Sahara
The largest hot desert on Earth, spanning North Africa.
The Sahara is a desert spanning North Africa. The name "Sahara" is derived from Arabic, meaning "desert."
- type
- Hot desert
- location
- North Africa
- highest_peak
- Emi Koussi, a shield volcano in the Tibesti range of northern Chad
- borders
- Mediterranean Sea to the north, Atlantic Ocean to the west, Red Sea to the east, Sahel to the south
Lore & Background
The Sahara covers large parts of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan, and parts of southern Morocco and Tunisia. It covers 9 million square kilometres, 31% of the African continent. The desert is composed of rocky plateaus, sand seas, gravel plains, dry valleys, dry lakes, and salt flats. The region includes mountain massifs, volcanic uplands, oases, and unusual landforms such as the Richat Structure in Mauritania. The highest peak is Emi Koussi, a shield volcano in the Tibesti range of northern Chad.
Reader's Guide
The Sahara is significant as the world's largest hot desert and a major physiographic province of Africa. Its climate is shaped by the subtropical ridge, which prevents cloud formation and rainfall, making it one of the driest and sunniest places on Earth. It is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Sahel to the south. Important cities include Nouakchott, Tamanrasset, Timbuktu, and Agadez. The Sahara's extreme aridity, high temperatures, and vast size make it a defining feature of North Africa and a subject of scientific study.
Did You Know?
- The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world and the third-largest desert overall.
- The name 'Sahara' comes from the Arabic word ṣaḥrā', meaning 'desert'.
- The highest peak in the Sahara is Emi Koussi, a shield volcano in the Tibesti range of northern Chad.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Sahara?
The Sahara is a vast hot desert covering much of North Africa. It holds the title of the largest hot desert on the planet, ranking third overall only behind the polar deserts of Antarctica and the northern Arctic.
How large is the Sahara?
The Sahara stretches across roughly 9.2 million square kilometres (about 3.6 million square miles), making it the biggest hot desert anywhere on Earth.
What is the highest peak in the Sahara?
Emi Koussi, a shield volcano located in the Tibesti mountain range of northern Chad, is the tallest point within the Sahara's boundaries.
Where exactly is the Sahara located?
The desert occupies the northern part of Africa, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Red Sea to the east, and the Sahel region to the south.
More in Deserts And Drylands 1-24
Elsewhere in the Deserts And Drylands universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record