Geography Detail · Desert
The Sahara Desert
撒哈拉沙漠 · 最大的热沙漠
The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, covering about 9.2 million square kilometres — roughly the area of the whole United States. It stretches across eleven countries in North Africa, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.
9.2 M km²
Largest hot desert
11
Countries it covers
~58 °C
Highest recorded temp
~7,000 yrs
Since it turned dry
Overview
Overview undefined
Land of Sand and Stone
Only about a quarter of the Sahara is covered by sand dunes, called ergs. Much of the rest is bare rock (reg), gravel plains and dry valleys (wadis). The famous star-shaped dunes of the Namib-like ergs tower hundreds of metres high.
撒哈拉只有约四分之一是沙丘（称为erg），其余多为裸岩、砾石平原与干谷。
Not Always a Desert
About 10,000 years ago the Sahara was green, dotted with lakes and grasslands where hippos and elephants roamed — rock paintings in the region still show them. A slow climate shift dried it out around 4,000–7,000 years ago.
约一万年前撒哈拉还是绿色草原，岩画上仍可见河马大象的踪迹。
Life in the Sands
Despite the harshness, about 2.5 million people live in the Sahara, mostly in oasis towns and along the edges. Nomadic Tuareg herders cross its vastness with camels, moving pastures with the seasons.
撒哈拉仍生活着约250万人，多聚居绿洲和边缘地带，图阿雷格人用骆驼穿行其间。
More Than Sand
The desert holds vast mineral wealth — oil, gas and phosphate — and it is crossed by a vital trade artery. In the 21st century, huge solar farms are being planned in the Sahara to power Europe.
撒哈拉蕴藏丰富油气与磷矿，如今还在规划巨型太阳能电站。
Largest dune field Rub' al Khali-like ergs reach 300 m+ 沙丘最高可逾300米
Mountains Highest point ~3,415 m (Emi Koussi, Chad) 最高点乍得的库西山约3415米
Wildlife Survives: addax, fennec fox, dorcas gazelle 有旋角羚、耳廓狐等适应物种
Trade Trans-Saharan routes have linked North & West Africa for a millennium 跨撒哈拉商路联通北非与西非逾千年
Did You Know
Did You Know 趣味知识
The Sahara is as big as the whole USA
roughly.
撒哈拉的面积大约相当于整个美国。
It was green 10,000 years ago
with lakes and giraffes.
一万年前这里是湿地草原，还有长颈鹿。
The desert is expanding southward
a process called desertification.
撒哈拉正向南扩展，称为荒漠化。
The highest sand dunes reach
more than 300 metres.
沙丘最高可达300多米。
English Encyclopedia · Geography Detail — English first, Chinese as annotation. 正文英文为主 · 中文作注解 | ← Back to World Geography Index
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