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. In addition to these main deserts in Africa there is also the Danakil Desert, located in parts of Eritrea, Djibouti, and Ethiopia. Nyiri (Taru ) Desert located in the rainshadow region of Mount Kilimanjaro in southern Kenya. The small Chalbi Desert located close to the Kenyan border with Ethiopia in northern Kenya. The Ogaden Desert, a region in south-eastern Ethiopia strectching into central and northern Somalia. The Mocamedes Desert, which is actually the northern tip of the Namib Desert.
The Eritrean Coastal Desert, comprising a strip of sand and gravel-covered and along Eritrea's southern coast and Djibouti's Red Sea coast. The Lompoul Desert located in Senegal. The Grand Bara Desert occupying large swathes of Djibouti and the small coastal desert of Guban nestled between the Zeila and Berbera cities in northwestern Somalia.
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.
Our profiles of
all the main deserts in Africa include facts and figures about
each desert together with video clips and satellite maps of the
deserts which can be used to zoom in and explore areas of
interest.
These deserts have a fascinating history and are home to large
fossil remains and ancient structures.
