The longest desert in the world. This is interesting: the Sahara is not the largest desert in the world. Flora and fauna of the Sahara

Borders

Of course, a desert of this size could not occupy the territory of one or two African countries. It covers Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia and Chad.

From the west the Sahara is washed Atlantic Ocean, is limited to the north by the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, and to the east by the Red Sea. The southern border of the desert is defined by a zone of sedentary ancient sand dunes at 16° N, to the south of which is the Sahel - a transition region to the Sudanese savannah.

Regions


It is difficult to attribute the Sahara to any specific type of desert, although the sandy-rocky type predominates here. It includes the following regions: Tenere, Greater Eastern Erg, Greater Western Erg, Tanezruft, Hamada el-Hamra, Erg Igidi, Erg Shesh, Arabian, Algerian, Libyan, Nubian deserts, Talaq desert.

Climate

The climate of the Sahara is unique and is determined by its location in the zone of high-altitude anticyclones, downdrafts air and dry trade winds of the northern hemisphere. It rarely rains in the desert, and the air is dry and hot. The Sahara sky is cloudless, but it will not surprise travelers with its blue transparency, since there is always the finest dust in the air. Intense solar exposure and evaporation during the day gives way to strong radiation at night. First, the sand heats up to 70° C, radiates heat from the rocks, and in the evening the surface of the Sahara cools much faster than the air. average temperature July is 35°.

High temperatures, with their sharp fluctuations, and very dry air make being in the desert very difficult. Only from December to February does the “Saharan winter” begin - a period with relatively cool weather. During winter, temperatures in Northern Sahara can drop below 0° at night, although during the day they rise to 25°. Sometimes it even snows here.

Desert nature

Bedouin walks along the dunes

Despite the fact that the desert is usually represented as a continuous layer of hot sand that forms dunes, the Sahara has a slightly different topography. In the center of the desert there are mountain ranges more than 3 km high, but on the outskirts there are pebble, rocky, clayey and sandy deserts, in which there is practically no vegetation of any kind. It is there that nomads live, driving herds of camels across sparse pastures.

Oasis

The vegetation of the Sahara consists of bushes, grasses and trees in the highlands and oases located along river beds. Some plants have fully adapted to the harsh climate and grow within 3 days after rain and then sow seeds for 2 weeks. At the same time, only a small part of the desert is fertile - these areas take moisture from underground rivers.

The well-known dromedary camels, some of which were domesticated by nomads, still live in small herds, feeding on cactus spines and parts of other desert plants. But these are not the only ungulates that live in the desert. Pronghorn Addax, Maned Ram, Dorcas gazelle and Oryx antelope, whose curved horns are almost as long as their body, have also perfectly adapted to survive in such difficult conditions. The light color of their coat allows them not only to escape the heat during the day, but also not to freeze at night.

Several species of rodents, including the gerbil, the Abesse hare, which comes to the surface only at dusk and hides in burrows during the day, and the jerboa, which has surprisingly long legs that allow it to move with huge leaps like a kangaroo.

The Sahara Desert is also home to predators, the largest of which is the fennec fox, a small fox with wide ears. Also inhabited there are sand cats, horned vipers and rattlers, leaving winding tracks on the surface of the sand, and many other species of animals.

Video: From Casablanca to the Sahara

Sahara in cinema


The mesmerizing landscapes of the Sahara never cease to attract filmmakers. Many films were shot on the territory of Tunisia, and the creators of two famous films left their memory among the sands. The planet Tatooine was not actually lost in the distances of space, but was located in the Sahara. There is an entire “extraterrestrial” village from the latest Star Wars series located here. At the end of filming, the “aliens” left their homes, and now the quaint dwellings and Gas station interplanetary aircraft at the disposal of rare tourists. Next to Tatooine, the white Arabian house from The English Patient is still visible. You can only get here by jeep and with an experienced guide, because you have to drive off-road, in the complete absence of signs and landmarks. Fans of “The English Patient” need to hurry a little more and the merciless dune will finally bury this unusual attraction under the sand.

We know from school that the Sahara is the most... big desert Africa, and the rest of the world. We are accustomed to imagine it in the form of endless sand dunes. In fact, in the Sahara you can find high mountain ranges and volcanoes, salt marshes and relict lakes, lush oases and rocky deserts. Amazing Berber tribes live here, where matriarchy rules and men hide their faces under the “veil”. Famous films were filmed here star Wars"And Exupery's plane crashed. Well, most importantly, scientists believe that the reasons for the formation of the Sahara Desert are man-made. We talk about all this in the article!


Location and geographical features

The Sahara covers a third of the entire African continent. It is located in North Africa and stretches across the territory of ten states. The desert begins at the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean coast and lasts until the Sudanese savannah. From the west it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, and from the east by the Red Sea.

The relief of the Sahara is extremely diverse, and the height of the desert varies from mountain ranges, rising 3000 meters above sea level, to depressions 133 meters deep. Sands in the desert occupy only a quarter of its territory. In the east of the Sahara, the Nile flows, and in the south, several small rivers originate, which feed Lake Chad, as well as the Niger River.

Officially, the desert area is 8.6 million km². However, grazing and deforestation lead to the fact that its territory increases by 6-10 km every year. That's why World Fund wildlife(WWF) estimates the current area of ​​the desert at 9.2 million km². The size of the Sahara already exceeds the territory of Brazil and is gradually becoming comparable to the United States.

The most amazing thing is that the origin of the desert is the work of man! For millions of years, savannah stretched across the territory of modern Sahara. North African elephants lived here, extinct in the era Ancient Rome, lions, rhinoceroses and giraffes. Crocodiles and hippopotamuses lived in the waters of many deep lakes, and cities and villages were built on their shores. In general, life in the future desert was in full swing, as evidenced by numerous excavations and preserved rock paintings.

However, about 5-8 thousand years ago, the tribes inhabiting North Africa began to switch to pastoralism. They raised cattle, sheep and goats. Uncontrolled grazing of large numbers of livestock led to the disappearance of vegetation in one area or another. As a result, the amount of sunlight reflected from the surface increased, and this led to a decrease in precipitation. As a result, the process of desertification began, and over several millennia, North Africa turned from a prosperous and fertile region into a huge desert.

Climate and air temperature

The territory of the Sahara can be divided into two natural areas with different climates: northern subtropical and southern tropical. The subtropical part is characterized by hot summers and cold winters. In December-January, snow often falls in the desert mountains, and at night the soil even manages to freeze.

The lowest temperature in the Sahara Desert was recorded in the subtropical zone and was -18°C. Daytime temperatures in winter usually fluctuate around +37°C. In summer, the air temperature in the Sahara Desert rises above +50°C, and the desert sands heat up to +70°C. Daily temperature changes here are significant both in summer and winter. In the southern tropical zone, winters are not so cold, but summer temperatures are quite comparable.

As for the rains, they fall in the desert mainly from December to March. On average, up to 130 mm of precipitation falls annually in the south and up to 76 mm in the north. Relative air humidity is 30-50%. At the same time, the region experiences increased evaporation (up to 6000 mm per year).

At the same time, impressive underground deposits are concentrated in the Sahara. water resources, including artesian waters. In those places where underground waters make their way to the surface, oases appear. Also in the desert you can find rock lakes “gelts”, which fill during the rains and do not dry out throughout the year, and relict salt lakes, preserved in the mountains since time immemorial.

One of the main attractions of the Sahara is considered to be wadis - dry beds of ancient rivers, which during the rains turn into real deep rivers.


Plants and fauna of the Sahara

Despite the fact that the Sahara is considered a lifeless and hot desert, its fauna is surprisingly diverse. About 60 species of mammals, 300 species of birds, reptiles and protozoa live here. Large animals are usually found at the northern and southern borders of the desert. Antelopes, ostriches, jerboas, hares and hedgehogs are found here. There were also predators - foxes, hyenas, jackals and even cheetahs.

In rocky and sandy parts, the main inhabitants of the desert are insects and reptiles. Here you can find lizards, monitor lizards, snakes and scorpions. The lakes and oases are home to frogs, crustaceans and even crocodiles! Well, the main food for migratory birds among the sand dunes is desert snails, which can hibernate for several years in anticipation of rain.

As for the flora, it is sparse throughout the desert. Olive trees, acacias, cypresses and palms can be found in oases, mountainous regions and along dry riverbeds called wadis. However, in most of the desert there is either no vegetation at all, or it consists of small clusters of grasses and small shrubs.

At the same time, plants in the Sahara are maximally adapted to the local climate. For example, many seemingly low shrubs and grasses have a root system that can reach 15-20 meters in length, thereby reaching groundwater. Individual plants come to life during the rains, ripen and disperse their seeds in just a couple of days. Well, in the oases you can observe gorgeous vegetation. Olives, figs, citrus fruits and dates are often grown here.

Desert population

At a time when the Sahara was a blooming savannah, there lived on its territory big number residents. Basically, these were the Berber and Zaghawa tribes, who were engaged in cattle breeding and agriculture. Important trade routes also passed through the Sahara, connecting Atlantic coast Africa and the Middle East. Islam subsequently penetrated and spread into the region along these roads. Now many desert inhabitants profess this religion.

As the region became desertified, people began to leave. Only small groups of farmers remained to live in the oases. Cattle breeding became nomadic and consisted of a constant search for new pastures. Traders also adapted to the changing climatic conditions- moved from horses to camels. Gradually, the number of inhabitants of the desert was replenished by Berber and Arab tribes, first hiding here from the ancient Roman conquerors, and then from the introduction of Islam. This is how the famous Tuaregs appeared among the peoples of the desert.

The Tuareg are a nomadic tribe of Berber warriors. They live in the south of the desert in several countries: Mali, Niger, Libya, Algeria and Burkina Faso. The Tuaregs have long been engaged in trade and controlled caravan routes through the desert, and also often conquered agricultural settlements in the oases. Now they mainly breed camels and goats, are engaged in farming and making jewelry.

Despite the practice of Islam, matriarchy reigns in Tuareg society. Women here do not hide their faces and are required to learn reading and writing. Men can remain illiterate, and after marriage they move into the wife’s family. Upon reaching adulthood, young people are given a tagelmust scarf - a turban with a veil. From now on, a Tuareg man must hide his face in public.

Another amazing people of the desert is the Tubu tribe. Its representatives live in the Tibesti Highlands in Central Sahara, on the border of Chad, Libya and Niger. The hot and lifeless mountain plateau resembles the lunar surface. However, tubes can travel along it up to 80-90 km per day, without water or food. Local wisdom says that Tuba needs only one date a day: he will eat the peel for breakfast, the pulp for lunch, and the pit for dinner. Valid in better days their diet includes desert herb tea, a handful of millet and dates. At the same time, tubas are known for their longevity and extremely low rate infant mortality!


We are used to thinking of the Sahara as a hot desert. However, there are floods here too! History remembers two similar disasters: in 1922 and in August 2018. Both floods occurred in the vicinity of the town of Tamanrasset in southern Algeria. Heavy downpours caused dry river beds to overflow and streams of water began to spread across the desert, washing away roads and demolishing settlements.

There really is plenty of water in the Sahara! In the northeast of the desert is the world's largest underground source of fresh water - the Nubian Aquifer. In the 1970s, Libya began extracting fresh water here to irrigate crops. Afterwards, a unique water supply system called the “Great Underwater River” was built, with the help of which water is delivered to arid regions. northern regions countries, the cities of Tripoli and Benghazi. This project was recognized as the largest waterworks in the world! Recently, Egypt has also joined in the extraction of water through the Nubian aquifer.

Nubian aquifer

Another fact that completely destroys the image of a deserted and useless desert territory is the presence of large mineral deposits in the Sahara. Rich deposits of oil and gas, iron, copper, gold, tungsten, uranium and other rare metals were discovered here. In the north of Niger, table salt is also extracted from clay.

The benefits of the Sahara are manifested not only in its depths. The desert has inspired many writers, directors and musicians. Perhaps the most famous “desert inhabitant” was Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. His acquaintance with the Sahara took place in 1926, when the young pilot was appointed commander of an intermediate postal airport in the desert in southwestern Morocco. Here he wrote his first work - the novel "Southern Postal".

Antoine de Saint-Exupery at the crashed plane in the Sahara

In 1935, Exupery decided to set a record on his own plane, flying from Paris to Saigon. However, his plane crashed over the Libyan Desert, one of the driest parts of the northeastern Sahara. The pilot and his mechanic spent four days in the desert and nearly died of thirst. They were rescued by local Bedouins. This incident subsequently formed the basis for The Little Prince.

The Sahara also served as a location for filming. George Lucas filmed Star Wars in Tunisia. Then the “planet Tatooine” was built in the desert. This was 40 years ago. However, so far, thanks to the lack of rain and the remoteness of the place, the scenery is safe and sound. Another director who worked in the Sahara is Ridley Scott. He filmed The English Patient here.

Still from the movie "Star Wars". Planet Tatooine, rebuilt in the Sahara


Excursions to the Sahara Desert

The best time to go to the hot Sahara Desert is the off-season. At this time, the weather here is relatively ideal: the nights are not as cold as in December-January, and the day is not as mercilessly hot as in summer. Tourists prefer to travel to the southern regions of the desert in winter. However, no matter what season you choose, you will have to take light clothes for daytime walks and a warm sleeping bag for overnight stays.

The Sahara territory covers ten African countries, however, due to the difficult political situation, it is unlikely that it will be possible to cross the entire desert. Now you can safely travel to Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and Algeria. Excursions to the Sahara depart from the main tourist places in these countries. Cities in the desert itself are usually small and located in oases.

And I would be happy to write letters to you,

Since Mediterranean Sea in the north and the Red Sea in the east, the ever-expanding Sahara dominates much of North Africa. The Sahara has always been a mystery to people because of its vast expanses of sand. Well known as the largest hot desert in the world, the Sahara attracts thousands of tourists every year. Here is our list of the most interesting facts about the Sahara Desert.

The largest hot desert

We think of the Sahara as the largest desert in the world, but in reality it is not. The largest desert in the world is the Antarctic, and the Sahara is the largest hot desert on earth. But nevertheless, the Sahara is expanding day by day, currently covering an area of ​​approximately 9 million sq. km. The Sahara covers large parts of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia, accounting for 31% of Africa.

The Sahara has a tropical climate with extreme weather conditions. Temperatures can reach 50C during the day and drop below 0C at night. In addition, the northeasterly winds of the Sahara often generate sandstorms. Half of the Sahara receives less than 250 mm of precipitation per year, and the rest receives up to 1000 mm per year.

Mountain

Most high peak The Saharan volcano is Emi Koussi, located at an altitude of 3.41 km in the Tibesti Mountains in northern Chad.

Snowfall

Most amazing fact It is believed about the Sahara that in winter the Saharan peaks are covered with snow. But the Sahara has distinct highlands and is geographically a rocky desert. However, it contains underground rivers that emerge as an oasis. Additionally, many of the Sahara's peaks are also known to be volcanic. The most popular snow-capped Atlas Mountains in the Sahara are - popular place for trekking. There is also evidence that a mega-lake existed under the Sahara at one point, covering more than 42,000 square miles.

Rivers

Flows in the desert 2 rivers - Nile and Niger, but it has impressive underground reservoirs or aquifers. There are also about 20 lakes in the Sahara, of which only one has drinking water - Chad. It is a shallow lake that constantly expands and contracts at the southernmost edge of the Sahara.

The Sahara is home to about 1,200 plant species, which mainly include succulents, trees, shrubs and herbs. Sugar plants easily adapt to heat and drought. In addition, many varieties can survive even in salty conditions. In addition, the driest part of the Sahara, i.e. the Southern Libyan Desert, is also home to very few plant species. In the Sahara Desert there is a plant known as the Resurrection Plant that can survive over 100 years without water. The plant dries out and rolls around in the desert until it finds moist soil, and buds sprout soon after.

Animals

The desert is home to some of the most fascinating animal species in the world. The animals that live in the Sahara Desert are unique and rarely seen anywhere else in the world. The most incredible animal species include Dromedary Camels, Dorcas Gazelle, Dung Beetles, Addax Antelope, Deathstalker Scorpio, Ostrich, Monitor Lizard, Fennec Fox, Horned Viper and more. But scientists also found evidence of riverine animals such as crocodiles, and they also discovered fossils of dinosaurs, Jobaria, Afrovenator, and Ouranosaurus in the Sahara Desert.

People

The Sahara's population is estimated to be less than two million, including those who live in communities close to water sources and nomadic tribes who move from place to place depending on the seasons. But scientists believe that the Sahara was once habitable and contained more population, than now. But over time, the climate of the Sahara Desert underwent dramatic changes, which led to the disappearance of many species of flora and fauna, as well as people.

The Sahara Desert was a fertile and well-watered land about eight thousand years ago. It had a well-developed grassland ecosystem and was much cooler here than it is today. Research shows that the Sahara had green and thriving vegetation that supported millions of living things, including flora, fauna and humans.

The Sahara is an endless giant of sand dunes. And of course, many places in the Sahara have dunes, some of which rise to over 400 feet. But it's actually interesting to know that the Sahara is only 30% sand and 70% gravel. Marvelous!

01/6/2020 at 22:00 · VeraSchegoleva · 320

Top 10 largest deserts in the world - the sand giants of our planet

Thousands of kilometers of sand, scorching heat, cacti - this is roughly how we imagine a desert. However, in reality, everything is somewhat different: there can be hundreds of thousands of kilometers of sand, and instead of heat there can be cold.

Want to know the name of the largest desert in the world? We present to your attention a list of 10 major desert places Earth. Some record holders will surprise you.

10. Western US Desert (North America), 492,000 km²

Large swimming pool(as this desert is called) covers most of Nevada, as well as parts of Utah, Oregon, Idaho and California. Generally, its eastern border is the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, and the western edge is formed by the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, which create a rain shadow over much of the Great Basin, preventing many Pacific storms from entering the region.

The northern and southern boundaries, depending on how they are defined, range from the Snake River Plain in the north to the Mojave Desert in the south. Surprisingly, at high altitudes there are forests that include the longest living organisms on earth - the Great Basin pines, which can live 4,900 years.

Humans have long been part of the Great Basin ecosystem. Evidence of Native American habitation has been found for a long time and dates back more than 10,000 years. These people lived in small groups, growing corn and squash, and hunting and gathering pine nuts and crickets.

European explorers and trappers traversed the Great Basin in the 1700s, but settlers did not begin arriving until the early 1800s. Mining towns boomed and faded from the 1870s to the 1930s as gold, silver and copper were sought.

9. Syrian Desert (Eurasia), 520,000 km²

A huge tract of mostly barren land covering parts of four countries: Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Few plants and animals of the Syrian desert are of a type that can withstand the subtropical climate. The nomads raise sheep and camels and move seasonally from one region to another across political boundaries in search of pasture.

IN Syrian empty phosphates, oil and butane gas were discovered, and a modern network of automobile and railways makes desert exploitation much easier than before.

8. Great Victoria Desert (Australia), 647,000 km²

Great Victoria Desert forms one of nine distinct landscapes in the management region natural resources Alinytjara-Vilurara. It is the largest desert in Australia, spanning over 700 kilometres.

This pristine desert includes red sand dunes, rocky plains and dry salt lakes. There are no lakes or other surface water, but even within this landscape there are Aboriginal communities in Oak Valley, Watarru and Walalkara who are accustomed to surviving in such conditions.

7. Patagonian Desert (South America), 673,000 km²

Once covered with dense forest, Patagonia desert has become a harsh and windy landscape covering 673,000 square kilometers in southern Argentina and Chile.

It is characterized by plains, grassy steppes and rocky foothills. Vegetation in the Patagonian desert is rare, with the exception of a few species of grasses and shrubs that have evolved to adapt to the harsh conditions.

6. Kalahari Desert (Africa), 900,000 km²

Although Namibia is better known for being the home of the Namib Desert, it should be remembered that most of eastern and southern Namibia is covered by another desert - Kalahari.

The Kalahari is an unusual desert because it rains too much, but it is actually a fossil desert. So don't expect to find tall sand dunes: the landscape is completely different.

Kalahari Desert, or Kgalagadi, as it is called in Botswana, extends over 7 countries - Botswana, Zambia, South, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and Democratic Republic Congo (DRC).

In Namibia it is called a "desert" mainly because its porous sandy soils cannot retain surface water, but in some areas annual rainfall can reach 250mm, providing a lush cover of grass in good years.

Because the Namibian Kalahari Desert is covered with trees, rivers and fossil streams, it thrives great amount mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, plants and insects.

5. Gobi Desert (Eurasia), 1,300,000 km²

Gobi is a large desert region in the north and south. Gobi desert basins are limited Altai mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia in the north, the Tibetan plateau in the southwest and the North China Plain in the southwest.

The word Gobi in Mongolian means "desert". It consists of several distinct ecological and geographic regions based on changes in climate and topography.
The desert is best known as part of the great Mongol Empire, where there were several important cities along the Silk Road.

4. Desert of the Arabian Peninsula (Eurasia), 2,330,000 km²

Sprawling across the Arabian Peninsula, the imposing beauty of vast plateaus, rolling sand dunes and high mountain ranges Arabian desert, she can amaze with her mysterious charm.

The Arabian Desert is buzzing with life and activity: often ignored by tourists, this vast piece of land stretches from Yemen to Persian Gulf and from Oman to Jordan, promises its own remarkable collection of wildlife and dramatic scenery that rivals the best of African safaris.

With an ecosystem uniquely adapted to extreme conditions, one can witness some of nature's most stunning creatures found only in the hidden corners of the Arabian Desert.

From rare sightings of sand cats in Oman and dueling Nubian ibex in Jordan, to the Egyptian vultures of Saudi Arabia.

3. Arctic desert (Arctic), 2,600,000 km²

It is a cold desert because it receives very little rainfall - about the same as the Sahara - but it is so cold that snow covers the ground and forms ice.

Most heavy snowfalls occur at temperatures just below freezing (-10°C or above), as warmer air can hold more water vapor. The very cold arctic air is unable to hold much moisture, so it doesn't rain or snow often, which is what this place does Arctic desert.

2. Sahara Desert (Africa), 9,100,000 km²

Sahara Desert extends across much of North Africa and covers more than 9,000,000 square kilometers (about the same as the United States).

In fact, the Sahara covers about 30% of the entire African continent. It is the hottest place in the world with summer temperatures that often exceed 57 degrees Celsius.

There is between 0 and 25 millimeters of precipitation per year and it is very windy, with hurricanes blowing sand up to 1,000 meters high and constantly moving the sand dunes.

1. Antarctic Desert (Antarctica), 13,829,430 km²

The words "polar" and "desert" may seem contradictory, but that's only because most of us associate the latter with sun-drenched, sand-covered landscapes.

However, desert actually describes any deserted area of ​​land that is arid and without vegetation - and by this definition, the Sahara in Africa is even better suited for settlement than polar deserts of Antarctica.

They cover a vast area and cover an area larger than the Sahara, Arabia, Gobi and Kalahari combined, and its aptly named Dry Valleys have not seen rain in at least 2 million years.

This time we will talk about the largest deserts in the world, which amaze with their length and grandeur. People have always associated the desert with something large-scale, powerful and mysterious. Many ancient civilizations were buried under sandy valleys. How many secrets man still has to learn, hidden from view in the endless latitudes!

The largest deserts in the world

Antarctica

Antarctica is the only desert on the planet that consists of layers of ice and snow. The total area of ​​Antarctica is 14,107,000 square kilometers. Despite the presence of large volumes of frozen water, Antarctica is recognized as one of the driest places on the planet. The severe frosts in this region “dry up” all possible moisture that is in the area. The amount of snowfall in Antarctica is no more than 4 centimeters per year. The lowest temperature in Antarctica was recorded relatively recently - in 1983. Then the temperature dropped to 89 degrees below zero Celsius.

Atacama

This great desert is the official territory of Chile. The title of “The driest desert on the planet” belongs to Atakema. Due to drought, each plant that is able to survive in such extreme conditions has a unique structure and has developed special mechanisms for existence. Most plants in this desert, during the driest periods, are able to stop their growth and reproduction for some time.

Salar de Uyuni

This great salt desert is located in Bolivia. According to expert research, the amount of salt in the desert is about 10 billion tons. Salt dissolved during rain turns the desert into a real giant salt “mirror”. Seeing such a spectacle with your own eyes is worth a lot. Salty water at the moment the sun's rays hit it, thanks to a different refractive index, it achieves a specular effect. A person can easily see his reflection under his feet in sunny weather.

Kalahari


Translated from Berber, the name of the desert “Kalahari” is translated as “tormenting”. This desert is majestic in its size. Its possessions start from Botswana and Nambia, and end in the territory of the Republic of South Africa. The area of ​​the entire desert is 600,000 square kilometers. Moreover, because of this natural phenomenon, like alluvium, the size of the Kalahari is constantly increasing, while selecting new areas of civilization. Countries affected by the expansion of the Kalahari include Zimbabwe, Angola and Zambia.

Desert of Australia

Everyone knows that Australia is famous for its kangaroos, koalas and endless beaches. But few people imagine that almost half of the Australian continent is occupied by desert, seemingly consisting of many small arid areas, with a total area of ​​647,000 square kilometers. The word "desert" is associated in our minds with big amount sand, but here too the Australian deserts stand out among others. In addition to sand, in wild desert areas you can also find vast stone spaces consisting of gravel. Even the color of ordinary sand in sandy areas has an unusual red tint. The Australian desert is famous for its red dunes, which are visited by thousands of tourists every year. The height of some red dunes is more than 40 m.

Gobi


This desert is located in China and Mongolia. The seemingly endless expanses of the Gobi Desert originate from the Tien Shan and Altai mountains and end in the steppes of Mongolia, not far from the Yellow River. The total area of ​​the Gobi Desert is 1,166,000 square kilometers. The name of the Gobi Desert is translated from Mongolian as “waterless place.”

Arabian desert

This desert is the second largest in the world in terms of its extent. Its total area is 2,300,000 square kilometers. The Arabian Desert is located on the peninsula of the same name and lies in the territories of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Syria. Due to strong winds that cause powerful dust storms, almost the entire desert is completely uninhabited. Also in the desert there are frequent temperature fluctuations in different time days. During the day, a raw egg can easily be boiled in a few minutes if you leave it on the sand under the full sun. And at night the stones literally begin to crack from the cold.

Sahara


The Sahara is the largest desert in the world, or as it is commonly called the “Queen of Deserts”. The desert area is 9,065,000 square kilometers. Its dimensions are only slightly smaller total area all of the United States of America combined. The Sahara Desert is located in northern Africa, and captures the territories of the following states: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Niger, Morocco, Sudan and Chad. The Sahara is famous for its mirages, as up to 200 thousand cases of their appearance are observed during the year. Special maps have even been developed for tourists, which indicate areas where mirages are likely to appear.

 

It might be useful to read: