The largest Beautiful Deserts Of Africa
When you think of Africa, you might imagine it as a land of lush forests and jungles. While this is true for much of the continent, it's also home to some of the world's biggest deserts. In fact, 1/3 of Africa is covered in desert!
The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world. The Sahara includes parts of Algeria, Chad and Egypt in northern Africa; Mali and Mauritania in western Africa; Libya on its northeastern edge; Niger along its southern edge; Sudan along its eastern edge (including portions of Saudi Arabia); Tunisia on its northwestern coast; Morocco across from Spain via Gibraltar Strait at Strait of Gibraltar (which separates Spain from Morocco); Algeria again at Cape Bon peninsula where Mediterranean Sea meets Atlantic Ocean at Mediterranea Sea Basin at Straits Of Sicily-Sicily Channel between Italy's Sicily Island & Malta Island etcetera...
The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world and covers most of Northern Africa. It's a remarkable place that has seen countless cultures rise and fall over the centuries, but it is also home to several other deserts within its borders—all of which are just as interesting as their more famous cousin. In this post, we'll explore all six major deserts of Africa and discuss what makes each so unique!
The Lompoul Desert
The Lompoul Desert is located in Senegal, and it's one of the largest deserts in Africa. It was formed when ancient sea levels dropped and left behind a large salt pan, which gradually dried up over time, leaving behind sand dunes that continue to move today.
Lompoul is home to the only known desert lake—called Lake Retba or Lac Rose (the Pink Lake). The water turns pinkish-red due to algae that flourish in high-salinity environments like this one. The area has been designated as a nature reserve for its unique ecosystem and has become popular among birdwatchers who come to see its many species of migratory birds and waterfowl.
Nyiri Desert
The Nyiri desert is known for its beautiful rolling hills and vast agricultural fields. The Nyiri desert is a small portion of the larger Great African Desert that stretches across nearly all of Northern Africa. It is bordered by Kenya.
Chalbi Desert
The Chalbi Desert is located in northern Kenya. It is among the largest desert in Kenya and one of the largest deserts in Africa. Chalbi is a dry place with few trees and little rainfall, but it does have some wildlife such as giraffes and ostriches.
Ogaden Desert
The Ogaden desert is located in southeastern Ethiopia and northwestern Somalia. This makes it one of the largest desert regions in Africa after the Sahara Desert and Kalahari Desert.
Grand Bara Desert
The Grand Bara Desert is a large, sandy desert located in southeastern Ethiopia, making it one of the largest sand dunes in Africa.
The Guban Desert
The Guban Desert is a desert in the north of the Republic of Sudan. It's one of the driest places on earth, with an annual rainfall total of only 50 mm (2 inches). The Guban Desert covers an area of about 20,000 square kilometers (8,000 square miles) and is located in the Nuba Hills region.
Danakil Desert
The Danakil Desert is a salt lake desert located in northeastern Ethiopia. It's the hottest place on earth and one of the driest places in Africa, but this doesn't mean it's not worth visiting! In fact, it's so fascinating that it has been called "the most alien-looking place on Earth."
The Danakil Desert sits on a fault line between two tectonic plates: the Arabian plate and African plate. This means that there are frequent earthquakes here as well as volcanic activity which can lead to eruptions like Mount Erta Ale (which means "smoking mountain" in Amharic).
While this may sound dangerous to some tourists, others find this risk exciting and a great reason for visiting Ethiopia!
Moçâmedes Desert
The Moçâmedes Desert is a desert in southwestern Angola. It is the southernmost desert in Africa, as well as being the largest desert in Angola. The Moçâmedes Desert covers an area of about 70,000 square kilometers and is bounded by Namibia to the north, Botswana's Okavango Delta on its western side and Zambia to its east.
The vast dryness that characterizes this area has led it to be referred to as one of Africa's "deserts." While not true deserts (there are no sand dunes or rainless periods here), much of this area has less than 250 mm (10 inches) of rainfall per year, making it very arid indeed.
Eritrean Coastal Desert
The Eritrean Coastal Desert is located in Eritrea, on the Horn of Africa, and it's one of the driest places on Earth. Its name refers to its location along Eritrea's coast.
The desert covers much of eastern Eritrea, including parts of the Danakil Depression—one of the lowest points on Earth—and is home to several salt lakes.
The Namib Desert
The Namib Desert is the oldest desert in the world, as well as the largest desert in Africa. In addition to being one of the least populated areas on Earth, it's also home to many plants and animals that are unique to this region.
Karoo Desert
The Karoo Desert is the largest desert in South Africa and covers about one-third of South Africa. It has a low rainfall rate. The extreme dryness of this region is due to its distance from any large bodies of water like oceans or seas that can provide moisture for rainfall.
Kalahari Desert
The Kalahari Desert is the world's largest hot desert. The large size of this arid region often makes it difficult for visitors to get around because there are no roads or railways through most parts of the Kalahari Desert. Nevertheless, there are many attractions that draw people from around the globe to visit this strange land. Some animals live in sand dunes all year round while others come out only at certain times of year when food is more plentiful or rainfall increases.
Conclusion
Africa is a continent rich with diverse cultures, languages and people. It’s also home to some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes—and some of its harshest deserts. While Africa may be known for its deserts, there are many different types of them and all have unique characteristics that make them special in their own way. This article has listed just some of the major ones found on this massive landmass we call home!
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