The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert on Earth, covering approximately 9.2 million km² across 11 countries in North Africa — an area roughly equivalent to the size of the United States. In Morocco, the Sahara occupies the southeastern corner of the country and is defined by two iconic dune fields: Erg Chebbi near Merzouga and Erg Chigaga near M’hamid El Ghizlane.
Where is the Sahara Desert?
The Sahara Desert stretches across the full width of North Africa, from the Atlantic Ocean coast of Mauritania and Morocco in the west to the Red Sea coast of Egypt and Sudan in the east — a distance of approximately 4,800 km (3,000 miles). From north to south it spans approximately 800–1,200 km, from the Mediterranean and Atlas Mountain foothills to the Sahel zone of sub-Saharan Africa.
The eleven countries that share the Sahara are: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, and Western Sahara (a disputed territory). Of these, Algeria contains the largest share of the Sahara by area, while Morocco contains the smallest but arguably the most scenically dramatic and most accessible section for international tourists.
How Big is the Sahara Desert?
The Sahara Desert covers approximately 9.2 million km² (3.6 million square miles), making it the world’s largest hot desert and the third largest desert overall, after the Antarctic Desert (14.2 million km²) and the Arctic Desert (13.9 million km²). The Sahara is approximately 31 times the size of the entire United Kingdom and larger than Brazil.
What Types of Terrain Make Up the Sahara?
Contrary to popular perception, the Sahara Desert is not primarily sand dunes. Sand dunes (called ergs) account for only approximately 25% of the Sahara’s surface area. The remaining 75% consists of: reg (flat gravel or pebble plains, approximately 70% of the Sahara), hammada (rocky plateaus and pavements, approximately 1%), and mountain massifs such as the Ahaggar (Hoggar) Mountains in Algeria (maximum elevation 2,908 m) and the Tibesti Mountains in Chad (maximum elevation 3,415 m).
What Animals Live in the Sahara Desert?
Despite its extreme aridity, the Sahara supports a surprising diversity of wildlife adapted to desert conditions. Key species present in the Moroccan Sahara include: the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) — domesticated and used as a working and tourism animal throughout the region; the fennec fox (Vulpes zerda), the world’s smallest fox species with outsized ears for heat dissipation; the Saharan horned viper (Cerastes cerastes), a venomous pit viper with distinctive horn-like scales above its eyes; Deathstalker scorpion (Leiurus quinquestriatus) and fat-tailed scorpion (Androctonus spp.); the sand cat (Felis margarita), one of the world’s most elusive wild felids; and migratory birds including pink flamingos at Merzouga’s Dayet Srji seasonal lake.
How Was the Sahara Desert Formed?
The Sahara was not always a desert. Approximately 11,000–5,000 years ago, during the African Humid Period (also known as the Green Sahara), the region experienced a dramatically wetter climate driven by changes in Earth’s orbital tilt (Milankovitch cycles). During this period, the Sahara was home to lakes, rivers, savanna grasslands, crocodiles, hippos, and human settlements — as evidenced by rock art found throughout the region.
The gradual desertification of the Sahara began approximately 5,500 years ago as Earth’s axial tilt shifted, reducing monsoon rainfall. This process, combined with positive feedback loops (less vegetation → more surface reflection → less rainfall), transformed the Green Sahara into the hyperarid landscape visible today. Climate scientists predict that the Sahara may partially re-green again within approximately 20,000 years as Earth’s orbital parameters complete another cycle.
