Northern Africa Physical Geo - final - Jewell

It’s a common misconception that the Sahara is the world’s largest desert. In actual fact, it’s the largest hot desert behind the Arctic and Antarctica, which are both cold deserts. During the summer months, temperatures in the Sahara average between a sizzling 38-46°C.

The Sahara Desert spans some 8,600,000 square kilometres. However, this changes over time as the actual area of the desert expands and contracts with the seasons.

Sahara Desert

Sahara’s overall size has grown to be 10% larger than it was nearly a century ago. While this is partly due to natural climate cycles, human-driven climate change is also responsible.

Spanning nearly a third of the African continent, the Sahara reaches a total of 11 countries.

The Sahara gets its name from the Arabic word sahra, which means ‘desert’.

Sahara Desert

Egypt - Cairo
Sudan - Khartoum
Libya - Tripoli
Tunisia - Tunis
Algeria - Algiers
Morocco - Rabat
Western Sahara - Layoune

​Northern Africa

Egypt - Cairo
Sudan - Khartoum
Libya - Tripoli
Tunisia - Tunis
Algeria - Algiers
Morocco - Rabat
Western Sahara - Layoune

​Northern Africa

Egypt - Cairo
Sudan - Khartoum
Libya - Tripoli
Tunisia - Tunis
Algeria - Algiers
Morocco - Rabat
Western Sahara - Layoune

​Northern Africa

Atlas Mountains
Tademait Plateau
Ahaggar Mountains
Sahara Desert
The Nile River
The Mediterranean Sea
The Atlantic Ocean

​

​Major Land Features of Northern Africa

Atlas Mountains
Tademait Plateau
Ahaggar Mountains
Sahara Desert
The Nile River
The Mediterranean Sea
The Atlantic Ocean

​

​Major Land Features of Northern Africa