Sahara Desert

Sahara is the world's largest desert. Arabic sub-means "big desert." Located in the south of the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean, about 14 ° north latitude line (250 mm rainfall line, etc.) north of the Atlantic west coast, east to the Red Sea. The northern part of the Trans-African continent, up to 5600 kilometers east-west, north-south width of 1,600 km, an area of about 9,600,000 square kilometers, accounting for about 32% of the total area of Africa.

A variety of types of sub-arid landforms. By stone desert (desert rock), and desert sarir component. Stone located in the Sahara desert more than the central and eastern upland areas, the Nile Nubian Desert east of the main stone is also a desert. Sarir stone found in between the desert and desert, mainly in rocky areas of the Libyan desert, the Atlas mountains, the piedmont alluvial fan base, such as the Western Hills area. The most extensive area of desert, with the exception of a small number of high mountain plateau, the large-scale distribution everywhere.

Famous desert of Libya, Lai卜 desert, desert , Algeria's eastern desert and the western desert, and even desert homes, desert , desert, desert, etc. Bilma. Larger area known as the "Shahai" Shahai by the complex rules and with the size of sand dunes formed, complex and varied forms, there are large fixed dunes, mobile dunes are lower, there are large areas of fixed, semi - fixed sand dunes. Fixed sand dunes are mainly distributed in the southwest area near the grassland area and the Atlantic coast. Algeria from Libya to the west of the west until the quicksand area. Wind flow to the moving sand dunes. In sub-flows have been observed moving sand dunes 9 meters a year of record.

Sparsely populated sub-region, with an average of less than 1 person per square kilometer. Mainly by Arabs, followed by the Berber people. Residents and agricultural production are mainly distributed in the Nile valley and the oasis, the main part of the nomadic. 20th century since the 50's, the desert have found rich reserves of oil, natural gas, uranium, iron, manganese, phosphate and other mineral. With large-scale exploitation of mineral resources, changes in the region's economic outlook in some countries, such as Libya, Algeria has become the world's major oil-producing countries, Niger has become a well-known producer of uranium. Also appeared in the desert highway network, air lines and new settlements.

Hot and dry sub-climate. However, it is confusing is relentless: in this extreme drought and water shortage, land cracks, rare plants and mines, has had the prosperity of the ancient civilization.