The SAHARA

Executive summary by darmansjah

A desert roughly the size of the United States

SAND TO SAND

Sandstone spires reach through Saharan dunes in Chad’s Karnasai Valley. Wind and storms are gradually eroding the rock formations and returning them to sand.

OTHERWORDLDY VISTA

A Tuareg strides across the windblown sands of Tassillin-Ajjer, a plateau in southeast Algeria. Eroded 

NORTH AFRICA It is the iconic desert, The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, covering 3.3 million square miles (8.6 million sq km) of North Africa. Towering golden sand dunes roll aross its midsection. Summer temperatures routinely soar above 120ᵒF (49ᵒC). The environment was not always so hostile. For several thousand years, from about 8500 B.C. to 5300 B.C., a wetter climate supported savannahs, acacia forests, and even swamps. Giraffes, hippos, and elephants flourished. When drier conditions returned, most of the animals and people moved out. Now, the reverse may be occurring. A more humid climate, possibly the result of global climate change, is bringing greenery back to the fringes.