Sahara desert

The Sahara is the world's largest desert and is located in northern Africa. The Sahara divides the continent into the Arab parts north of it and the sub-Saharan Africa south of it. Sahara desert is an ecoregion (PA 1327)

The word Sahara itself comes from the Arabic word Sahhra which means desert.

Overview

Ecozone : Palearctic Biome : Deserts and Xeric Shrublands Climate type : extreme in the dry and hot climate Soil types : Surface : 4,639,900 square kilometers (1,791,500 square miles) Conservation status : Vulnerable Global 200 : Oceans or seas (borders) : from the Atlantic ocean to the Red sea Rivers : Countries :

The Sahara was one of the first regions of Africa to be farmed. However desertification set in around 3000 BC. Some historians and anthropologists have suggested that over-grazing by the domestic animals (particularly pigs[?]) of ancient civilizations of the region was a primary factor in its eventual desertification. The Sahara is largely undisturbed. The most degradation is found in areas where there is water, such as aquifer oases or along the desert margins where some rain usually falls most years. In these areas, animals such as addaxes, scimitar-horned oryxes, and bustards are over-hunted for their meat.

The southern border of the Sahara is marked by the Sahel.

Only one area of conservation is recorded in the Sahara: Zellaf Nature Reserve in Libya (1000 km²) (WCMC 2000).