is it?

Sahara - active desert, which annually increases its area, moving south by 10 km.

Characteristics of the Endless Sands

About a quarter of the sugar is made up of sand dunes, a quarter - from mountains of volcanic origin, and half from barren rocky plains and rocks. The area of ​​the territory of sustainable vegetation does not exceed a few percent.

One of the reasons for the dryness of the Sahara is the presence of the Atlas Mountains in the north of the desert, which block the access of humid Mediterranean air to the Sahara.

The central part of the Sahara, where there is the least amount annual precipitation(no more than 20 mm per year) is one of the most lifeless places on earth. The average biomass in this part of the desert drops to 2 kg/ha or less.

Square the desert is almost 9 million km², which is equal to almost 30% of the territory of Africa. The desert stretches for 4.8 thousand km from west to east and for 1.2 thousand km from north to south.

Water sources in the Sahara are:

  1. artesian groundwater, above the surface of which oases are located;
  2. rainwater, which fills gelts (ponds or natural puddles) and wadis (drying channels of ancient rivers filled with rainwater);
  3. major rivers on the outskirts of the desert (Nile, Niger).

Flora and fauna

A significant part of the desert has no vegetation at all and is a classic sand. Mostly dry climate-resistant plants grow in oases and high-altitude areas (grass, small shrubs and trees). Oases grow a variety of cultivated plants : dates, olives, figs, vegetables.

Fauna The Sahara is mainly represented by various species of rodents and reptiles, as well as birds, more than half of which are migratory. TO large mammal include antelopes, rams, Nubian donkey. Predators - spotted hyena and a cheetah. Most of the animals of the Sahara are active at night, when the heat is not so great.

For those wishing to visit the deeper places of the Sahara, it is recommended to get to Erga Shigaga- a conglomerate of sand dunes in the heart of the Moroccan Sahara. There is a campground here, where tourists can expect all the benefits of civilization available in the desert.

Picturesque Shigaga, which measures 30 by 15 km, exceeds any expectations: countless untouched dunes, almost devoid of vegetation, stretch to the end of the horizon.

Another popular route in the Moroccan Sahara is a trip to Ergu Shebbi through the village of Merzouga. Erg Chebbi is as colorful as Shigagu, but getting to him is a little more difficult.

Mauritania

Mauritania is located almost entirely within the Sahara, but trips here are rare due to the poverty of the local population, the lack of infrastructure and the rather high crime rate in the country.

For those who decide on a tour to this exotic country, it will be interesting to visit Adrar plateau The in which the list objects are located world heritage UNESCO - the villages of Ouadan and Chinguetti. On the plateau itself, despite its lifelessness, there are more than 20 large oases, including quite Big City Atar.

Algeria

Algeria is a country with greatest the territory of the Sahara in its composition, more than 80% of the country's area is occupied by the desert.

The most stunning desert landscapes are located in the southeastern part of Algiers at the foot of the Tassili mountains.

Tassil Plateau- one of the objects of the UNESCO list, the oldest petroglyphs were found in local caves, the age of which is from 2 to 9 thousand years.

Others man-made attractions Algerian Sahara are:

  1. city ​​of Ouargla;
  2. Mzab valley with fortified cities.

These settlements are of great value from a historical and architectural point of view and were founded and built up in the 10th century. Ibadis- a branch of Muslims, different from Sunnis and Shiites.

Of the natural attractions of the Algerian part of the Sahara stands out Ahaggar highlands in the south of Algeria, consisting of volcanic remnants of bizarre forms. Open on site national park Ahaggar, and the guides of tourists are local residents of the Tuareg, to get acquainted with the peculiar culture of which it will be interesting for any tourist.

A truly endless sea of ​​sand, stone and clay scorched by the sun, enlivened only by rare green spots of oases and a single river - this is what the Sahara is.

The gigantic scale of this largest desert in the world is simply amazing.

Its territory occupies almost eight million square kilometers - it is larger than Australia and only slightly smaller than Brazil. Its hot expanses stretch for five thousand kilometers from the Atlantic to the Red Sea.


Nowhere else on Earth is there such a huge waterless space. There are places in the interior of the Sahara where it doesn't rain for years.

So, in the oasis of In-Salah, in the heart of the desert, for eleven years, from 1903 to 1913, it rained only once - in 1910, and only eight millimeters of rain fell.

These days, the Sahara is not so difficult to access. From the city of Algiers on a good highway to the desert can be reached in one day.


Through the picturesque gorge of El Kantara - "Gateway to the Sahara" - the traveler finds himself in places that by their landscape do not at all resemble the "sandy sea" he expected with golden waves of dunes.




To the left and right of the road, which runs along a rocky and clay plain, small rocks rise, to which the wind and sand have given the intricate outlines of fairy-tale castles and towers.


Sandy deserts - ergs - occupy less than a quarter of the entire territory of the Sahara, the rest falls on the share of rocky plains, as well as clayey areas cracked from the scorching heat and salt-white depressions-salt marshes, generating deceptive mirages in the unsteady haze of heated air.




In general, the Sahara is a vast plateau, a table, the flat character of which is broken only by the depressions of the Nile and Niger valleys and Lake Chad.

On this plain, only in three places do truly high, albeit small in area, mountain ranges rise. These are the Ahaggar and Tibesti highlands and the Darfur plateau, rising more than three kilometers above sea level.

The mountainous, gorge-cut, absolutely dry landscapes of Ahaggar are often compared to lunar landscapes. But under the natural rocky canopies, archaeologists have discovered here a whole art gallery of the Stone Age.



The rock paintings of ancient people depicted elephants and hippos, crocodiles and giraffes, rivers with floating boats and people harvesting ...


All this suggests that before the climate of the Sahara was more humid, and savannahs were once located on most of the current desert.

Now they are found only on the slopes of the Tibesti highlands and the flat high plains of Darfur, where for a month or two a year, while it rains, real rivers even flow through the gorges, and abundant springs all year round feed the oases.

In the rest of the Sahara, precipitation is less than two hundred and fifty millimeters per year. Geographers call such areas arid regions.



They are unsuitable for agriculture, and herds of sheep and camels can only be driven over them in search of scarce food.

Here are the hottest places on our planet. For example, in Libya there are areas where the heat reaches fifty-eight degrees! And in some areas of Ethiopia, even mean annual temperature does not fall below plus thirty-five.



The sun governs all life in the Sahara. Its radiation, taking into account rare cloudiness, low air humidity and lack of vegetation, reaches very high values.

The daily temperatures here are characterized by large jumps. The difference between day and night temperatures reaches thirty degrees! Sometimes frosts occur at night in February, and on Ahaggar or Tibesti the temperature can drop to minus eighteen degrees.



Of all the atmospheric phenomena, the traveler endures prolonged storms the hardest in the Sahara. The desert wind, hot and dry, causes hardship even when it is transparent, but it is even more difficult for travelers when it carries dust or fine grains of sand.


Dust storms are more common than sandstorms. The Sahara is perhaps the dustiest place on earth. These storms look from afar like fires quickly covering everything around, clouds of smoke from which rise high into the sky.


With furious force they rush through the plains and mountains, blowing dust from the destroyed rocks on their way.

Storms in the Sahara have extraordinary strength. The wind speed sometimes reaches fifty meters per second (remember that thirty meters per second is already a hurricane!).

Caravaneers say that sometimes heavy camel saddles are carried away by the wind for two hundred meters, and stones, the size of a chicken egg, roll along the ground like peas.


Quite often, tornadoes occur when the very heated air from the earth heated by the sun rapidly rises, capturing fine dust and carrying it high into the sky. Therefore, such whirlwinds are visible from afar, which, as a rule, allows the rider to save his life by avoiding a meeting with the "desert genie", as the Bedouins call the tornado.

A gray column rises into the air to the very clouds. The pilots met dust devils sometimes at a height of one and a half kilometers. It happens that the wind carries Saharan dust across the Mediterranean Sea to Southern Europe.


On the vast Saharan plains, the wind almost always blows. It is estimated that there are only six calm days in the desert for a hundred days. Especially notorious are the hot winds of the Northern Sahara, which can destroy the entire crop in the oasis in a few hours. These winds - sirocco - blow more often in early summer.

In Egypt, such a wind is called khamsin (literally - "fifty"), since it usually blows for fifty days after the vernal equinox.

During his almost two-month rampage, the window glass, not closed by the shutters, becomes dull - this is how grains of sand carried by the wind scratch it.

And when there is calm in the Sahara and the air is filled with dust, there is a "dry fog" known to all travelers. At the same time, visibility completely disappears, and the sun seems to be a dull spot and does not give a shadow. Even wild animals lose their bearings at such moments.



They say that there was a case when, during the "dry fog", usually very shy gazelles calmly walked in a caravan, walking between people and camels.

Sahara likes to be reminded of herself unexpectedly. It happens that the caravan sets off when nothing foretells bad weather. The air is still clean and calm, but some strange heaviness is already spreading in it. Gradually, the sky on the horizon begins to turn pink, then takes on a purple hue.

It is somewhere far away that the wind has picked up and drives the red sands of the desert towards the caravan. Soon, the cloudy sun barely breaks through the rapidly rushing sandy clouds. It becomes difficult to breathe, it seems that the sand has displaced the air and filled everything around.

Hurricane winds rush at speeds up to hundreds of kilometers per hour. Sand burns, chokes, knocks down. Such a storm sometimes lasts a week, and woe to those whom it caught on the way.


But if the weather is calm in the Sahara and the sky is not covered with wind-blown dust, it is difficult to find a more beautiful sight than a sunset in the desert. Perhaps only the aurora borealis makes a greater impression on the traveler.

The sky in the rays of the setting sun each time strikes with a new combination of shades - it is both blood-red and pink-pearl, imperceptibly merging with pale blue. All this is piled up on the horizon in several floors, it burns and sparkles, growing into some kind of bizarre, fabulous forms, and then gradually fades away.

Then, almost instantly, an absolutely black night sets in, the darkness of which even the bright southern stars cannot dispel.

Of course, the most desirable and most picturesque places in the Sahara are the oases.


The Algerian oasis of El Ouedd lies in the golden yellow sands of the Great East Erg. An asphalt highway connects it with the outside world, but it only appears as such on the map. In many places, the wide roadbed is thoroughly covered with sand.

A good two-thirds of the telegraph poles are buried in it, and teams of workers with shovels and whisks are constantly raking drifts, first in one area, then in another.

After all, the wind blows here all year round. And even a weak breeze, tearing off the tops of sandy dune hills, steadily moves sandy waves from place to place. With a strong wind, traffic on the roads of the desert sometimes stops completely, and not for one day.

Like all oases of the Sahara, El Ouedd is surrounded by a palm grove. Date palms are the basis of life for local residents. In other oases, in order to give them water to drink, irrigation systems are arranged, but in El Ouedd it is easier.

In the dry bed of the river flowing through the oasis, they dig deep funnel holes and plant palm trees in them. Water always flows under the rusdom at a depth of five or six meters, so that the roots of palm trees planted in this way easily reach the level of the underground stream, and they do not need irrigation.






In each funnel grows from fifty to one hundred palm trees. The sinkholes are arranged in rows along the channel, and they are all threatened by a common enemy - sand. To prevent the slopes from sliding, the edges of the funnels are strengthened with wattle from palm branches, but the sand still seeps down. You have to take it all year round on donkeys or carry it on yourself in baskets.

In the summer, in the heat, this hard work can only be done at night, by the light of torches or in the glow of the full moon. Water wells are also dug in these funnels. It is enough for drinking and for watering gardens. Camel droppings serve as fertilizer.

Dates and camel milk are the main food of fellah farmers. A valuable nutmeg variety of dates is sold and even exported to Europe.

The capital of the Algerian Sahara - the oasis of Ouargla - differs from other oases in that it has ... a real lake. This tiny town in the middle of the desert has a reservoir of four hundred hectares, huge by local standards.


It was formed from water discharged from palm plantations after irrigation. Water is always supplied to the fields and date groves in excess, otherwise evaporation will lead to the accumulation of salts in the soil.

Excess water, along with salts, is discharged into a depression next to the oasis. This is how artificial lakes appear in the Sahara.

True, most of them are not as large as in Ouargla, and do not withstand a deadly struggle with sand and sun. Most often, these are just swampy depressions, the surface of which is covered with a dense, transparent, like glass, layer of salt.

But oases in the Sahara are rare, and one has to get from one "island of life" to another along the endless roads of the desert, overcoming solar inferno, hot wind, dust and ... the temptation to turn off the road.

Such a temptation often arises among travelers both on ancient caravan trails and on modern paved highways in these inhospitable lands.

When the desired outlines of an oasis appear on the horizon in front of a traveler exhausted by a long journey, the Arab guide only shakes his head negatively.

He knows that there are still tens of kilometers to the oasis under the scorching sun, and what the traveler sees "with his own eyes" is just a mirage.

This optical illusion sometimes misleads even experienced people. Experienced travelers who have passed through the sands on more than one expeditionary route and have studied the desert for more than one year have also become victims of mirages.

When you see palm groves and a lake, white clay houses and a mosque with a high minaret at a short distance, it is hard to believe that in reality they are several hundred kilometers away. Experienced caravan guides sometimes fell under the power of a mirage.

One day, sixty people and ninety camels died in the desert, following a mirage that carried them sixty kilometers away from the well.

IN old times travelers, to make sure, a mirage in front of them or reality, kindled a fire. If even a small breeze blew in the desert, then the smoke creeping along the ground quickly dispersed the mirage.

For many caravan routes, maps have been drawn up, which indicate places where mirages are often found. These maps even mark what exactly is seen in one place or another: wells, oases, palm groves, mountain ranges, and so on.

And yet in our time, when through great desert two modern highways ran from north to south, when colorful caravans of the Paris-Dakar rally rush along it every year, and artesian wells drilled along the roads make it possible to walk to the nearest source of water in case of emergency.

The Sahara gradually passes to be that disastrous place that European travelers feared more than the Arctic snows and the Amazonian jungle.




Increasingly, inquisitive tourists, fed up with beach idleness and contemplation of the ruins of Carthage and other picturesque ruins, go by car or on a camel into the depths of this unique region of the planet to inhale a sip of the night wind on the slopes of Ahaggar, hear the rustle of palm crowns in the green coolness of the oasis, see the graceful run gazelles and admire the colors of the Sahara sunsets.





29Palms


Sahara Desert- the largest desert in the world, which covers an area of ​​​​almost 10 million square kilometers and occupies almost a third of the entire territory of the mainland. The desert area touches 10 neighboring African states. The Sahara is the hottest and driest place on the planet. The temperature here rarely drops below 30 degrees. Rain is extremely rare here. But powerful storms, raising whirlwinds of sand to a height of 1 kilometer, are not uncommon here.

The most ancient information about the desert dates back to the beginning of our era. Residents of the countries neighboring the desert often refer to the desert as an endless sea of ​​​​sand. Here you can find only dark sand, clay and stone scorched by the sun. All that can be found here except for sandy expanses is a handful of oases and a single river.

The Sahara is an endless sea of ​​sand.

Sahara (Sahra) in Arabic means a brown monotonous empty plain. Saying the name of the desert several times aloud, a slight wheezing is felt, which intensifies with each new time of continuous pronunciation. Perhaps in this way the Arabs wanted to show that the further a person goes into the desert and the longer he wanders through it, the stronger the rattle of an emaciated person is heard, who is subject to sizzling heat and becomes weak without water and moist air. In our country, the word "Sahara" is pronounced somewhat softer than among Africans, but the formidable charm of the desert atmosphere is still felt in it.

It is difficult to refute the fact that the Sahara is the hottest place on the planet. Here, the air temperature annually reaches over 55 degrees, and once a maximum figure of 73 degrees was recorded.

But you are probably interested to know what feelings the average Russian or European who has visited the Sahara experiences. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the words of one tourist who spent 3 days in the desert:

"Morning. A huge scorching sun rises below the horizon and heats up the sand in a few minutes. After a few more minutes, it is impossible to stand on him barefoot, his legs burn and are very strong. The air is incredibly dry and hot, it burns your lips, as soon as you lick them, they immediately begin to dry and crack. It is worth mentioning the proverb that says that in the Sahara the wind rises with the sun and subsides with it. Indeed, during the daytime, the wind can rage very strongly and bring strong sandstorms, which you can survive ordinary person extremely difficult without special equipment. At night, the unbearable heat subsides, and the wind blows with a very noticeable coolness. Such differences are difficult to tolerate even stones and stone structures. They burst here, making a barely audible crack. Because of this nuance with stones, they were even given the name "Shooters", and among the local population there is a saying that even stones scream from the heat in sugar.

However, deserted sugar also cannot be called. Here you can often meet nomadic Tuareg, especially in uninhabited areas. Local residents called them blue ghosts, since their main attribute is a blue veil that completely covers the face, leaving only a thin strip around the eyes to see the route. It is customary to give such bandages-veils at the age of 18 to young men who have become men. From this moment on, he can put on a bandage at any time, however, when the accessory is on his face, it cannot be removed until death. It is only allowed to move the mask to the level of the nose when eating.

Where is the desert located?

The endless desert is easy to find, focusing on the territory between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea. In a north-south direction, it spreads across the entire territory from the foothills of the Atlas to Lake Chad, along the savannah zone. The territory of the desert in different sources indicates different and is within 7-10 thousand square kilometers.

Weather.

The desert climate is expected, but we will deal with it in more detail. The climate of the Sahara Desert is classified as extra-arid. Dry weather prevails here with tropical hot days. Increased humidity with rainfall more than 1-2 times a year can be seen only in the northern part. This fact explains that the main part of the desert is affected by the northeast trade wind, which "walks" through it for a whole year.

active influence on climatic conditions The desert is provided by the northern Atlas mountain range, which stretches across almost the entire territory of the African continent. He does not allow the clouds to penetrate the desert. It rains regularly in the southern part of the Sahara, but it dries up and does not reach the central parts of the desert.

A very high coefficient of air dryness and excessively active evaporation prevent rain from falling normally to the ground in any corner of the desert. Although, the Sahara is still divided into three zones according to the amount of precipitation:

  • South (precipitations periodically fall, but very scarce);
  • Central (no precipitation, except for 1-2 times a year);
  • North (there is practically no precipitation, as the clouds linger in the mountains).

The direction of the desert from west to east also has its own characteristics. Near the Atlantic Ocean, you can occasionally encounter fog, but you should not expect rain either, since the Canary Current cools the west wind.

Air humidity - 30-40%. On the outskirts of the desert, the figures may be slightly higher. Active evaporation of precipitation (6000 millimeters per year) already says a lot about the desert itself. On the territory of narrow coastal strips, precipitation is slightly higher and evaporation can fall up to 2500 millimeters. The earth reaches only 50-200 millimeters of precipitation per year. There are also areas where not a single drop of rain has been observed for the past hundred years.

The desert comes to life only during heavy rains. At this time, stormy water flows lead to flooding of all neighboring villages. Only then does the desert truly come to life. Unfortunately, these facts are very rare. There is little rainfall in the desert, but it is overflowing with groundwater, which is actively used by the inhabitants of many African villages.

Due to the large temperature differences between day and night, most of the Sahara is characterized by dew. But on Ahaggar and Tibesti, snow was recorded several years ago.

The critical temperature in summer time can reach 70 degrees, however, forecasters say that the maximum summer temperature constantly fluctuates around 57 degrees. The average annual temperature in the Sahara is 37 degrees. The minimum indicators in the mountains can reach sub-zero temperatures, but during severe January colds, the average temperature throughout the desert is in the range of 15-17 degrees.

Sandstorms can be found here almost daily, as well as long strong winds. Sometimes strong storms can drag on for several days. The wind speed in these cases can be over 50 meters per second, which is almost twice as strong as a hurricane. Caravaners and Bedouins often talk about how saddles with a camel can fly 200 meters away, and stones the size of a fist calmly roll on the ground like a pea.

Strong winds are often accompanied by sandy dust. Visibility becomes zero, looking at the sun is like an eclipse, and the wild animals of the Sahara desert completely lose their bearings.

Sahara is a place of eternal sands and hurricanes that can carry dust and sand to Europe and the Atlantic Ocean.

Sahara - cities walled up with sand

According to historians, the Sahara has not always been a dry and lifeless land. During the Paleolithic period, which falls on the period of 10,000 years ago, there was a more humid climate and instead of endless sands there were savannahs and steppes. The local population was engaged in agriculture, hunting, fishing, cattle breeding. As confirmation of these words, there are many rock paintings in all corners of the desert.

Since that time, many large cities and villages of the present Sahara have been buried under the sand. Archaeologists still find elements of houses and various structures under a large thickness of sand.

Boston scientists claim that in the west of Sudan, in the place where the desert is now, there used to be a huge lake similar to Baikal. According to them, there was a lake at a level of 570 meters. Scientists believe that several rivers took their sources from this reservoir. Now, like many villages, the lake is hidden under a layer of sand.

It is very difficult to determine the age of the buried lake, but in the old days it was regularly replenished from heavy rains.

The drought in what is now the Sahara began 5,000 years ago. At first, the grass dried up here because of the scorching sun, the waters gradually evaporated and soaked into the ground for recharge. Herbivores instinctively began to run away to better feeding places. They were followed by predatory groups of animals of the Sahara desert. Most of the animal species of those times are still preserved. They found shelter in Central Africa where they live today.

The last to leave the territory, which was already unsuitable for existence, were people. Only a few decided to stay, claiming that this was their home. Centuries later, they began to be called nomads or Tuareg.

The only place that now reminds of the former valley on the site of the Sahara is the plateau of many rivers. It was in this form that life once flourished here.

Sahara - a vast sandy plateau pierced by a river

The Sahara is far from being one huge desert, as we used to think. For Africans, the Sahara is a generalized name for a huge number of small areas that are connected by the relief space and the climate of the Sahara desert. East End The Sahara is called the Libyan Desert, the voids from the right bank of the Nile to the Red Sea are the Arabian. South of the Arabian - Nubian. In addition to the above deserts of the Sahara, there are many small ones that we will not mention. Most of them are separated by mountain ranges and massifs.

The Sahara has several high mountains, heights up to 3.5 kilometers and the dried crater of the Emi-Kushi volcano. Its diameter is 12 kilometers. But most of the territory is occupied by sand dunes, hollows, occasionally decorated with salt marshes and oases. Do not forget about dry depressions, one of which is located in the Libyan desert. Its bottom is at a level of 150 meters below ocean level.

All these elements perfectly complement the desert. When viewed from above, an unimaginable outlook opens up, which causes great delight.

But in general, the Sahara is a huge plateau, which is broken only by the depressions of the Nile valleys and Lake Chad. Mountain ranges are located only in three places, the rest of the territory is a once-existing plain covered with sand.

Plants of the Sahara Desert

The northern part of the desert is much richer in flora than the southern part and is categorically different in plant species. The northern part is more characteristic of the Mediterranean flora. The southern part of the Sahara has rare patches of paleotropical flora.

Most of the plants here belong to the endemic genus of plants, which, in turn, belong to the red-flowered, composite and haze families. Vegetation is very sparse in drier and extra-arid areas.

The southwest of Libya is rich in only nine plants of the Sahara desert, which can exist in European countries. If you drive along the southernmost border of the Libyan desert, you can not meet a single plant. But in the Central Sahara, the diversity of flora is wider than in other regions. A wide variety of vegetation is achieved here only due to the two desert uplands Ahaggat and Tibesti. At the highlands of Tibetsi, near water bodies, ficus and ferns grow. The territory of Ahaggat is rich in relic specimens of the Mediterranean cypress.

After light rains, ephemera sprout in the desert. Often you can find grass-shrub formations, tiers in the form of acacias, undersized randonia and cornulaka. In the northern belt you can find jujube.

The extreme west of the desert is rich in large succulent plants. Here you can quite often meet cactus euphorbia, sumac, wolfberry, acacia. The coast of the Atlantic Ocean is covered with Afghan trees. Cereal plants of the Sahara Desert, feather grass, mallow, ragwort, bonfire, etc. dominate on the mountain ranges.

Throughout the desert, you can find date palms that grow near rivers and oases.

Sahara Desert Animals

The desert fauna is very rich, unlike the flora. More than 500 species live here. different groups, among which:

  • About 70 species of mammals;
  • More than 300 representatives of beetles;
  • More than 200 representatives of birds and winged animals;
  • Approximately 80 species of ants.

Touching upon species endemism, it is worth noting that in some groups it can reach 70%, for example, in insects. There are no endemics among birds, and only 40% among mammals.

Among mammals, rodents are the most common. In particular, the families of squirrels, jerboas, hamsters and mice are common. Large ungulates in the Sahara are only partly distributed. The harsh conditions of survival in the desert do not allow them to exist normally here. Moreover, the population of nearby countries is actively catching them for their own needs.

A lot of antelopes live in the Sahara. The largest antelope is the aryx. Maned sheep can be found on plateaus and coasts.

From the class of predators, one can single out striped jackals, which are very numerous here, Egyptian mongooses, miniature chanterelles and velvet cats.

Birds in the Sahara are very rare. Fritillaries, larks, desert sparrows are regulars of the desert. Less often you can meet the desert crow, eagle owl, sandpipers. Representatives of lizard-like and serpent-like animals have adapted very well to sugar.

The most important symbol of the Sahara desert has long and still remains the camel.

Mirages - the most mysterious phenomenon of the Sahara

A rare inhabitant of the planet earth dare to travel to the Sahara. Along the way through the sandy expanses, you may encounter mirages more than once. It is worth noting that they always appear in the same places. Some travelers of the desert even managed to draw up a map-plan of the appearance of mirages. Now mirage maps contain about 160 thousand marks of their location. Maps contain detailed description what is seen at these points: oases, wells, mountain ranges, groves, etc.

The sunset in the desert lands looks no less beautiful. The sky, adorned with the rays of the setting sun, daily creates a new harmony of shades of blue, red and pink. All this beauty gathers on the horizon in several layers, sparkles, burns and changes in form, gradually fading away. After a couple of minutes, a gloomy night sets in, in which the brightest stars are barely visible.

Now a trip to the Sahara is available to anyone. If you leave Algiers, you can get to the Sahara along a good road in one day. Along the way, you can see the stunning El Kantara Gorge. The gorge got its name because it connects the populated area and the desert. Translated from the African dialect as the Gateway to the Sahara. The road here runs through clay and rocky plains, as well as small rocks. When viewed from afar, the rocks resemble a fortress or a tower.

Guell Er Richat - The largest structure in the world

The object is located in the Sahara in Mauritania. Its diameter is almost 50 kilometers. According to ancient legends, this ring was formed more than one and a half billion years ago. No one knows the reasons for the appearance of the structure, but some scientists believe that Guel-er-Rishat arose as a result of a meteorite fall. Today, research teams continue to study this piece from space and cannot explain how the perfectly even shape was preserved.

The company site offers you excursions to the Sahara. These are short-term trips for 3-4 days to exhausting desert regions. You will be able to ride camels with the overseer. The most daring travelers and thrill-seekers can go through the entire desert. Before committing such madness, consult a doctor.

But the animals of the Sahara desert are on the list of those who were able to adapt to the harsh conditions of the desert, so they can be added to the list of the most interesting animals on our planet.

The animals of the Sahara are unique in their kind, and most of them are almost impossible to find in other parts of the world.


1 Desert Animals: Horned Vipers

By their scientific name - Cerastes cerastes - it might seem that these reptiles are harmless. Really poison horned viper causes serious damage to tissues and red blood cells. Ingestion of hemotoxins into the body can be fatal. Today it is an endangered species.

2. Wildlife of the desert: One-humped camel


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It is worth noting that in the past a large number of one-humped camels (or dromedaries) roamed the deserts of North Africa, but today only domesticated animals can be found, which, being incredibly strong and hardy animals, help people in African and Asian countries to transport heavy loads.

They are also used for riding. Contrary to the opinion of many people, these animals do not store water in their hump, but fat, which they feed on in case of a shortage of food.

3 Desert Animals: Dorcas Gazelle


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This animal has a sandy color, which helps it to disguise itself in the desert. Thanks to the dew on the plants it feeds on, as well as the consumption of water-preserving plants, this gazelle can almost never drink.

The animal can reach a height of 65 cm and a weight of 25 kg. It is worth noting that the Dorcas gazelle instinctively jumps back when a predator approaches. This reflex serves as a warning signal to other gazelles. In addition, the Dorcas gazelle runs very fast, reaching a speed of almost 80 km / h.

4. Animals of the Sahara desert: Sacred scarab (or dung beetle)


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This beetle pounces on the droppings of ungulates. When the sacred scarab finds the droppings, it begins to roll it with its back pair of legs, rolling it into a ball. After that, he rolls a ball of dung into underground voids, where he eats it.


IN autumn time the scarab beetle uses the dung to make an even bigger ball, and hides it in a large cavity where the female lays her eggs.

5. What animals live in the desert: Addax (or Mendes antelope)


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Previously, addaxa could be seen in deserts and semi-deserts, stretching from Western Sahara and Mauritania to Egypt and Sudan. Today, the range has significantly decreased - the Mendes antelope can be found only in a few sandy and rocky deserts of Niger, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Libya and Sudan.


Thanks to the structure of their paws, these creatures can easily move through difficult, sandy areas. But, the same thing makes them vulnerable in the face of danger - it is difficult for them to escape from predators. In total, there are about 500 individuals in the world.

6 African Desert Animals: Yellow Scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus


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The Sahara is also home to the dangerous tenacious yellow scorpion. While the larger brothers inspire fear with their size, this small scorpion uses its weakness and fragile-looking claws to destroy the enemy.


The main weapon of this scorpion is neurotoxins. Despite the fact that a healthy adult can only experience pain from the attack of a yellow scorpion, for children and the elderly, this battle can end fatally.

7. What animals live in the Sahara desert: African ostrich


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Although the ostrich cannot fly, it is one of the fastest animals on Earth, capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 km / h.

But besides its speed, the ostrich boasts several other characteristics: it can move over great distances, has excellent hearing and vision, and can boldly fight off predators with its mighty legs.


It mainly feeds on grass, but sometimes it can eat small animals. Ostriches from the Sahara desert are a separate subspecies.

8. Animals that live in the Sahara Desert: monitor lizard


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Unlike simple lizards, the monitor lizard is very dangerous because of the poison, which can be compared with snakes. But you should not be afraid of him, because. he usually uses his main weapon to hunt insects, rats, and other small animals.

These cold-blooded creatures easily adapt to the hot desert climate. When it gets very cold, they become more aggressive. In addition, they really do not like to live in captivity.

We say "desert" - we mean "Sahara", and in Arabic there is no other word for desert except for the actual "sugar". And this is no coincidence: the Sahara is the largest sandy area on the globe, stretching in North Africa from the Red Sea to the Atlantic for almost five thousand kilometers. Dunes reaching a height of 300 meters, many kilometers of perfectly flat areas of saline soil, lush oases and endless dunes stretching beyond the horizon - all this makes up one of the most amazing landscapes on the planet. However, despite the area of ​​more than 8 million km, the Sahara is not so easy to visit, which is to blame for the extremely turbulent political situation in the region. However, you can still take a glimpse of the majesty of the desert at least out of the corner of your eye - the main thing is to know where and when to go.

The Sahara lies within the borders of eleven states, but you can visit without problems, perhaps, only three of them - Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco.

A bit of geography and politics

The Sahara occupies almost the entire area of ​​North Africa from the Mediterranean Sea to 16°N latitude, except for the rather narrow coastline of the continent, which is characterized by lush vegetation. Its area is 8.6 million km, which is about a third total area African continent. From west to east, the desert stretches for 4800 km, and from north to south its length is from 800 to 1200 km.

Contrary to popular belief, the Sahara is not only sand dunes and rare oases. The landscape here is no less diverse than in others. natural areas: there are rocky plateaus, and solonchaks, and volcanic formations, highlands and ridges. The sandy areas of the Sahara are called ergs, they are only 25% of the total desert area. And rocky areas are called "reg".

The Sahara lies within the borders of eleven states - Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Sudan and Chad. You can visit without problems, perhaps, only three of them - Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco. However, the most breathtaking landscapes lie, alas, in Algeria, Libya, Chad and Niger, which are difficult for tourists to reach.

Climate in the region

The northern part of the Sahara (which is most often visited by tourists) is under the influence of dry subtropical climate with relatively cool winters and hot summers. The average daily temperature of the summer season is about +37...+39 °С, at night the thermometer drops to +28...+30 °С. Winter is characterized by strong temperature fluctuations between daytime and nighttime: during the day the air warms up to +15 ... +17 ° С, while at night there may be zero readings or even frosts. Strong southerly winds are not uncommon, bringing masses of sand - on such days, life in the Sahara freezes.

IN southern regions The Sahara has a tropical climate - summers are even hotter, winters are colder.

It is best to visit the "civilized" Sahara (that is, its northern part) from October to early May, while daytime temperatures have not yet become unbearable. If you are going to the Sahara for a few days, it is worth remembering that in December and January the nights are very cool, and you will need a warm sleeping bag. In June and September, you can visit the Sahara only if you tolerate high temperatures well.

Sahara civilized

So, where should a traveler who decides to see the indescribable beauty of the Sahara desert go? The choice, frankly, is not great: Africa is generally not among the prosperous regions of the globe, and Northern and Central - in particular.

Tunisia

The Tunisian south protrudes like a long narrow dagger into the Sahara - to the greatest "depth" in comparison with other "desert-possessing" countries accessible to the public. The landscapes of Tunisia were not the most outstanding, but not dull either. The “chip” of the Tunisian Sahara is a wide variety of landscapes: you can see crescent-shaped dunes, and endless salt marshes, and filming locations - Star Wars was filmed on the salt lake Chott el-Jerid and in Matmata, and the camel’s neck mountain lit up in “ English patient.

The gateway to the Sahara Desert in Tunisia is the city of Douz, located on the border of the sands and the oasis of date palms. Its tourist area (and there are about seven very high-quality hotels here) is placed right on the expanses of the Sahara - get off the sidewalk and you will feel the finest, like powder, sand under your feet. Excursions to the Sahara are regularly sent from Douz, lasting from 1 hour (camel ride to the nearest dunes) to weekly and even two-week expeditions. Well, those who want to live "visiting the Sahara" can be offered to stay in a hotel in a remote oasis of Ksar Gilan - 147 km south of Douz, thermal source and the ruins of the Roman fort Tisavar as a historical excursion.

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Morocco

The southeastern region of Morocco, lying at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains, is the most convenient region of the Sahara for tourists to visit. In addition to the amazing landscapes - red dunes and exotic fortresses, many of which "participated" in the filming of many films (Ait Benhaddou is the most famous), there is also a natural and historical attraction - the Draa Valley. This is a whole wonderful world lush oases, fortified Kasbah forts and Berber settlements. Once it was here that the difficult 52-day journey of the trans-Saharan caravans, carrying to mediterranean sea precious goods from the capital of the ancient empire of Mali, Timbuktu.

Today, popular excursions begin in the settlement of M'Hamid, from where tourists are transported along a picturesque 40-kilometer route to the heart of the Moroccan Sahara - Erg Shigaga. The second run-in route starts in the town of Merzouga, east of M'Hamid, and continues through the territory of another erg - Shebbi. It is here that a really brilliant collection of eternal dunes appears before the eyes of the traveler.

Egypt

Western regions of Egypt - although extensive, but not too interesting area Sahara - especially in comparison with the landscapes of hard-to-reach countries. However, in order to get an idea of ​​the desert, this area is quite suitable. More interesting here are the oases to the south of Siwa - a chain of lush emerald bushes, connected by roads barely visible on the rocky surface of the desert. In Siwa itself, among other things, you can see a medieval hut fortress and a temple dating from the time of Alexander the Great.

The southern oases of Al Kharga, Dakhla, Farafra and Bahariya are ideal starting points for excursions into the heart of the desert - by camel, 4x4 jeep or on your own. Outside the last settlements, the vast expanses of the White and Black deserts (they are all part of the Sahara) and the picturesque Crystal Mountains begin, and even further south lie the filming locations for another scene of The English Patient - the Cave of Swimmers and the Gilf-Kebir plateau, on which once existed the oasis of Zerzura that disappeared without a trace.

Sugar hard to reach

The most magnificent landscapes of the Sahara lie, which is not surprising, in its inner regions - it is here that the highest 300-meter dunes are located, sands of shades from rich yellow and ocher-red to faint pink and almost white sing their songs, and dunes roam. Unfortunately, the situation in the region leaves much to be desired: the South Saharan countries are regularly shaken by internal conflicts, and tourism here is either simply not developed or is completely dangerous.

Algeria

Algeria is a country with the greatest content Sugar is "in the blood" and the safest of the hard-to-reach countries. 80% of its territory is occupied by the sands of this great desert. The sandy seas of the Sahara in Algeria are the longest and most deserted, and in the southeast of the country you can see the fantastic landscapes of the Ahaggar highlands and the Tassili mountains. By the way, in the Tassil mountains there is one of the oldest caves with rock art - an honorary member of the UNESCO List. Tourism here is at an embryonic level - excursions will be offered with pleasure, but the organization will not shine, and there are almost no hunters to take risks. Nevertheless, for the future: among the “non-sandy” pearls of the Algerian Sahara are the cities of Ouargla, the “golden key to the desert”, Mzab with its fantastic architecture and Beni Isgen behind the impressive fortress gates.

Libya

Libya, alas, is lost to the world in general and tourism in particular, so one can only dream of traveling to the Libyan Sahara. This is doubly disappointing, since it is here that one of the most incredible landscapes of the desert is located - the volcanic mountains of Acacus. Black basalt rocks rise directly from the sands of the central Sahara - and it seems that we are not at all on planet Earth. The area is on the UNESCO List - not only because of the landscapes, but also because of the prehistoric rock paintings and inscriptions, some of which are over 12 thousand years old. Another must-see place is the Tuareg citadel, the oasis of the Ghats.

It is definitely not worth going to Chad, Niger and Mali to get acquainted with the Sahara without armed guards.

Mauritania

Mauritania is not as inaccessible to those suffering from the Sahara as it might seem, and among active independent travelers from Europe continues to be a popular destination for car and motor rallies. It is easy to enter here from Morocco, a visa will cost from 50 to 95 EUR, permission to enter by personal transport can also be obtained without problems. However, this direction is definitely for daredevils - although the country is quite safe compared to its neighbors in the region, no one will give guarantees of returning safe and sound. Of the interesting - the endless desert plateau Adrar, where you can understand the scale of the Sahara as well as possible. Prices on the page are for August 2018.

Chad, Niger, Mali