Sahara Desert

Our first stop is the Sahara Desert...

The Sahara Desert takes up much of northern Africa. It is large and vast. The Desert is made of sand dunes, plateaus, mountains, and sand seas.

The climate of the Sahara has remained consistent for the last 2,000 years. "The Sahara's climate consists of basically two sub-climates, a dry subtropical climate in the north and a dry tropical climate in the south" (6). The northern part of the desert has dry winters and dry, hot, summers just ahead of the rainy season. The southern part of the desert is much more unpredictable with colder winters, hot summers and two rainy seasons.

Because the Sahara Desert is a desert, there is sparse vegetation. The vegetation here must be able to adapt to unreliable precipitation and excessive heat(6). You may be able to find grasses and shrubs on the floor of the desert, but as you move towards the highlands you can find species of cypress and olive trees. "The most common types of grasses found on the plains include Eragorotis, Panicum, and Aristida"(6).
Aristida --------->


A few of the native animals include the sand fox, desert hedgehog, jackal, ostriches, and gazelles. The desert is home to "numerous types of reptiles - including frogs, toads, and crocodiles - found in lakes and pools of water, while lizards, chameleons, and cobras are found in the rocks and sand dunes"(6).
<--------Cobra


Careful! Don't get too close