Report on the topic of the Sahara Desert. The Sahara is the largest desert on the planet

27.09.2019

A truly endless sea of sand, stone and clay, with only rare green patches of oases and a single river - this is the Sahara Desert. Its territory is eight million square kilometers. That's bigger than Australia and slightly smaller than Brazil! Five thousand kilometers of heat and sand, from the Atlantic coast of Africa to the Red Sea. Origin great desert Sahara keeps many secrets and mysteries.

Scientists have conducted computer simulations of the Earth's climate. Research has shown the following:

the desert exists on the site of the ancient Tethys Ocean, which existed during the Mesozoic era eleven million years ago (the remnants of this ocean are the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas).
during the Paleolithic period (10-12 thousand years ago), the climate in North Africa was significantly more humid. The Sahara was not a desert, but a steppe-savannah.
about 5–7 thousand years ago, a drought began, the land of the Sahara began to lose more and more moisture, and the grasses dried out.

Whale skeleton in the Sahara Desert

The photo shows the remains of a 15-meter beast that died thirty-seven million years ago and sank to the bottom of the ancient Tethys Ocean. And in Egypt there is the Valley of the Whales, included in the list of “ World Heritage UNESCO".

There is one important point in the situation with these remains in the desert - the rate of growth of the soil level, on average, according to official research, is 1-2 mm per year. Over 37 million years, several tens of kilometers should have accumulated, but these bones lie on the surface. And not only in the Sahara, there are such remains on the surface of other deserts, in the Gobi (Mongolia), Atacama (Chile). How did they end up on the surface - they were probably brought by the same flood, which happened relatively recently - only 10 thousand ago.

The Sahara Desert is not entirely covered with sand. But we are presented with an image of this desert: continuous sands, dunes with rare rocky massifs.

But there is still a lot of sand - where does it come from?! Different versions are put forward:

The classic one assumes that the sand is from the Tethys Ocean. But it’s not clear why there was so much sand at the bottom of the ocean
There is a version that sand is the result of technological processing of rocks. V. Kondratov expresses this version and connects it with aliens who needed it for some reason
I found a completely plausible version related to the action of flood waves. More details here:

Little-known landscapes of the Sahara Desert

Chad. 16° 52′ 24.00″ N 21° 35′ 31.00″ E

Egyptian desert

All these are remnants of the pristine surface. They look like islands. The rest of the territory may not have been so strong; the flood carried away the rest of the soil when the waves passed through the continent. The washed away soil is the sands of the Sahara. Soil, rocks, washed by water erosion of the flow of grains of sand to grains of sand.

In general, not all of the Sahara is “yellow”. There is a White Desert in its eastern part. It is full of strangely shaped remains, covered with white sand, which gives it the appearance of the Arctic north; there are also many karst deposits and caves.

Rather, here the waters of the ocean retreated gradually, and organic traces of the ocean were largely preserved here.

The Sahara Desert and life in it

The fact that the territory of the Sahara Desert was once inhabited and actively used is also evidenced by numerous rock paintings found in different parts of it. During the years when glaciers raged in the north, the population of the Sahara was engaged in cattle breeding and agriculture, as well as hunting and even fishing.

Somewhere in the middle of the second millennium BC, outlines of chariots drawn by horses appear on the rocks. The image of a horse on the rocks of the Sahara can be traced back to the 2nd century AD.

Also, one of the most common subjects of Sahara rock paintings is this image mysterious creatures, which many researchers mistake for gods, ancient astronauts or aliens.

The Sahara Desert in Africa is almost 8.6 million square kilometers of secrets, mysteries and mysticism. Some of them have been practically solved, others cannot be explained. Its size is rapidly increasing, sands are advancing from the south and southeast at a speed of 50 km per year. Why is this happening? This is another inexplicable mystery, and there is no way to stop the sand invasion.

The Sahara Desert is located in the north of the African continent, it occupies almost a quarter of its area. Length – 4800 km from west to east, 800-1200 km from north to south. Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco - these are not all the countries that border the largest desert in Africa and the entire planet.

The Sahara Desert Was Once a Green Savannah

The Sahara Desert appeared about 4 thousand years ago, but literally 2 thousand years before that, rivers flowed here, and the water was crystal clear. The fertile land was covered with lush vegetation, and herbivores and predators lived in the forest thickets.

Interesting fact. There were no camels, which are invariably associated with the Sahara Desert. "Ships of the Desert" appeared much later. The African savanna was inhabited by a variety of animals and numerous tribes engaged in farming and hunting.

The dunes of the Sahara Desert sometimes reach 300 m

The dunes of the Sahara resemble the lifeless landscapes of Mars

Another legend? Not at all, this is a long-proven fact. Back in 1933, the German explorer of the African continent Leo Frobenius discovered rock art in the heart of the Sahara Desert. Ancient artists decorated the rocks close to the bed of the ancient river with drawings of antelopes, giraffes, birds, lions and even hippos. The paintings are painted with white clay and red ocher. Isn't this proof of the existence of a once diverse fauna in these places?

Among the dunes of the Sahara rise black rocks of volcanic origin

Lake Ubari in the Sahara Desert (Libya) is filled with underground springs

Rock art in the Sahara Desert

What happened to the African savanna? About 5 thousand years ago, a drought occurred, the fertile land of the Sahara began to rapidly lose moisture, and rivers and lakes gradually dried up. The vegetation disappeared, animals began to leave these places, they went into the forests of Central Africa. People also had to leave their homes; a few remained in the Sahara Desert, turning into nomads moving from oasis to oasis.

Are there rivers and lakes in the Sahara Desert?

By southern territory The Niger flows through the Sahara Desert, or rather, a small part of it. The deep Nile carries its waters across the entire desert territory. These are the main waterways of the “sandy country”.

However, things were different before. The Sahara rivers originated on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains and brought life-giving moisture to the ancient inhabitants. Their dry riverbeds are imprinted in an intricate grid into the desert landscape. Their name is wadi. Many of them are striking in their size - in the Sahara there are wadis that are 30 km wide and more than 400 km long. During the period of mountain rains, some wadis are filled with water for a short time.

Wadi in the Sahara Desert - dry river beds and lake bowls

Lake Ubari in the Sahara Desert, Libya

There were also lakes in the Sahara Desert, and they are reminiscent of huge depressions, at the bottom of which there are shottas - miniature salt lakes. The water level in them is not constant, it fluctuates depending on the height of groundwater. In summer they dry out completely, revealing only a dense salty crust. The chotts are treacherous; in the spring, bottomless bogs form here, which are masked only by a thin layer of thoroughly salted clay. In some of them, entire caravans disappeared without a trace; safe paths are known only to the Tuaregs.

Lake Yoa is located in the Sahara and is part of the Unianga lake system

Drying red Lake Trona - a salty spring in the Sahara Desert

Although there are no deep rivers in the Sahara Desert, except for the legendary Nile, there is no shortage of water here. Even if it's underground. If it were different, then this “sandy country” would become a real hot hell without any signs of life. In some places, water seeps out of the ground, and oases are located near such springs.

Gelta Darshey in the Sahara Desert - a source of water among the rocks

Amazing landscapes in the vicinity of Gelta Darshey

The most famous oasis of the Sahara Desert is the legendary Nefta. According to legend, he appeared in this place immediately after the Great Flood ended. It was found by none other than the grandson of Noah himself - Kostel. He planted the first date palm near the spring, today there is a grove of 35 thousand trees. The largest oasis of the Sahara Desert is the valley of the deep Nile, whose area is more than 20 thousand km.

The dunes of the Sahara Desert take on a bluish-gray hue at sunset

Trees of the Sahara Desert are adapted to extreme conditions: minimum leaves, maximum spines

Immortals from the Sahara Desert

Dates from the Sahara oasis - Nefty

Springs in the Sahara Desert are rare, so today, like many centuries ago, water is obtained from deep wells, of which there are many thousands. Back in the 11th century, there were more than 3 thousand of them. Some man-made springs are capable of watering only a small caravan, others are so full of water that oases have formed around them, where numerous tourists take refuge in the shade of date palms and Tuaregs settle.

Flora and fauna of the Sahara Desert

Animals of the Sahara Desert are individuals that can withstand the harshest living conditions. Speaking modern language– extreme sportsmen. They must move very quickly in search of food and water, and endure high temperatures and scorching heat.

Desert fox of the Sahara - fennec fox

Fenech - a faithful companion Little Prince from the famous fairy tale by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Desert hedgehog adapts to hard life in the Sahara

Hyenas survive well in climatic zone Sugars

The Sahara Desert is home to graceful antelopes: oryx and addax. Gazelles and mountain goats are found in the endless sands. Many species of artiodactyls are at the stage of extinction, the reason for this is their valuable skins and tasty meat, which is valued by the Tuaregs, and tourists consider it an African delicacy. The predator population includes hyenas and jackals, wild fennec foxes and cheetahs. The kings of animals, lions, also live in the vastness of the Sahara.

Funny pillars in the Sahara Desert - meerkats

And even little meerkats, just being born, already know how to stand in a column

The world of reptiles of the Sahara Desert is incredibly diverse. Lizards, snakes and turtles tolerate drought well, and over the years they have adapted well to such living conditions; here they are at home. It is in the Sahara Desert that the most poisonous scorpion on the planet lives. From its bite, a person dies within four hours, a dog or cat - immediately. The deep Nile is a habitat for crocodiles.

Thunderstorm of the Sahara Desert - horned viper

The black scorpion from the Sahara Desert is a striking example of how amphibious species became terrestrial, adapting to new climatic conditions

The vegetation of the Sahara Desert is the most persistent, but this does not make it any less beautiful. Although the sands seem lifeless, more than 1000 species of plants grow here, most of them are xerophytes or ephemerals that tolerate drought and heat well.

Flowers grow in the Sahara Desert

Desert hyacinth Cistanche tubulosa

Rose of Jericho during the dry season in the Sahara

Rose of Jericho comes back to life after rain in the Sahara

An amazing flower grew in the sands of the Sahara

The most famous is the rose of Jericho, which can exist for up to 30 years without a drop of water, curling up into a ball of dry stems, and immediately throwing out color at the slightest presence of moisture. But the most common vegetation of the Sahara Desert is lichens with small spines. Date palms, pistachios, and oleanders grow in the oases.

The tribes of the Sahara Desert are proud and unyielding inhabitants of the sands

The vast territory of the Sahara Desert is home to many nationalities. The total population is only 2.5 million people. Vast areas of the Sahara are deserted, and the highest density of inhabitants is recorded in the cities of Algeria, a country where a significant part is occupied by the Sahara Desert.

Interesting fact. There are many tribes in the Sahara Desert, but the most famous are the proud Tuaregs. A stern rider, covered with a bandage right up to his eyes, sitting on a camel or horse, is a symbol of the great “land of sands.”

Sahara desert mountains

Amazing mosaic of salt lakes in the Sahara region of Niger

The Tuaregs lived in the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert long before the Arabs arrived here. They are light-skinned, there is not a drop of black blood in their veins. How did the Tuaregs appear in the Sahara? This is another secret. They still live a nomadic life, stubbornly rejecting all the benefits of civilization. Pride is their main asset and the meaning of life.

The White Desert is an iconic landmark of the Sahara.

In the east of the Sahara, on the territory of Egypt, is located one of the attractions of the “land of sands” - the White Desert. Its area is only 300 km2, and the sands here really shine with pearly whiteness. Karst formations give them this shade.

White desert in the Sahara

Amazing mushroom formations in the Sahara Desert

White Desert in Egypt, Sahara Desert territory

At night, the White Sahara Desert resembles an Arctic landscape. Wind and erosion have carved bizarre pillars, castles and towers from the pliable karst deposits. Many of them are so intricate that they seem almost ephemeral.

Miracle of the Sahara - “Eye of the Desert” Richat

One of the Sahara Deserts and one of its main secrets is the “eye of the Sahara” - Guel El Richat. This is a geological formation in the form of rings with a diameter of more than 50 km. Richat's age is more than 500 million years.

“Eye” of the Sahara Desert - Richat

The Eye of the Sahara Richat Desert seen from space

It is noteworthy that the iconic landmark for a long time served as... a landmark for astronauts, it was this object that stood out among the vast sands of the world's largest desert. The era of astronautics made Richat famous; until the beginning of the 20th century, only the Tuaregs knew about the existence of the “Eye of the Sahara,” considering it a miracle.

Multi-tiered, amphitheater-like Richat structure in the Sahara Desert

Satellite photo of the Richat structure in the Sahara Desert

The reason for the blue concentric rings of Richat are stones of an unearthly shade of ultramarine

For a long time it was believed that the appearance of rings in the Sahara Desert was the result of a meteorite fall. However, a celestial body cannot possibly end up in the same place several times. The multi-tiered nature of Güell Er Richat is the result of centuries of erosion. However, this scientific explanation in no way detracts from the majesty of this landmark and its ideal forms. Perhaps this is a gift from other civilizations?

Will judgment day come?

The climate of the Sahara Desert continues to change. Floods have been recorded here over the past 100 years, and snow fell in 1979. The snowfall was so heavy that within half an hour it practically paralyzed traffic in Algeria. Local residents were quite surprised, to say the least. This unique phenomenon has excited scientists all over the planet. And it’s not surprising, because it is the world’s largest desert that is the place of the highest temperatures, where the thermometer sometimes rises to +57.

Snow fell in the Sahara Desert

According to the Koran, the Day of Judgment will come when the Sahara Desert turns into a blooming oasis. Well, the anomalies occurring with local climate, is a significant prerequisite. It is quite possible that our descendants will see the African savannah again.

In contact with

The Sahara Desert is one of the largest deserts peace. Sahara stretches across most North Africa, covering 9 million square kilometers. In fact, the Sahara Desert covers 30% of the entire African continent. It is the hottest and hottest place in the world with summer temperatures that often exceed 57 degrees Celsius. The desert experiences annual rainfall and very powerful sandstorms, lifting sand 1000 meters into the air and moving the dunes.

We continue the topic of the deserts of Africa. In previous issues of LifeGlobe we told you about the White Desert in Egypt and the Namib Desert, now it’s the turn to tell you about the Sahara. Some say that the Sahara Desert was much larger before the first ice age, and some say that the Sahara Desert appeared 4,000 years ago. For example, German scientists, using methods of computer modeling of the Earth's climate, found that the Sahara became a desert 4,000 years ago. 10 thousand years ago, the world's largest desert was covered with grass and low bushes, but then the summer became hotter and the rains almost stopped. Naturally, many ancient civilizations disappeared, and all living things left the Sahara. According to scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research, the transformation of the Sahara into a desert was one of the most dramatic climate events on Earth in the foreseeable millennia. Why is the climate so variable? It turns out that the inclination of the earth's axis to the Sun is gradually changing: approximately 9 thousand years ago it was 24.14 degrees, now it is 23.45 degrees. Today the Earth comes closest to the Sun in January, ten thousand years ago - at the end of July. Subtle changes in the Earth's orbit around the Sun, amplified by interactions with the atmosphere, ocean and land, change the climate beyond recognition.

The climate of the Sahara is extraordinary. The humid factor is the wide position of the Sahara north and south of the Tropic of the North. This explains the fact that most of the desert is influenced by the northeast trade wind throughout the year. An additional influence on the climate is exerted by the Atlas mountain barrier located in the north, stretching from west to east and preventing the bulk of humid Mediterranean air from penetrating into the desert. In the south, from the Gulf of Guinea, wet masses freely enter the Sahara in summer, which, gradually drying out, reach its central parts. Extreme dryness of the air, a huge moisture deficit and, accordingly, extremely high evaporation are characteristic of the entire Sahara. According to the precipitation regime in the Sahara, three zones can be distinguished: northern, central and southern.

In the northern zone, precipitation falls in winter and its amount does not exceed 200 mm per year. To the south their number decreases, and in the central zone they fall sporadically. Their average size does not exceed 20 mm. Sometimes there is no precipitation at all for 2-3 years. However, such areas may experience unexpected downpours, causing severe flooding. The aridity of the Sahara also varies in the latitudinal direction, from west to east. On Atlantic coast Heavy precipitation does not occur because the rare westerly winds are cooled by the Canary Current passing along the coast. There are frequent fogs here. At the tops of mountain ranges and highlands, the amount of precipitation increases slightly due to the condensation of water vapor. Sugar has a high degree of volatility. Its total annual value varies from 2500 to 5500 mm, which is more than 70 times the amount of precipitation.

The Sahara is characterized by high, one might say record-breaking, air temperatures. The average temperature of the coldest month, January, in almost the entire Sahara does not fall below 10 ° C. The average temperature of July in the central part of the desert is 35 ° C. In many places in the Sahara, temperatures above 50 ° C are recorded. Nights in the Sahara are cool, the temperature drops to 10 -15° C. On the plains, the temperature drop rarely reaches minus 5° C. Frosts are frequent in the mountains. The daily amplitudes of air temperatures are very large - up to 30 ° C, and on the soil surface - up to 70 ° C. At the beginning of summer, hot sirocco winds blow in the north of the Sahara, which come from the central part of the desert. Strong winds cause dust and sand storms; wind speeds during a storm reach 50 m/s. Masses of sand and small stones rise into the air, which have a very strong effect on people and animals. Storms arise as suddenly as they end, leaving behind clouds of slowly settling dry dusty “fog.” Tornadoes are also common in the Sahara.

The Sahara Desert consists of one quarter volcanic mountains, one quarter sand, rock and gravel plains, and small areas of permanent vegetation. Vegetation includes bushes, grasses and trees in the highlands and in the oases located along the river beds. Some of the plants are well adapted to this climate and grow within three days after rain and sow their seeds within two weeks afterwards. Only a small part of the Sahara Desert is fertile - these areas take moisture from underground rivers and oases.

Sahara Desert- the largest desert in the world, which covers an area of almost 10 million square kilometers and occupies almost a third of the entire territory of the continent. The desert territory affects 10 neighboring African states. Sahara - the hottest and most dry place planets. The temperature here rarely drops below 30 degrees. Rain is extremely rare here. But powerful storms, raising whirlwinds of sand to a height of 1 kilometer are not uncommon here.

The most ancient information about the desert dates back to the beginning of our era. Residents of countries neighboring the desert often call the desert an endless sea of sand. Here you can only find sun-scorched dark sand, clay and stone. All that can be found here except sandy expanses is a handful of oases and a single river.

The Sahara is an endless sea of sand.

Sahara (Sahra) translated from Arabic means a brown, monotonous, empty plain. When pronouncing the name of the desert out loud several times, a slight wheezing is felt, which intensifies with each new time of continuous pronunciation. Perhaps in this way the Arabs wanted to show that the further a person goes into the desert and the longer he wanders through it, the stronger the wheezing of an exhausted person who is subject to the sizzling heat and becomes exhausted without water and moist air can be heard. We pronounce the word “Sahara” somewhat softer than the Africans, but the menacing charm of the desert atmosphere is still felt in it.

It is difficult to refute the fact that the Sahara is the hottest place on the planet. Here the air temperature annually reaches over 55 degrees, and once a maximum of 73 degrees was recorded.

But you are probably interested in knowing what the average Russian or European feels when visiting the Sahara. We invite you to read the words of one tourist who spent 3 days in the desert:

"Morning. The huge scorching sun rises over the horizon and heats up the sand in a few minutes. After a few more minutes it is impossible to stand on it barefoot, your legs burn very badly. The air is incredibly dry and hot, your lips burn; as soon as you lick them, they immediately begin to dry out and crack. It is worth mentioning the proverb that says that in the Sahara the wind rises with the sun and subsides with it. Indeed, in the daytime the wind can get very violent and bring strong sandstorms, which are extremely difficult for an ordinary person to survive without special devices. At night, the unbearable heat subsides, and the wind blows a very noticeable coolness. Even stones and stone structures can hardly withstand such changes. Here they burst, making a barely audible crack. Because of this nuance with the stones, they were even given the name “Shooting”, and among the local population there is a saying that even the stones scream from the heat in the sugar.”

However, Sahara cannot be called deserted either. Here you can often find nomadic Tuaregs, especially in uninhabited areas. Local residents nicknamed them blue ghosts, since their main attribute is a blue blanket that completely covers their face, leaving only a thin strip in the eye area to see the path they are following. It is customary to give such headbands-covers at the age of 18 to young men who have become men. From this moment on, he can put on the bandage at any time, however, once the accessory is on his face, he cannot remove it until his death. It is only allowed to move the mask to the level of the nose when eating.

Where is the desert located?

The endless desert is easy to find by looking at the area between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea. In a north-south direction it spreads across the entire territory from the foot of the Atlas to Lake Chad, along the savannah zone. The territory of the desert is indicated differently in different sources and is within the range of 7-10 thousand square kilometers.

Weather.

The desert climate is expected, but let's look at it in more detail. The climate of the Sahara Desert is classified as extra-arid. Dry weather with tropical hot days prevails here. High humidity with rainfall more than 1-2 times a year can be noticed only in the northern part. This fact explains that the main part of the desert is influenced by the northeast trade wind, which “walks” through it throughout the whole year.

The northern Atlas mountain range, which stretches across almost the entire territory of the African continent, actively influences the climatic conditions of the desert. He prevents the clouds from penetrating the desert. It rains regularly in the southern part of the Sahara, but it dries out and does not reach the central parts of the desert.

A very high coefficient of air dryness and excessively active evaporation prevent rain from falling normally on the ground in any corner of the desert. Although, the Sahara is still divided into three zones based on the amount of precipitation:

South (precipitation occurs periodically, but very scanty);
Central (no precipitation, except 1-2 times a year);
Northern (there is practically no precipitation, as the clouds linger in the mountains).

The direction of the desert from west to east also has its own characteristics. Up close Atlantic Ocean You can occasionally encounter fog, but you shouldn’t expect rain either, since the Canary Current cools the westerly wind.

Air humidity - 30-40%. On the Desert Edges, rates may be slightly higher. Active evaporation of precipitation (6000 millimeters per year) already says a lot about the desert itself. In narrow coastal strips, precipitation is slightly higher and evaporation can drop up to 2500 millimeters. The Earth receives only 50-200 millimeters of precipitation per year. There are also areas where not a single drop of rain has been observed for the past hundred years.

The desert comes to life only during the period of heavy rains. At this time, rapid flows of water lead to flooding of all neighboring villages. Only then does the desert truly come to life. Unfortunately, these facts are very rare. The desert has little rainfall, but it is overflowing with groundwater, which is actively used by residents of many African villages.

Due to large temperature differences between daytime and nighttime, dew falls are typical for most areas of the Sahara. But snowfall was recorded on Ahaggar and Tibesti several years ago.

Critical temperature in summer time can reach 70 degrees, however, forecasters say that the maximum summer temperature constantly hovers around 57 degrees. Average annual temperature in the Sahara - 37 degrees. Minimum temperatures in the mountains can reach sub-zero temperatures, but with severe January cold average temperature throughout the desert it is in the range of 15-17 degrees.

Sandstorms can be encountered here almost every day, as well as long-lasting strong winds. Sometimes severe storms can drag on for several days. The wind speed in these cases can be over 50 meters per second, which is almost twice as strong as a hurricane. Caravan leaders and Bedouins often talk about how camel saddles can fly 200 meters away, and fist-sized stones calmly roll on the ground like peas.

Strong winds are often accompanied by sandy dust. Visibility becomes zero, looking at the sun feels like an eclipse, and the wild animals of the Sahara Desert become completely disorientated.

The Sahara is a place of eternal sands and hurricanes that can carry dust and sand to Europe and the Atlantic Ocean.

Sahara - cities walled up with sand

According to historians, the Sahara was not always a dry and lifeless land. During the Paleolithic period, which dates back 10,000 years, there was a more humid climate here and instead of endless sands there were savannas and steppes. The local population was engaged in farming, hunting, fishing, and cattle breeding. As confirmation of these words, there are many rock paintings in all corners of the desert.

Since then many big cities and the villages of what is now the Sahara were buried under the sand. Archaeologists are still finding elements of houses and various structures under a large thickness of sand.

Boston scientists claim that in the west of Sudan, in what is now a desert, there used to be huge lake similar to Baikal. According to them, the lake was located at a level of 570 meters. Scientists believe that several rivers took their sources from this reservoir. Now, like many villages, the lake is hidden under a layer of sand.

The age of the buried lake is very difficult to determine, but in the old days it was regularly replenished by heavy rains.

The drought in what is now the Sahara began 5,000 years ago. At first, the scorching sun here caused the grass to dry out, and the waters gradually evaporated and were absorbed into the ground to replenish. Herbivores instinctively began to run away to places of better feeding. Following them, predatory groups of animals from the Sahara Desert followed. Most of the animal species from those times are still preserved. They found refuge in Central Africa, where they live today.

The last to leave the territory, which was already unsuitable for existence, were people. Only a few decided to stay, claiming that this was their home. Centuries later they began to be called nomads or Tuaregs.

The only place that now reminds us of the former valley on the site of the Sahara is a plateau of many rivers. This is exactly how life once flourished here.

Sahara - a vast sandy plateau pierced by a river

The Sahara is far from being one huge desert, as we used to think. For Africans, Sahara is a generalized name for a huge number of small areas that are connected by the relief space and climate characteristics of the Sahara Desert. East End The Sahara is called the Libyan Desert, the void from the right bank of the Nile to the Red Sea is the Arabian. To the south of Arabian is Nubian. In addition to the above-mentioned Sahara deserts, there are many small ones that we will not mention. Most share them mountain ranges and arrays.

The Sahara territory has several high mountains, heights up to 3.5 kilometers and the dried crater of the Emi-Kusi volcano. Its diameter is 12 kilometers. But most of the territory is occupied by sand dunes and depressions, occasionally decorated with salt marshes and oases. Don't forget about the dry depressions, one of which is located in the Libyan Desert. Its bottom is 150 meters below ocean level.

All these elements perfectly complement the desert. When viewed from above, an unimaginable horizon opens up, which causes great delight.

But in general, the Sahara is a huge plateau, which is broken only by the depressions of the Nile valleys and Lake Chad. Mountain ranges are found in only three places; the rest of the territory is a once-existing plain covered with sand.

Plants of the Sahara Desert

The northern part of the desert is much richer in flora than the southern part and is categorically different in plant species. The northern part is more characterized by Mediterranean flora. The southern part of the Sahara has rare patches of paleotropical flora.

Most of the plants here belong to the endemic genus of plants, which, in turn, belong to the red-flowered, asteraceae and goosefoot families. In drier and extra-arid areas, vegetation is very sparse.

Southwest Libya is rich in only nine Sahara Desert plants that can exist in European countries. If you go along the most southern border In the Libyan desert, you may not find a single plant. But in Central Sahara the diversity of flora is wider than in other regions. A wide variety of vegetation is achieved here only due to the two desert highlands of Ahaggat and Tibesti. Ficus willow and fern grow near the Tibetsi highlands, next to ponds. The territory of Ahaggat is rich in relict specimens of Mediterranean cypress.

After light rains, ephemerals sprout in the desert. You can often find cereal-shrub formations, acacia-shaped tiers, low-growing randonia and cornulberry. In the northern zone you can find jujube.

The far west of the desert is rich in large succulent plants. Here you can quite often find cactus euphorbia, sumac, wolfberry, and acacia. The Atlantic coast is covered with Afghan trees. On mountain ranges cereal plants of the Sahara desert, feather grass, mallow, ragwort, bromegrass, etc. dominate.

Throughout the desert you can find date palms that grow near rivers and oases.

Animals of the Sahara Desert

The desert fauna is very rich, in contrast to the flora. More than 500 species representatives of different groups live here, including:

About 70 species of mammals;
More than 300 representatives of beetles;
More than 200 representatives of birds and winged animals;
Approximately 80 species of ants.

Touching upon species endemism, it is worth noting that in some groups it can reach 70%, for example, in insects. There are no endemics among birds, and only 40% among mammals.

Among mammals, the most common are rodents. In particular, the families of squirrels, jerboas, hamsters and mice are widespread. Large ungulates are only partly distributed in the Sahara. The harsh conditions of survival in the desert do not allow them to exist here normally. Moreover, the population of nearby countries actively catches them for their needs.

There are a lot of antelopes living in the Sahara. The largest antelope is the Arix. Maned sheep can be found on the plateaus and coasts.

From the class of predators we can distinguish striped jackals, of which there are a lot here, Egyptian mongooses, miniature foxes and velvet cats.

Birds in the Sahara are very rare. Grouse, larks, desert sparrows are regulars in the desert. Less commonly you can see the desert raven, eagle owl, and sandpiper. Representatives of lizard-like and serpentine species have adapted very well to sugar.

The camel has long been and still is the most important symbol of the Sahara Desert.

Mirages - the most mysterious phenomenon of the Sahara

It is a rare inhabitant of planet earth who dares to travel across the Sahara. Along the way through the sandy expanses, you may encounter mirages more than once. It is worth noting that they always appear in the same places. Some desert travelers even managed to draw up a map of the appearance of mirages. Now mirage maps contain about 160 thousand marks of their location. Maps contain a detailed description of what is seen at these points: oases, wells, mountain ranges, groves, etc.

The sunset in desert lands looks no less beautiful. The sky, adorned by the rays of the setting sun, creates a new harmony of shades of blue, red and pink every day. All this beauty gathers on the horizon in several layers, sparkles, burns and changes in shape, gradually fading away. After a couple of minutes, a gloomy night sets in, in which the brightest stars are barely visible.

Now a trip to the Sahara is available to anyone. If you leave Algeria, you can get to the Sahara on a good road in one day. Along the way you can see the stunning El Qantara Gorge. The gorge received this name because it connects the populated area and the desert. From the African dialect it is translated as Gateway to the Sahara. The road here runs through a clayey and rocky plain, as well as small rocks. When viewed from afar, the rocks resemble a fortress or a tower.

Güell Er Richat - The largest structure in the world

The facility is located in the Sahara region of Mauritania. Its diameter is almost 50 kilometers. According to ancient legends, this ring was formed more than one and a half billion years ago. No one knows the reasons for the appearance of the structure, but some scientists believe that Guel Er Richat arose as a result of the fall of a meteorite. Today, teams of researchers continue to study this piece from space and cannot explain how its perfectly even shape was preserved.

The company website offers you excursions to the Sahara. These are short-term trips of 3-4 days to sweltering desert regions. You will be able to ride camels with the overseer. The most daring travelers and extreme sports enthusiasts can traverse the entire desert. Before you do something so crazy, consult your doctor.

Once upon a time, herds of elephants roamed the tropical forests and leopards hunted. A dense network of rivers and lakes covered the steppes, and caravans loaded with gold, slaves and ostrich feathers crossed the sands. And all on the same territory! Sahara Desert occupied a third of Africa, almost its entire north. The area of the Sahara is only slightly smaller than the United States; it now comfortably accommodates a dozen countries. But there are half as many residents here as in St. Petersburg.

On maps, the Sahara Desert is depicted as a huge yellow spot, and this is probably why most people imagine it as a boring plain with endless sands. In fact, the Saharan landscapes are surprisingly diverse. Here stretch mountains, tracts of bushes, rubble and gravel, steppes and scorched clay plains. There are oases where life is in full swing, and all around are dry river valleys, salt marshes and lakes, scattered huge stones and rocky hills. And, of course, sand, from which the wind forms bizarre reliefs - labyrinths, undulating fields and dunes as high as a 60-story (!) skyscraper. Here you can hear “singing sands”: moving, dry hot grains of sand create sounds reminiscent of squeaking, grinding, rattling, grumbling of a dog, a vibrating hum that can be heard 10 km away.

"Sugar Pump"

The climate of the Sahara is controlled by an invisible conductor - the wind. Above the equator, the air becomes very hot, rises and moves towards the poles. Along the way, it cools, descends in the northern Sahara and returns to the equator, replacing heated, rising portions of air. This pattern is called the “Saharan pump”, and the air currents that constantly rush from the tropics to the equator are called trade winds.

Flying over the north of the continent, the dry trade wind carries away the remaining moisture from the surface of water bodies and land. Already at a speed of 10 m/s, it even pulls it out of the soil, and plant roots are deprived of nutrition. And when the wind gets stronger, it carries away the fertile soil itself. In addition to the trade winds, local winds blow here - khamsin, ghibli, sirocco. They carry sand and heat to the north, to Spain and Italy, at hurricane speeds (up to 40 m/s). When there is no wind, “dry fogs”—fine dust—hang over the Sahara.

Climate of the Sahara.

In the Sahara, summer temperatures around +50°C are common. You can fry eggs on stones and sand without lighting a fire. The heat of the day gives way to night cold (up to +15°C). Rocks burst from such changes!

In the hot air, mirages are frequent - imaginary reflections of what lies beyond the horizon. Since stable caravan routes have developed in the Sahara, mirages are often visible in the same places. Maps have even been drawn up, where the places where 1,500 mirages appear are indicated, and conventional icons show what can be seen where: an oasis, the ruins of a fortress, a well, mountains, etc.

Receiving excess solar heat, the Sahara languishes from moisture deficiency. In many regions, rain has been expected for years. Sometimes its drops do not reach the ground, drying up on the way.

Snow happens in the Sahara, but it is always a world sensation. This happened in 2016, and before that in 1979!

Through the sands, rainwater easily seeps underground, and over millions of years, real fresh lakes. In some places, underground water is being squeezed closer to the surface. In such places, oases have long been formed - with drinking springs, palm trees, etc.

The Sahara has the driest air in the world. Clouds in the local sky are rare guests. For this reason, the heat is even greater, and Eastern Sahara is one of the most illuminated places in the world. Here the Sun shines on average 11 hours every day throughout the year.

How did the Sahara Desert appear?

Millions of years ago, the land from Spain to Mongolia was flooded by the Tethys Ocean. Whales frolicked in it, dinosaurs roamed along the shores. Then, when they began to rise from the depths mountain systems, the ocean was receding. Its remains formed the Mediterranean, Black, Sea of Azov, Caspian and Aral. And the current Sahara is the former bottom of Tethys. It is not surprising that skeletons of extinct animals have long been found in the desert from Morocco to Egypt. For example, 45-ton paralititans, Egyptosaurs and other monsters.

About 9,000 years ago, the local coastal forests were replaced by African steppes - savannas: deep rivers and lakes, a carpet of dense grasses, and woodlands. Herds of giraffes, elephants, antelopes, buffalos, rhinoceroses, flocks of ostriches and lions roam around. People quickly developed the fertile region - they hunted, fished, raised livestock, and settled along the rivers. On the rocks, now lost in the sands, entire galleries of graffiti were discovered - images and inscriptions that confirm this. Why is it not like this now? There is no unity among scientists here. Some people explain everything by the arrival of aliens. But there are also more realistic assumptions.

Hypothesis 1. The climate has become “not the same”. It was once hotter and sea levels were higher. The air above the equator heated up more strongly, which means it retained heat longer and cooled further than it does now, above Mediterranean Sea. Having descended, the trade winds were saturated with its moisture, rushed towards Africa and brought rain and fog. They created the prosperity of the Sahara.

Hypothesis 2. The earth swayed in the wrong direction. As the Earth moves around the Sun, the tilt of its axis is not constant. As a result, the planet receives different amounts of solar heat and light, and the seasons alternate. Over thousands of years, this inclination and the orbit itself change noticeably. Therefore, global climate change is coming. It is possible that the enormous drought in northern Africa is just such a case.

Hypothesis 3."Global flood". Fossilized bones of whales, sharks, rays, turtles, and mollusk shells are found shallow in the Sahara. But the ocean existed for millions of years; kilometer-long layers of marine sediments must have lay above the bones. Where are they? It is possible that they were carried away by a real flood, the legends of which are preserved in the Bible and folklore. Streams of ocean water washed away the top layer of soil and brought the remains of animals. The root cause of the flood could have been the fall of a huge meteorite, which caused a tsunami and turned mountain ranges into dust and sand.

Hypothesis 4. With my own hands. Perhaps the formation of the Sahara is the first environmental disaster in human history. The nomadic way of life does not focus on caring for the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. A nomad - he is here today, there tomorrow. Together with their herds, which eat and trample down the greenery. Devoid of a network of roots, the soil is easily blown out and washed away. The bare soil and the air above it warm up more, a zone of high pressure arises, and the winds blow not here, but from here, not allowing clouds to come close.

Most likely, the Sahara arose under the influence of several natural factors, which were aggravated by human irrationality. And even now... Construction of highways, exploration and production of oil and gas, car rallies - all this destroys the fragile ecosystems of the desert.

Sahara Desert. Plants. Country of dates and fennecs.

Our ancestors came up with the word “desert” to designate the property of the vast landscape that struck them - its “emptiness,” that is, uninhabitation. Living here permanently is, indeed, almost impossible. But there are extreme sports among both plants and animals.

For plants, the Sahara could become a paradise - a lot of light, heat, mineral salts. But without water, you understand... Nevertheless, about 3,000 species of plants were discovered in the desert, and every fourth cannot be found outside of it. Many species live only where there is water, in oases - with date palms, cypress trees, vegetables, citrus fruits, pomegranates, and cereals. And in those that grow outside oases, botanists have identified a lot of adaptations that allow them to overcome moisture deficiency:

a dense and extensive network of surface roots - allows you to effectively absorb moisture from rare rains, morning fogs and dew before everything dries out;
deep (up to 30 m!) roots - reach groundwater, penetrate through cracks into the thickness of rocks;
the leaves are narrow, small, covered with hairs (wormwood), wax, turned into spines (cacti) or scales (saxaul) - in order to evaporate less moisture;
thickening of stems and leaves, which turn into fleshy storehouses of water (aloe);
storing reserves of moisture and nutrients underground - in rhizomes, bulbs, tubers;
the roots are covered with a thick bark or case of congealed juice and sand and do not dry out when the wind blows the soil off them;
the stem grows very quickly and/or roots grow in any place – protection from being covered with sand;
a very short period of life - sometimes in a few spring days the plants manage to bloom and form seeds, and then they lie and wait (sometimes for years) until “life gets better”;
development of salt marshes - here moisture and salts are constantly drawn up from the depths through the capillaries of the soil;
They can withstand almost complete drying out, but recover very quickly after rains.

Sahara Desert and fauna.

Desert animals also have to deal with the problem of water shortage. Some hide during the day and are active during the cooler hours, from dusk to dawn. Thicker body coverings protect against moisture loss from scorpions and beetles. There are many species that can go a long time (or even never) without drinking - they only need the meager moisture that is always available in their food.

Reptiles feel quite good in the Sahara - cobras, vipers, chameleons and others. Densely covered with scales, they are protected from moisture loss. The skink lizard can literally “swim” in the sand: immediately diving into it, it rows with its legs and makes its way through the sand at a speed of up to 90 cm per minute.

Many prefer to live not among clay and rubble, but in the sand, where it is easier to burrow, make underground holes and wait out the heat there (jerboas and other small rodents). Sahara's calling card could be a funny fennec fox - smaller than our usual cat, but with huge ears. Ears allow excess heat to be released more quickly (protection against overheating). And, of course, together with their big eyes, they help hunt for mice and beetles at night. The smallest animal of the cat family, the sand cat, also lives in the Sahara. There are also antelopes - gazelles, and monitor lizards similar to small crocodiles.

You won’t believe it, but…toads also live here. And not off the banks of the Nile, but in Central Sahara. They sleep, buried deep in the clay soil, eat nothing and barely breathe, but as soon as there is a good rain, every large puddle is swarming with toads. They lay eggs, the tadpoles develop rapidly, and when the puddle dries up, a new generation of toads settles down underground. Desert snails can remain in underground hibernation for more than one year.

The Sahara is home to some of the most heat-resistant animals - satin runner ants. They are active at air temperatures up to +70°C. Their long legs allow them to hold their bodies high above the hot soil. Their body is covered on top with silvery hairs that reflect sunlight. And the hairs on the bottom, like radiator plates, remove excess heat from the body. Runners emerge from their burrows to the surface when their enemies, the lizards, are hiding from the heat. Insects scurry around, collecting food for 10 minutes, and then go underground too - it gets hot for them too.

And for humans, the most important desert animals have been camels for centuries. True, there have been no wild ones in the Sahara for a long time, but caravans of domesticated camels leisurely cross it constantly.

The Sahara Desert is turning... Transforming...

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Europe hatched plans to change the Saharan climate and restore the lost prosperity of these lands. For example, it has been proposed more than once to create a “Sahara Sea”: to build a canal that would connect the Mediterranean Sea with relief depressions in the north of the desert. They say that the man-made reservoir will increase the humidity of the air, and the trade winds will carry this moisture, pouring rain over the desert. The project “didn’t work” - calculations showed that the lowlands are small, most of the desert lies above sea level, so it will not be possible to create a stable reservoir.

In 2008, the Sahara Forest project was born. British engineers proposed not just greening the desert, but installing powerful solar power plants and a network of greenhouses between the forest plantations. sea water. According to the plan, at the stations, circular mirrors will collect sunlight and use it to heat water in a boiler, the steam of which will turn the turbines. They will provide energy for desalination plants, and fresh water will go to greenhouses. And the population will receive water for drinking and irrigation, electricity and agricultural products. The project has attracted interest in the Middle East, in the Arabian Emirates, but the political situation in North Africa does not yet give hope for the transformation of the Sahara.

The same can be said about the “Great Man-Made River” project, which Libya undertook to implement: supplying underground fresh water through a network of pipes covering almost the entire country. Water came to cities and villages, in the south, in the desert, groves of date palms, gardens and fields turned green, but all work was interrupted Civil War (2011–2014).

Meanwhile, the Sahara continued its advance, moving inexorably towards the equator. Back in 1974, the Green Wall program started working in Algeria. Here they began to plant strips of trees along roads and oases. Eucalyptus and pine trees formed a belt 1,500 km long. It kept the soil from weathering and reduced the speed of dry winds. The expansion of the Sahara in this area has slowed down.

Assessing this success, the African Union took up the Great Green Wall project in 2010. In fact, it is an expanded continuation of the Algerian program. Across the entire continent, from Somalia to Senegal, planting of a continuous green ribbon 15 km wide and 7,775 km long has begun. Of course, huge costs. Of course, there are no guarantees that what was planted will take root, that local residents they will not cut down trees for firewood, etc. But something needs to be done!

Meanwhile, satellite images (2002) showed that in the west the Sahara Desert began to retreat. Thick grass returns to the pastures, acacias are growing, ostriches and antelopes have appeared. Environmentalists do not rule out that this is the result - oddly enough - of global warming. The warmer the air, the more water vapor it can hold. As a result, the winds bring heavier and more frequent rains. Whether the trend will continue is unknown. Sahara Desert After all, she is also famous for her ability to present surprises.