Satellite image

A natural rock arch in south western Libya

The Sahara (Arabic: الصَحراء الكُبرى‎, aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-koubra, "The Great Desert") is the world's largest hot desert and the world's second largest desert after Antarctica ^[1]. At over 9,000,000 square kilometres (3,500,000 sq mi), it covers most parts of northern Africa; an area stretching from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean. It is almost as large as the continental United States, and is larger than Australia. The Sahara has an intermittent history that may go back as much as 3 million years.^[2] Some of the sand dunes can reach 180 meters (600 feet) in height.^[3] Its name comes from the Tamajaq Tuareg language word Tenere, which means the desert, translated into the Arabic it gave Sahara "desert": (صَحراء), "ṣaḥrā´" (صحراء (help· info)).^[4][5] But the original name of the Sahara is: Tinariwen (the deserts), as for the indigenous people of the Sahara, the Tuareg people, the Sahara is not a desert, but many deserts, distinct and different in nature and lanscapes. Sahara has several meanings: Sahara the desert Air Sahara is an Indian airline Films: Sahara (1919 film) is a 1919 film Sahara (1943 film) is a 1943 film Sahara (1943/II film) is a 1943 Indian film Sahara (1958 film) is a 1958 film Sahara (1983 film) is a 1983... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (7432x4168, 8513 KB) Sahara desert from space. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (7432x4168, 8513 KB) Sahara desert from space. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 1333 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 1333 pixel, file size: 1. ... Arabic redirects here. ... This article is about arid terrain. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... For other senses of this name, see Tuareg (disambiguation). ... Tenere is a desert region in the south central Sahara, Niger. ... Image File history File links Ar-Sahara. ... Tinariwen Tinariwen (Tamashek for empty places) is a musical band formed in 1982 in Moammar al-Qadhafis camps of Tuareg rebels. ...

Overview

The top image shows the Safsaf Oasis on the surface of the Sahara. The bottom (using radar) is the rock layer underneath, revealing black channels cut by the meandering of an ancient river that once fed the oasis.

The boundaries of the Sahara are the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea on the north, the Red Sea and Egypt on the east, and the Sudan and the valley of the Niger River on the south. The Sahara is divided into western Sahara, the central Ahaggar Mountains, the Tibesti Mountains, the Aïr Mountains (a region of desert mountains and high plateaus), Tenere desert and the Libyan desert (the most arid region). The highest peak in the Sahara is Emi Koussi (3415 m) in the Tibesti Mountains in northern Chad. Image File history File links SafsafOasis_SAR_comparison. ... Image File history File links SafsafOasis_SAR_comparison. ... For other uses, see Radar (disambiguation). ... Map showing the location of the Atlas Mountains (colored red) across North Africa The Atlas Mountains (Arabic: ‎) are a mountain range in northwest Africa extending about 2,400 km (1,500 miles) through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and including The Rock of Gibraltar. ... Mediterranean redirects here. ... Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... This article is about the river. ... The Ahaggar Mountains (Arabic: ‎), also known as the Hoggar, are a highland region in central Sahara, southern Algeria. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Mountain ranges | Stratovolcanoes | Hotspot volcanoes | Mountains of Chad | Volcanoes of Chad ... The Aïr Mountains (also known as the Air Massif or Azbine) is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara desert. ... Tenere is a desert region in the south central Sahara, Niger. ... Desert landscape in Southern Libya The Libyan Desert (Arabic: الصحراء الليبية) is an African desert that is located in the northern and eastern part of the Sahara Desert and occupies southwestern Egypt, eastern Libya and northwestern Sudan. ... Emi Koussi is a high volcano that lies at the south end of the Tibesti Mountains in the central Sahara of northern Chad. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Mountain ranges | Stratovolcanoes | Hotspot volcanoes | Mountains of Chad | Volcanoes of Chad ...

The Sahara divides the continent of Africa into North and Sub-Saharan Africa. The southern border of the Sahara is marked by a band of semiarid savanna called the Sahel; south of the Sahel lies the lusher Sudan and the Congo River Basin. Most of the Sahara consists of rocky hamada; ergs (large sand dunes) form only a minor part. Animated, colour-coded map showing the various continents. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... Satellite image of Africa, showing the ecological break that defines the sub-Saharan area Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara. ... This article is about grassland. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Image of Kinshasa and Brazzaville, taken by NASA; the Congo River is visible in the center of the photograph Length 4,380 km Elevation of the source m Average discharge 41,800 m³/s Area watershed 3,680,000 km² Origin Mouth Atlantic Ocean Basin countries Dem. ... Cyclists crossing hamada, approaching Erg Chebbi sand dunes, Morocco A hamada (ara. ... Issaouane Erg, Algeria. ... This article is about sand formations. ...

People lived on the edge of the desert thousands of years ago^[6] since, immediately after the last ice age, the Sahara was a much wetter place than it is today. Over 30,000 petroglyphs of river animals such as crocodiles (which still exist in parts of the desert)^[7] survive, with half found in the Tassili n'Ajjer in southeast Algeria. Fossils of dinosaurs, including Afrovenator, Jobaria and Ouranosaurus, have also been found here. The modern Sahara, though, is not as lush in vegetation, except in the Nile Valley, at a few oases, and in the northern highlands, where Mediterranean plants such as the olive tree are found to grow. The region has been this way since about 3000 BC. Some 2.5 million people live in the Sahara, most of these in Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria. Dominant ethnicities in the Sahara are various Berber groups including Tuareg tribes, various Arabised Berber groups such as the Hassaniya-speaking Maure (Moors, also known as Sahrawis), and various "black African" ethnicities including Tubu, Nubians, Zaghawa, Kanuri, Peul (Fulani), Hausa and Songhai. Important cities located in the Sahara include Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania; Tamanrasset, Ouargla, Bechar, Hassi Messaoud, Ghardaia, El Oued, Algeria; Timbuktu, Mali; Agadez, Niger; Ghat, Libya; and Faya-Largeau, Chad. Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... For other uses, see Petroglyph (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Crocodile (disambiguation). ... Landsat image of the Tassili nAjjer The Tassili nAjjer (Arabic: تصلة ناجر) is a mountain range in the Sahara desert in southeast Algeria. ... For other uses, see Fossil (disambiguation). ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... Afrovenator (African Hunter) was named for remains of an Early Cretaceous carnosaur discovered in the Sahara, Niger. ... A sauropod dinosaur discovered in the Sahara Desert. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... For other uses, see Nile (disambiguation). ... For the English rock band, see Oasis (band). ... Binomial name L. 19th century illustration The Olive (Olea europaea) is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean region, from Syria and the maritime parts of Asia Minor and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. ... Languages Berber languages Religions Islam (mostly Sunni), Christianity (mostly Kabyle catholic) Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. ... For other senses of this name, see Tuareg (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... ḤassānÄ«ya is a Bedouin dialect derived from the Arabic dialect spoken by the Beni Hassān tribes, who extended their authority over most of the Mauritanian Sahara between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. ... For other uses, see moor. ... Sahrawi and Saharawi are terms most commonly used for the natives of the Morocco-administered Western Sahara. ... Location: Chadian Desert When: Nobody knows the date of their beginning, possibly long before year 0. ... For the breed of goat of the same name, see Anglo-Nubian. ... Zaghawa is an African ethnic group, mainly living in eastern Chad and western Sudan, including the Darfur province of Sudan. ... The Kanuri are an African ethnic group living in northeastern Nigeria in the state of Bornu. ... The Fulbhe (singular Pullo) or Fulani is an ethnic group of people spread over many countries in West Africa,Central Africa and as far as East Africa. ... The Hausa are a people of northern Nigeria and south-eastern Niger. ... For the empire, see Songhai Empire. ... Nouakchott department Nouakchott (Arabic: ‎ or ‎ [alleged translation from Berber The place of the winds] NawākÅ¡Å«á¹­) is the capital and by far the largest city of Mauritania, and is Saharas largest city if one excludes marginal cases like Cairo (in the Nile River Delta) and the cities north of... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Cities in Algeria | Wilayat of Algeria ... Ouargla is a city and wilaya in southern Algeria. ... ... Hassi Messaoud (Arabic: حسي مسعود) is a town in eastern Algeria. ... Ghardaia is a town in eastern Algeria, the capital of a wilaya of the same name. ... El Oued or El Wad is a city in El Oued province, Algeria Categories: North Africa geography stubs | Cities in Algeria ... This article is about the Malian city. ... Agadez is the largest city in northern Niger, lying in the Sahara and is the capital of Aïr, one of the traditional Tuareg federations. ... Ghat (Arabic: غات) is a city in remote south-western Libya. ... Faya-Largeau[1] (also known as Faya)[2] is the largest city in northern Chad and the capital of the region of Bourkou-Ennedi-Tibesti. ...

It has been reported that the Sahara is expanding south by as much as 30 miles per year, overwhelming degraded grasslands,^{[8] [9]} taking over the Sahel, the dry tropical savanna that has defined the Sahara's southern limit. Global warming and poor farming methods have been given as possible causes.^[10] One report states that all of Africa could eventually become a massive desert. This spreading of deserts is known as "desertification," and the phenomenon is occurring in other desert areas worldwide. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article is about grassland. ... Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earths near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. ... For the labor union vitiation procedure, see NLRB election procedures#Decertification elections. ...

Geography

A geographical map of Africa, showing the ecological break that defines the Saharan area

The Sahara covers huge parts of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia. It is one of three distinct physiographic provinces of the African massive physiographic division. Download high resolution version (1624x1824, 535 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1624x1824, 535 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

The desert landforms of the Sahara are shaped by wind (eolian) or by occasional rains, and include sand dunes and dune fields or sand seas (erg), stone plateaus (hamada), gravel plains (reg), dry valleys (wadi), and salt flats (shatt or chott).^[11] Unusual landforms include the Richat Structure in Mauritania. Eolian (or aeolian) processes pertain to the activity of the winds. ... Issaouane Erg, Algeria. ... Cyclists crossing hamada, approaching Erg Chebbi sand dunes, Morocco A hamada (ara. ... Wadi alMujib, Jordan A wadi (Arabic: ) is traditionally a valley. ... The playa and shore of Lake Hart, an endorheic desert lake in South Australia An alkali flat (known in US and Mexico as a playa) is a dry lakebed, generally the shore of, or remnant of, an endorheic lake. ... Satellite picture of the Richat Structure The Richat Structure, a prominent circular feature in the Sahara desert of Mauritania near Ouadane, has attracted attention since the earliest space missions because it forms a conspicuous bull’s-eye in the otherwise rather featureless expanse of the desert. ...

Several deeply dissected mountains and mountain ranges, many volcanic, rise from the desert, including the Aïr Mountains, Ahaggar Mountains, Saharan Atlas, Tibesti Mountains, Adrar des Iforas, and Red Sea Hills. The highest peak in the Sahara is Emi Koussi, a shield volcano in the Tibesti range of northern Chad. The Aïr Mountains (also known as the Air Massif or Azbine) is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara desert. ... The Ahaggar Mountains (Arabic: ‎), also known as the Hoggar, are a highland region in central Sahara, southern Algeria. ... The Aurès Mountains also known as the Saharan Atlas of Algeria is the eastern portion of the Atlas Mountains. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Mountain ranges | Stratovolcanoes | Hotspot volcanoes | Mountains of Chad | Volcanoes of Chad ... Emi Koussi is a high volcano that lies at the south end of the Tibesti Mountains in the central Sahara of northern Chad. ... Shield volcano A shield volcano is a large volcano with shallow-sloping sides. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Mountain ranges | Stratovolcanoes | Hotspot volcanoes | Mountains of Chad | Volcanoes of Chad ...

Most of the rivers and streams in the Sahara are seasonal or intermittent, the chief exception being the Nile River, which crosses the desert from its origins in central Africa to empty into the Mediterranean. Underground aquifers sometimes reach the surface, forming oases, including the Bahariya, Ghardaïa, Timimoun, Kufrah, and Siwah. There is also Nile, a death metal band from South Carolina, USA. The Nile in Egypt Length 6 695 km Elevation of the source 1 134 m Average discharge 2 830 m³/s Area watershed 3 400 000 km² Origin Africa Mouth the Mediterranean Basin countries Uganda - Sudan - Egypt The... An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. ... For the English rock band, see Oasis (band). ... El Waha el Bahariya (Arabic: الواحة البحرية), (meaning the sea-oasis) is an oasis in Egypt. ... Ghardaïa (Arabic: ولاية غرداية ) is a town and wilaya in eastern Algeria, the city being the capital of the wilaya. ... Timimoun is a town and an oasis at the same time, located in Gourara region in Algeria. ...

The center of the Sahara is hyper-arid, with little vegetation. The northern and southern reaches of the desert, along with the highlands, have areas of sparse grassland and desert shrub, with trees and taller shrubs in wadis where moisture collects.

To the north, the Sahara reaches to the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt and portions of Libya, but in Cyrenaica and the Magreb, the Sahara borders Mediterranean forest, woodland, and shrub ecoregions of northern Africa, which have a Mediterranean climate characterized by a winter rainy season. According to the botanical criteria of Frank White^[12] and geographer Robert Capot-Rey,^[13][14] the northern limit of the Sahara corresponds to the northern limit of Date Palm cultivation (Phoenix dactylifera), and the southern limit of Esparto (Stipa tenacissima), a grass typical of the Mediterranean climate portion of the Maghreb and Iberia. The northern limit also corresponds to the 100 mm isohyet of annual precipitation.^[15] The Roman Empire ca. ... Marrakech, Morocco, in front of Atlas mountains in Maghreb The Maghreb (المغرب العربي ; sometimes also rendered Moghreb), meaning western in Arabic, is the region of the continent of Africa north of the Sahara desert and west of the Nile — specifically, the modern countries of Morocco, Western Sahara (annexed and occupied by Morocco...  Areas with Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide. ... Botanic is an electoral ward of South Belfast. ... Binomial name L. The Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, extensively cultivated for its edible fruit. ... Binomial name Stipa tenacissima L. - Esparto grass Esparto, or esparto grass, also known as halfah grass or needle grass, Stipa tenacissima, is a perennial grass grown in northwest Africa and southern Spain for fiber production for paper making. ... Contour and Contour map redirect here. ...

To the south, the Sahara is bounded by the Sahel, a belt of dry tropical savanna with a summer rainy season that extends across Africa from east to west. The southern limit of the Sahara is indicated botanically by the southern limit of Cornulaca monacantha (a Chenopodiaceae), or northern limit of the Cenchrus biflorus, a grass typical of the Sahel.^[13][14] According to climatic criteria, the southern limit of the Sahara corresponds to the 150 mm isohyet of annual precipitation (keeping in mind that precipitation varies strongly from one year to another).^[15] This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands are a grassland biome located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and tropical latitudes. ... Chenopodium capitatum from Thomé (1885) Chenopodiaceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. ... Subfamilies There are 7 subfamilies: Subfamily Arundinoideae Subfamily Bambusoideae Subfamily Centothecoideae Subfamily Chloridoideae Subfamily Panicoideae Subfamily Pooideae Subfamily Stipoideae The true grasses are monocotyledonous plants (Class Liliopsida) in the Family Poaceae, also known as Gramineae. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Climate history

An oasis in the Ahaggar Mountains

The climate of the Sahara has undergone enormous variation between wet and dry over the last few hundred thousand years.^[16] During the last ice age, the Sahara was bigger than it is today, extending south beyond its current boundaries.^[17] The end of the ice age brought better times to the Sahara, from about 8000 BC to 6000 BC, perhaps due to low pressure areas over the collapsing ice sheets to the north.^[18] Once the ice sheets were gone, the northern part of the Sahara dried out. However, not long after the end of the ice sheets, the monsoon, which currently brings rain only as far as the Sahel, came further north and counteracted the drying trend in the southern Sahara. The monsoon in Africa (and elsewhere) is due to heating during the summer. Air over land becomes warmer and rises, pulling in cool wet air from the ocean, which causes rain. Paradoxically, the Sahara was wetter when it received more solar insolation in the summer. Changes in solar insolation are caused by changes in the Earth's orbital parameters (9,000 years ago the Earth's axis had a stronger tilt than it does presently, and perihelion occurred at the end of July).^[19] Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Ahaggar Mountains Categories: Algeria images ... Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Ahaggar Mountains Categories: Algeria images ... For the English rock band, see Oasis (band). ... The Ahaggar Mountains (Arabic: ‎), also known as the Hoggar, are a highland region in central Sahara, southern Algeria. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... A large low-pressure system swirls off the southwestern coast of Iceland, illustrating the maxim that nature abhors a vacuum. ... An ice sheet is a mass of glacier ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000 km² (19,305 mile²).[1] The only current ice sheets are in Antarctica and Greenland; during the last ice age at Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) the Laurentide ice sheet covered much... For other uses, see Monsoon (disambiguation). ... This article is about precipitation. ... Not to be confused with insulation. ... The elements of an orbit are the parameters needed to specify that orbit uniquely, given a model of two ideal masses obeying the Newtonian laws of motion and the inverse-square law of gravitational attraction. ... A diagram of Keplerian orbital elements. ...

By around 3400 BC, the monsoon retreated south to approximately where it is today,^[20] leading to the gradual rather than abrupt desertification of the Sahara.^[21] The Sahara is currently as dry as it was about 13,000 years ago.^[16] These conditions are responsible for what has been called the Sahara Pump Theory. For the labor union vitiation procedure, see NLRB election procedures#Decertification elections. ... The Sahara Pump Theory is one which is used to explain the various phases by which African flora and African fauna have left that continent to penetrate the Middle East and possibly, thereafter, the rest of the world. ...

The Sahara has one of the harshest climates in the world. The prevailing north-easterly wind often causes the sand to form sand storms and dust devils.^[22] Precipitation, while rare, is not unknown. Half of the Sahara receives less than 2 cm of rain a year, with the rest receiving up to 10 cm a year.^[23] The rainfall happens very rarely, but when it does it is usually torrential when it occurs after long dry periods, which can last for years. “Sandstorm” redirects here. ... A dust devil in the Mojave Desert. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ...

Nowadays the climate is changing and the Sahara marches inexorably south by about 30 miles per year.^[24]

Ecoregions

The Sahara comprises several distinct ecoregions, whose variations in temperature, rainfall, elevation, and soils harbor distinct communities of plants and animals. According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), the ecoregions of the Sahara include: An ecoregion, sometimes called a bioregion, is a relatively large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities. ... Note: After losing a court case in 2002 on the use of the initials WWF, the organization previously known as the World Wrestling Federation has rebranded itself as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE. WWF - The Conservation Organization was formerly known as World Wildlife Fund and Worldwide Fund for Nature. ...

• Atlantic coastal desert: The coastal desert occupies a narrow strip along the Atlantic coast, where fog generated offshore by the cool Canary Current provides sufficient moisture to sustain a variety of lichens, succulents, and shrubs. It covers 39,900 square kilometers (15,400 square miles) in Western Sahara and Mauritania.^[25]
• North Saharan steppe and woodlands: This ecoregion lies along the northern edge of the desert, next to the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrub ecoregions of the northern Maghreb and Cyrenaica. Winter rains sustain shrublands and dry woodlands that form a transition between the Mediterranean climate regions to the north and the hyper-arid Sahara proper to the south. It covers 1,675,300 square kilometers (646,800 square miles) in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.^[26]
• Sahara desert: This ecoregion covers the hyper-arid central portion of the Sahara where rainfall is minimal and sporadic. Vegetation is rare, and this ecoregion consists mostly of sand dunes (erg, chech, raoui), stone plateaus (hamadas), gravel plains (reg), dry valleys (wadis), and salt flats. It covers 4,639,900 square kilometers (1,791,500 square miles) of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Sudan.^[27]
• South Saharan steppe and woodlands: The South Saharan steppe and woodlands occupy a narrow band running east and west between the hyper-arid Sahara and the Sahel savannas to the south. Movements of the equatorial Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) bring summer rains during July and August which average 100 to 200 mm, but vary greatly from year to year. These rains sustain summer pastures of grasses and herbs, with dry woodlands and shrublands along seasonal watercourses. The ecoregion covers 1,101,700 square kilometers (425,400 square miles) in Algeria, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Sudan.^[28]
• West Saharan montane xeric woodlands: Several volcanic highlands in the western portion of the Sahara provide a cooler, moister environment that supports Saharo-Mediterranean woodlands and shrublands. The ecoregion covers 258,100 square kilometers (99,700 square miles), mostly in the Tassili-n-Ajjer of Algeria, with smaller enclaves in the Aïr of Niger, the Dhar Adrar of Mauritania, and the Adrar des Iforas of Mali and Algeria.^[29]
• Tibesti-Jebel Uweinat montane xeric woodlands: The Tibesti and Jebel Uweinat highlands foster higher, more regular rainfall and cooler temperatures, which support woodlands and shrublands of palms, acacias, myrtle, oleander, Tamarix, and several rare and endemic plants. The ecoregion covers 82,200 square kilometers (31,700 square miles) in the Tibesti of Chad and Libya, and Jebel Uweinat on the border of Egypt, Libya, and Sudan.^[30]
• Saharan halopytics: Seasonally-flooded saline depressions in the Sahara are home to halophytic, or salt-adapted, plant communities. The Saharan halophytics cover 54,000 square kilometers (20,800 square miles), including the Qattara and Siwa depressions in northern Egypt, the Tunisian salt lakes of central Tunisia, Chott Melghir in Algeria, and smaller areas of Algeria, Mauritania, and Western Sahara.^[31].

Atlantic and North Atlantic redirect here. ... The Canary Current branches south from the North Atlantic Current and flows toward the South West about as far as Senegal where it turns West. ... For other uses, see Lichen (disambiguation). ... Succulent plants, such as this Aloe, store water in their fleshy leaves Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to xerophilic climatic or soil conditions. ... A Mediterranean forest. ... The Arab Maghreb Union This article is about the region. ... The Roman Empire ca. ...  Areas with Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide. ... Several ecoregions cover the Sahara. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The thunderstorms of the Intertropical Convergence Zone form a line across the eastern Pacific Ocean. ... The West Saharan montane xeric woodlands is an ecoregion covering part of the Sahara. ... The Tassili nAjjer is a mountain range in the Sahara desert in southeast Algeria. ... The Aïr Mountains (also known as the Air Massif or Azbine) is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara desert. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Mountain ranges | Stratovolcanoes | Hotspot volcanoes | Mountains of Chad | Volcanoes of Chad ... Jebel Uweinat (1934 m; ‎ mountain of sourcelets; also spelled Auenat, Ouenat, Ouinat, Owainat, Oweinat, Uwaynat, Uweinat, Uwenat, Uweynat etc. ... Binomial name L. The Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, extensively cultivated for its edible fruit. ... For other uses, see Acacia (disambiguation). ... Species Myrtus communis L. Myrtus nivellei Batt. ... For other uses, see Oleander (disambiguation). ... Species See text The genus Tamarix (tamarisk) comprises about 50-60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. ... Spartina alterniflora (cordgrass), a halophyte. ... The Qattara Depression (local: Munkhafad al-Qattarah) is a desert basin within the Libyan Desert of north-western Egypt. ...

Fauna

Sahara desert in Tunisia and shadows of camels with travelers

• Dromedary camels and goats are the most domesticated animals found in the Sahara. Because of its qualities of sobriety, endurance and speed, the dromedary is the favorite animal used by nomads.
• The Leiurus quinquestriatus (aka Deathstalker) scorpion which can be 10 cm long. Its Agitoxin and Scyllatoxin, toxins contained within the venom, are fatal in the majority of cases.
• The monitor lizard. It has been suggested that the occasional habit of varanids to stand on their two hind legs and to appear to "monitor" their surroundings led to the original Arabic name waral ورل, which is translated to English as "monitor".^[32]
• Sand vipers, which average less than 50 cm in length. Many have a pair of horns, one over each eye. Active at night, they usually lie buried in the sand with only their eyes visible. Bites are painful, but rarely fatal.
• The fennec, an omnivore.
• The hyrax. It first appears in the fossil record over 40 million years ago, and for many millions of years hyraxes were the primary terrestrial herbivore in Africa.
• The ostrich which is a flightless bird native to Africa. They became rare because they have been driven out.
• The addax, a large white antelope, is a threatened species. Adapted to the desert, there can remain months without drinking, even a whole year.
• The Saharan cheetah lives in Niger, Mali and Chad. There remain only a few hundred cheetahs which are very cautious, avoiding any human presence, the cheetah flees the sun from April to October. It then seeks the shelter of shrubs such as balanites and acacias. They are unusually pale.^{[citation needed]}

There exist other animals in the Sahara (birds in particular) such as African Silverbill and Black-throated Firefinch among others. Binomial name Camelus dromedarius Linnaeus, 1758 Dromedary range The Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius) (often referred to simply as the Dromedary) is a large even-toed ungulate native to northern Africa, Greater Middle East area and western India, also the land of east Africa, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia. ... This article is about the domestic species. ... For the 2006 historical epic set in Kazakhstan, see Nomad (2006 film). ... Binomial name Leiurus quinquestriatus Ehrenberg, 1829 The deathstalker (Leiurus quinquestriatus), is a species of scorpion, a member of the Buthidae family. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... Species Many, see text. ... Species 3 species, see article. ... Binomial name (Zimmermann, 1780) Fennec range Synonyms Fennecus zerda Zimmermann, 1780 The fennec is a small fox found in the Sahara Desert of North Africa (excluding the coast) and in some parts of Arabia, which has distinctive oversized ears. ... Crows are omnivores. ... Genera Procavia Heterohyrax Dendrohyrax A hyrax (from Greek shrewmouse; Afrikaans: klipdassie) is any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. ... For other uses, see Fossil (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Distribution of Ostriches. ... Flightless birds evolved from flying ancestors; there are about forty species in existence today. ... Binomial name Addax nasomaculatus (Blainville, 1816) The Addax (Addax nasomaculatus) is a critically endangered desert antelope that lives in several isolated regions in the Sahara. ... This article is about the herbivorous mammals. ... This article is about the animal. ... Binomial name Lonchura cantans (Gmelin, 1789) The African Silverbill (Lonchura cantans) is a small passerine bird formerly considered conspecific with the Asian species Indian Silverbill, Lonchura malabarica. ... Binomial name Lagonosticta larvata (Rüppell, 1841) The Black-throated Firefinch (Lagonosticta larvata) is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa. ...

History

Photo of the Sahara from 1908

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 555 pixels Full resolution (825 × 572 pixel, file size: 412 KB, MIME type: image/png) The Worlds Work Walter Hines Page, Arthur Wilson Page Published 1908 Doubleday, Page & Company This image is in the public domain in the United... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 555 pixels Full resolution (825 × 572 pixel, file size: 412 KB, MIME type: image/png) The Worlds Work Walter Hines Page, Arthur Wilson Page Published 1908 Doubleday, Page & Company This image is in the public domain in the United...

Egyptians

By 6000 BC predynastic Egyptians in the southwestern corner of Egypt were herding cattle and constructing large buildings. Subsistence in organized and permanent settlements in predynastic Egypt by the middle of the 6th millennium BC centered predominantly on cereal and animal agriculture: cattle, goats, pigs and sheep. Metal objects replaced prior ones of stone. Tanning of animal skins, pottery and weaving are commonplace in this era also.^[33] There are indications of seasonal or only temporary occupation of the Al Fayyum in the 6th millennium BC, with food activities centering on fishing, hunting and food-gathering. Stone arrowheads, knives and scrapers are common.^[34] Burial items include pottery, jewelry, farming and hunting equipment, and assorted foods including dried meat and fruit. The dead are buried facing due west.^[33] By 3400 BC, the Sahara was as dry as it is today, and it became a largely impenetrable barrier to humans, with only scattered settlements around the oases, but little trade or commerce through the desert. The one major exception was the Nile Valley. The Nile, however, was impassable at several cataracts, making trade and contact by boat difficult. The Predynastic Period of Egypt (prior to 3100 BC) is traditionally the period between the Early Neolithic and the beginning of the Pharaonic monarchy beginning with King Narmer. ... A man herding goats in Tunisia Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group, maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. ... For other uses, see Construction (disambiguation). ... Ronda, Spain Main street in Bastrop, Texas, United States, a small town A town is a community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... Grain redirects here. ... For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ... This article is about the domestic species. ... For other uses, see Pig (disambiguation). ... Species See text. ... This article is about metallic materials. ... This article is about the geological substance. ... This article is about making hides into leather. ... Pottery on display in Dilli Haat, Delhi, India. ... Tweed loom, Harris, 2004 Woven sheet Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn called the warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. ... Al Fayyum or El Faiyûm (Arabic: الفيوم ) is the capital of Al Fayyum Governorate, Egypt. ... For the computer security term, see Phishing. ... This article is about the hunting of prey by human society. ... For other uses, see Arrowhead (disambiguation). ... This article is about the tool. ... In archeology, scrapers are unifacial tools that were used either for hideworking or woodworking purposes. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Jewelry (the American spelling; spelled jewellery in Commonwealth English) consists of ornamental devices worn by persons, typically made with gems and precious metals. ... This article is about economic exchange. ... For other uses, see Nile (disambiguation). ... The six cataracts of the Nile Fourth Cataract Sixth Cataract The six primary cataracts of the Nile are shallow stretches between Aswan and Khartoum where the waters surface is broken by numerous small boulders and stones lying on the river bed, as well as many small rocky islets. ...

Nubians

During the Neolithic, before the onset of desertification, the central Sudan had been a rich environment supporting a large population ranging across what is now barren desert, like the Wadi el-Qa'ab. By the 5th millennium BC, the peoples who inhabited what is now called Nubia, were full participants in the "agricultural revolution," living a settled lifestyle with domesticated plants and animals. Saharan rock art of cattle and herdsmen found suggests the presence of a cattle cult like those found in Sudan and other pastoral societies in Africa today.^[35] Megaliths found at Nabta Playa are overt examples of probably the world's first known Archaeoastronomy devices, predating Stonehenge by some 1000 years.^[36] This complexity, as observed at Nabta Playa, and as expressed by different levels of authority within the society there, likely formed the basis for the structure of both the Neolithic society at Nabta and the Old Kingdom of Egypt.^[37] An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... Nubia (not to be confused with Nuba, a collective term used for the peoples who inhabit the Nuba Mountains, in Kordofan province, Sudan, Africa) is the region in the south of Egypt, along the Nile and in northern Sudan. ... The neutrality and factual accuracy of this article are disputed. ... The sun rising over Stonehenge at the 2005 Summer Solstice. ... For other uses, see Stonehenge (disambiguation). ...

Phoenicians

A Saharan village in Mali

The peoples of Phoenicia, who flourished between 1200-800 BC, created a confederation of kingdoms across the entire Sahara to Egypt. They generally settled along the Mediterranean coast, as well as the Sahara, among the peoples of Ancient Libya, who were the ancestors of peoples who speak Berber languages in North Africa and the Sahara today, including the Tuareg of the central Sahara. Image File history File linksMetadata Sahara_Desert_Tribal_Camp. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Sahara_Desert_Tribal_Camp. ... Phoenicia (nonstandardly, Phenicia; pronounced [1], Greek: : Phoiníkē, Latin: ) was an ancient civilization centered in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal regions of modern day Lebanon, Syria and Israel. ... Ancient Map from Herodotus Ancient Libya was the region in the west of the Nile valley and ancient Egypt. ... The Berber languages (or Tamazight) are a group of closely related languages mainly spoken in Morocco and Algeria. ... For other senses of this name, see Tuareg (disambiguation). ...

The Phoenician alphabet seems to have been adopted by the ancient Libyans of north Africa, and Tifinagh is still used today by Berber-speaking Tuareg camel herders of the central Sahara. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Sometime between 633 BC and 530 BC, Hanno the Navigator either established or reinforced Phoenician colonies in Western Sahara, but all ancient remains have vanished with virtually no trace. (See History of Western Sahara.) Route of Hanno the Navigator Hanno the Navigator was a Carthaginian explorer who flourished c. ... // Western Sahara area has never formed a state in the modern sense of the word. ...

Greeks

By 500 BC, a new influence arrived in the form of the Greeks. Greek traders spread along the eastern coast of the desert, establishing trading colonies along the Red Sea coast. The Carthaginians explored the Atlantic coast of the desert. The turbulence of the waters and the lack of markets never led to an extensive presence further south than modern Morocco. Centralized states thus surrounded the desert on the north and east; it remained outside of the control of these states. Raids from the nomadic Berber people of the desert were a constant concern of those living on the edge of the desert. Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... For other uses, see Carthage (disambiguation). ... For the 2006 historical epic set in Kazakhstan, see Nomad (2006 film). ... Languages Berber languages Religions Islam (mostly Sunni), Christianity (mostly Kabyle catholic) Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. ...

An Algerian man in urban dress

Urban civilization

An urban civilization, the Garamantes, arose around this time in the heart of the Sahara, in a valley that is now called the Wadi al-Ajal in Fazzan, Libya.^[16] The Garamantes achieved this development by digging tunnels far into the mountains flanking the valley to tap fossil water and bring it to their fields. The Garamantes grew populous and strong, conquering their neighbors and capturing many slaves (which were put to work extending the tunnels). The ancient Greeks and the Romans knew of the Garamantes and regarded them as uncivilized nomads. However, they traded with the Garamantes, and a Roman bath has been found in the Garamantes capital of Garama. Archaeologists have found eight major towns and many other important settlements in the Garamantes territory. The Garamantes civilization eventually collapsed after they had depleted available water in the aquifers, and could no longer sustain the effort to extend the tunnels still further into the mountains.^[38] The Garamantes were a Saharan Berber-speaking people who used an elaborate underground irrigation system, and founded a kingdom in the Fezzan area of modern-day Libya, in the Sahara desert. ... Fezzan (Arabic: فزان) is a desert region in south-western Libya. ... Fossil water is groundwater having remained in an aquifer for thousands or more years. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... The term thermae was the word the Ancient Romans used for the buildings housing their public baths. ... For referencing in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Citing sources. ... An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. ...

Trans-Saharan trade

Main article: Trans-Saharan trade

The 12th Century traveller Benjamin of Tudela in the Sahara (Dumouza, 19th Century engraving)

Following the Islamic conquest of North Africa in the seventh century CE, trade across the desert intensified. The kingdoms of the Sahel, especially the Ghana Empire and the later Mali Empire, grew rich and powerful exporting gold and salt to North Africa. The emirates along the Mediterranean Sea sent south manufactured goods and horses. From the Sahara itself, salt was exported. This process turned the scattered oasis communities into trading centres, and brought them under the control of the empires on the edge of the desert. A significant slave trade crossed the desert (See Arab slave trade). The Great Mosque of Djenné, founded in 800, an important trading base, now a World Heritage Site Trans-Saharan trade, refers to trade across the Sahara between Mediterranean countries and West Africa. ... Map of the route Benjamin of Tudela (flourished 12th century) was a medieval Spanish Jewish Rabbi, traveler and explorer. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( ▶ (help· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... BCE redirects here. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Not to be confused with the modern country Ghana. ... Extent of the Mali Empire (ca. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... This article is about common table salt. ... Mediterranean redirects here. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... Edible salt is mostly sodium chloride (NaCl). ... For the English rock band, see Oasis (band). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Islam and slavery. ...

This trade persisted for several centuries until the development in Europe of the caravel allowed ships, first from Portugal but soon from all Western Europe, to sail around the desert and gather the resources from the source in Guinea. The Sahara was rapidly remarginalized. Portuguese caravel, adorned with the Cross of the Order of Christ. ...

European imperialism

At the beginning of the 19th century, most of the northern Sahara, including most of present-day Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt, was part of the Ottoman Empire. The Sahel and southern Sahara were home to several independent states. Motto دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1683, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299–1326) Bursa (1326–1365) Edirne (1365–1453) Ä°stanbul (1453–1922) Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 (first) Osman I  - 1918–22 (last) Mehmed VI Grand Viziers  - 1320...

European colonialism in the Sahara began in the 19th century. France conquered Algeria from the Ottomans in 1830, and French rule spread south from Algeria and eastwards from Senegal into the upper Niger to include present-day Algeria, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (1912), Niger, and Tunisia (1881).

Egypt, under Muhammad Ali and his successors, conquered Nubia (1820-22), founded Khartoum (1823), and conquered Darfur (1874). Egypt, including the Sudan, became a British protectorate in 1882. Egypt and Britain lost control of the Sudan from 1882 to 1898 as a result of the Mahdist War. After its capture by British troops in 1898, the Sudan became a Anglo-Egyptian condominium. This article is about the leader of Egypt. ... Nubia (not to be confused with Nuba, a collective term used for the peoples who inhabit the Nuba Mountains, in Kordofan province, Sudan, Africa) is the region in the south of Egypt, along the Nile and in northern Sudan. ... Nickname: Khartoums location in Sudan Coordinates: , Government  - Governor Abdul Halim al Mutafi Population (2005)  - Urban 2. ... For other uses, see Darfur (disambiguation). ... Combatants British Empire:  United Kingdom British India Australia[1]  Egypt Italy[2] Belgium[3] Mahdist Sudan Commanders Charles George Gordon â€  Herbert Kitchener Muhammad Ahmad Abdullah  The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. ... In international law, a condominium is a territory in which two sovereign powers have equal rights. ...

Spain captured present-day Western Sahara after 1874. In 1912, Italy captured Libya from the Ottomans.

Modern times

Egypt became independent of Britain in 1936, although the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty allowed Britain to keep troops in Egypt and maintained the British-Egyptian condominium in the Sudan. British military forces were withdrawn in 1954. In 1936, a treaty between the United Kingdom and Egypt was signed which became known as the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936. ...

Most of the Saharan states achieved independence after World War II: Libya in 1951, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia in 1956, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger in 1960, and Algeria in 1962. Spain withdrew from Western Sahara in 1975, and it was partitioned between Mauritania and Morocco. Mauritania withdrew in 1979, and Morocco continues to hold the territory. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The modern era has seen a number of mines and communities develop to exploit the desert's natural resources. These include large deposits of oil and natural gas in Algeria and Libya and large deposits of phosphates in Morocco and Western Sahara. This article is about mineral extractions. ... Petro redirects here. ... For other uses, see Natural gas (disambiguation). ... A phosphate, in inorganic chemistry, is a salt of phosphoric acid. ...

A number of Trans-African highways have been proposed across the Sahara, including the Cairo-Dakar Highway along the Atlantic coast, the Trans-Sahara Highway from Algiers on the Mediterranean to Kano in Nigeria, the Tripoli-Cape Town Highway from Tripoli in Libya to Ndjamena in Chad, and the Cairo-Cape Town Highway which follows the Nile. Each of these highways is partially complete, with significant gaps and unpaved sections. The Trans-African Highway network comprises transcontinental road projects in Africa being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (ADB), and the African Union in conjunction with regional international communities. ... The Cairo-Dakar Highway is Trans-African Highway 1 in the transcontinental road network being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (ADB), and the African Union. ... The Trans-Sahara Highway is a transnational highway project to pave, improve and ease border formalities on an existing trade route across the Sahara Desert. ... This article is about the capital of Algeria. ... Kano is the administrative center of the Kano State and the third largest city in Nigeria, in terms of geographical size, after Ibadan and Lagos. ... The Tripoli–Cape Town Highway is Trans-African Highway 3 in the transcontinental road network being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (ADB), and the African Union. ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ... NDjamena, population 594,000 (1996), is the capital of Chad. ... The Cairo-Cape Town Highway is Trans-African Highway 4 in the transcontinental road network being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (ADB), and the African Union. ...

Peoples and languages

The Sahara is home to a number of peoples and languages. Arabic is the most widely spoken language in the Sahara, from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. Berber people are found from western Egypt to Morocco, including the Tuareg pastoralists of the central Sahara. The Beja live in the Red Sea Hills of southeastern Egypt and eastern Sudan. The Arabic, Berber, and Beja languages are part of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... Languages Berber languages Religions Islam (mostly Sunni), Christianity (mostly Kabyle catholic) Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. ... For other senses of this name, see Tuareg (disambiguation). ... The Beja people are an ethnic group dwelling parts of North-Eastern and Eastern Africa including the area of the Horn of Africa. ... Map showing the distribution of Afro-Asiatic languages The Afro-Asiatic languages are a language family of about 240 languages and 285 million people widespread throughout North Africa, East Africa, the Sahel, and Southwest Asia. ...

Speakers of Nilo-Saharan language family also inhabit the Sahara, including Fur of Darfur in western Sudan and the Saharan languages of Niger, Chad and western Sudan, which includes Kanuri, Tedaga, and Dazaga. Map showing the distribution of the Nilo-Saharan languages. ... The Fur language (Fur bèle fòòr or fòòraŋ bèle, Arabic فوراوي Fûrâwî; sometimes called Konjara by linguists, after a former ruling clan) is the language of the Fur of Darfur in western Sudan. ... For other uses, see Darfur (disambiguation). ... Map showing the distribution of the Nilo-Saharan languages. ... Kanuri is a Nilo-Saharan language which is spoken by about 4 million people in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. ... Dazaga, also known as Goran (Arabic قرعان), or Toubou, is a language spoken in the Djurab desert region of Chad by the Daza people, and is part of the Saharan branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. ...

Countries in the Sahara

The following countries are either fully or partially covered by the Sahara.

• Algeria
• Egypt
• Libya
• Morocco
• Mauritania
• Mali
• Niger
• Sudan
• Tunisia
• Western Sahara

Image File history File links Flag_of_Algeria. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Egypt. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Libya. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Morocco. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mauritania. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mali. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Niger. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sudan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Tunisia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Western_Sahara. ...

See also

• List of deserts by area

This is a list of deserts in the world ordered by area. ...

References

• Michael Brett and Elizabeth Frentess. The Berbers. Blackwell Publishers, 1996.
• Charles-Andre Julien. History of North Africa: From the Arab Conquest to 1830. Praeger, 1970.
• Abdallah Laroui. The History of the Maghrib: An Interpretive Essay. Princeton, 1977.
• Hugh Kennedy. Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of al-Andalus. Longman, 1996.
• Richard W. Bulliet. The Camel and the Wheel. Harvard University Press, 1975. Republished with a new preface Columbia University Press, 1990.

Hugh N. Kennedy professor of history at University of St Andrews. ...

Notes

An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline for Web content. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 74th day of the year (75th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

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Sahara

• About Sahara subsurface hydrology and planned usage of the aquifers