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Landforms

The Sahara

suh-HAR-uh or suh-HAIR-uh
Also Known As as-Sahra al-Kubra, Arabic for "the greatest desert"

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The largest hot desert in the world, spanning most of North Africa from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea. Its terrain varies far more than the popular image of continuous dunes: rocky plateaus and gravel plains cover most of its area, with sand seas, or ergs, concentrated in particular basins. Its extent has fluctuated significantly over geological time, including a well-documented humid green period roughly six to eleven thousand years ago.

Facts
Area (sq km)
9,200,000 1
Length (km)
4800 2
East-west extent from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea; estimates vary by source, from about 4,800 to 5,000 km, and by how the desert's fluctuating margins are drawn.
Highest Elevation (m)
3415 2
Emi Koussi, a shield volcano in the Tibesti Mountains of Chad, the Sahara's own highest point.
Latitude
23 degrees north 3
Longitude
13 degrees east 3
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Algeria, Countries
Source Sahara (Wikipedia)
Egypt, Countries
Source Sahara (Wikipedia)
Libya, Countries
Source Sahara (Wikipedia)
North Africa, Regions

This source names North Africa directly: "desert in the world, spanning most of North Africa from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea."

Source Encyclopaedia Britannica

Demonstrates

Atmospheric Circulation, Physical Processes

Sits under the descending, high-pressure arm of the Hadley cell near 30 degrees latitude, the mechanism the Met Office identifies as producing the world's subtropical desert belts.

Source UK Met Office

On Continent

Africa, Continents
Source National Geographic Atlas of the World
Sources
1. National Geographic Atlas of the World
National Geographic Society, 2019
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.SaharaView the Source
3. Sahara (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationInfobox
Quote, Infobox
as-sahra al-kubra, meaning "The greatest desert"
View the Source
3. Sahara (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead
Quote, Lead
/səˈhɑːrə/, /səˈhɛrə/
View the Source
3. Sahara (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationInfobox coordinates
Quote, Infobox coordinates
23°N 13°E
View the Source
3. Sahara (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Algeria, Geography section
Quote, Associated With: Algeria, Geography section
The Sahara covers large parts of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Western Sahara and Sudan, and parts of southern Morocco and Tunisia.
View the Source
3. Sahara (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Egypt, Geography section
Quote, Associated With: Egypt, Geography section
The Sahara covers large parts of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Western Sahara and Sudan, and parts of southern Morocco and Tunisia.
View the Source
3. Sahara (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Libya, Geography section
Quote, Associated With: Libya, Geography section
The Sahara covers large parts of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Western Sahara and Sudan, and parts of southern Morocco and Tunisia.
View the Source
UK Met Office
Met Office (United Kingdom)Demonstrates: Atmospheric CirculationView the Source
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