Sahara Desert – Key Facts
Syllabus: Geography (UPSC Prelims)
Location
- The Sahara Desert, in Northern Africa, is the world’s largest hot desert and the third-largest desert overall, after Antarctica and the Arctic.
- It spans about 9.2 million sq km, covering nearly 8% of Earth’s land surface.
Extent
- Occupies around 31% of the African continent.
- Found across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan, and small parts of Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
Boundaries
- North: Mediterranean Sea and Atlas Mountains
- East: Red Sea
- West: Atlantic Ocean
- South: Sahel region (transition zone to tropical savannas)
Physical Features
- Dominated by rocky plateaus (hamada), sand dunes (ergs), gravel plains (regs), salt flats, mountains, and dry valleys (wadis).
- Contains Emi Koussi (3,415 m) — the highest peak, located in Tibesti Mountains, Chad.
Water Sources
- Main water sources include the Nile and Niger Rivers, seasonal lakes, and underground aquifers that sustain oases.
Transition Zone
- The Sahel region acts as a climatic transition between the Sahara and the humid savannas of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Climate
- One of the driest and hottest regions on Earth.
- Rainfall: Averages less than 100 mm (4 inches) per year; over half the region receives below 50 mm (2 inches) annually1.
- Marked by extreme temperatures — very hot days and cold nights.
- Question Reference
(HPAS PYQ 2025) ↩︎
