The Sahara

         The Sahara is the world's second largest desert. It covers most of Northern Africa. It is almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean.

         Some of the sand dunes can reach 180 metres in height. The modern Sahara is not lush in vegetation.

         The desert landforms of the Sahara are shaped by wind and include sand dunes and dune fields or sand seas, stone plateaus. Most of the rivers and streams in the Sahara are seasonal, the chief exception being the Nile River.

         The climate of the Sahara has undergone enormous variation between wet and dry over the last few hundred thousand years. The Sahara has one of the harshest climates in the world. The wind often causes sand storms and dust devils. When this wind reaches the Mediterranean, it is known as sirocco and often reaches hurricane speeds in North Africa and southern Europe.

          The rainfall happens very rarely.

         Dromedary camels and goats are the domesticated animals most commonly found in the Sahara. Because of its qualities of endurance and speed, the dromedary is the favourite animal.

         Several species of fox live in the Sahara. A large white antelope can go nearly a year in the desert without drinking. A North African gazelle can also go for a long time without water.

         Other animals include the lizards, sand vipers, small populations of African wild dog and ostrich.

         Plants such as acacia trees, palms, spiny shrubs, and grasses have adapted to the desert conditions.