Although there are many deserts in Africa, here we showcase
profiles of the main deserts. Others such as the Blue Desert,
whilst technically in Egypt, are actually on the Arabian
peninsula. The biggest deserts in
Africa, including the Libyan Desert and the Algerian desert, are
part of the Sahara Desert, the world's second largest desert after
Antarctica (deserts are defined as areas with negligible
rainfall.) The Sahara covers
approximately 10% of the land mass of Africa measuring 3.5 million
square miles.
The
other main deserts in Africa are the
Kalahari Desert which covers parts of South
Africa and Namibia as well as most of
Botswana; the Karoo Desert of South Africa;
the Namib
Desert which runs 1,200 miles along the
Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and
South Africa; the Nubian Desert in
north-east Sudan located between the Nile
and the Red Sea and the Owami Desert desert
in Nigeria which is again part of the Sahara
desert.With the Sahara encroaching southwards into the Sahel
(the zone between the Sahara and its southern savannahs), Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan are planning to build a Great Green Wall some 9 miles wide and 4400 miles long from Dakar to Djibouti of woodlands and greenery
to stop the creeping sands and prevent soil erosion.
The project is
being coordinated by the Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) and
African Union and it is hoped to create a continuous barrier
whilst avoiding inhabited areas and natural obstacles such as
mountains and other rocky terrains. The ambitious project is due
to commence shortly and is explored in further detail in this
video documentary below. Our profiles of
all the main deserts in Africa include facts and figures about
each desert together with video clips. These deserts have a fascinating history and are home to large
fossil remains and ancient structures.
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