Friday, March 2, 2012

Hottest And The Largest Desert Of Sahara

The Sahara desert, reputed to be the hottest and the largest desert in the world, is a place full of challenges due to its extreme climate. Here are some interesting Sahara desert facts to brief you about some details associated with this enigmatic land. Long endless miles of sand dunes and scorching heat, this is probably the image one has in mind when one thinks about deserts. The desert is known to offer many challenges for those who wish to live life on the wild side, however, in the recent times, many aspects have changed about the same.

The Sahara desert is one of nature's wonders and has always mystified people with its vast stretches of sand. This desert is also home to a variety of plants and animals naturally equipped to handle the extremities of this area. These Sahara desert facts will brief you about many such interesting details about this very amazing place! Sahara Desert Facts: The Sahara desert covers around 9,000,000 square kilometers and the overall area is as large as the continental United States.

The Sahara desert also has the reputation of being the world's largest hot desert! The landforms in this desert often undergo constant change. These landforms are shaped as per the direction of the wind and the occasional rainfalls. Although being a desert area, one can notice annual rainfall in many regions of this vast land area. There are different climates witnessed in different regions such as the subtropical climate in the northern land whereas a tropical climate in the southern area. Over the years, the climate of the Sahara desert has undergone humungous changes. This desert therefore, is known for its harsh climates so typical of all deserts! This hot desert has annual temperatures that can exceed 30 degrees C. Some of the hottest months have temperatures exceeding 50 degrees C.

 In the winters, the temperatures drop below freezing points. This itself explains the diverse climates of this hot desert. Studies have revealed the changing size of the Sahara desert! Observations made with the help of satellite photographs have proven this desert can shrink or even grow. The Sahara desert is home to quite a few species of animals. Camels and goats are the only ones amongst the domesticated animals one may see out here. Apart from these, the Saharan cheetah, the sand vipers, scorpions and monitor lizards can be found out here. This desert has some of the tallest sand dunes and these can reach 189 meters in height. The land area also has stone plateaus, large gravel plains, dry valleys and even sand flats.

The Sahara desert has around 500 species of flora. These consist of mainly ephemeral plants known locally as Acheb. At some oases, close to the Nile Valley, one can find olive trees growing out here. Vegetation is found in areas where the ground water reaches the surface of the land. This place has mainly nomadic groups of people that move from place to place. Nomads wear a particular headdress known as Howli. These people are mainly engaged in trading and hunting. The low population is due to the rather difficult conditions seen in the Sahara desert. The Sahara desert stretches over areas of Northern Africa, from the Red Sea to the areas close to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean.

This desert shares it boundaries with the Atlas Mountains, the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt, Sudan and valley of the Niger River. Emi Koussi is the highest peak that is seen in the Tibesti Mountains. This peak has a height of 3415 m. Farming is being practiced in certain areas of the Sahara desert with the help of drought-resistant plants. Some areas of this land have been transformed in order to prevent soil erosion. This mysterious and vast place also has some of the most magnificent landscapes and despite harsh weather, it has attracted people to study details associated with the Sahara desert. This desert is more than a hot and dry place, it is one of the most remarkable areas known to man!

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