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Sahara Desert Facts & Worksheets

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The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert and third largest desert after Antarctica and the Arctic worldwide. It’s often known as the largest desert as many associate desert with hot conditions and thus discount both the Arctic and Antarctica. The Sahara desert has a surface area of 9,400,000 square kilometres (3,600,000 sq mi) including the Libyan Desert. In terms of sheer size the desert is comparable to the land area of the United States of America. See the fact file below for more information on the Sahara desert or download TWO comprehensive worksheet packs including over 40 worksheets which can be utilised within the classroom or home environment.

  • The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert and third largest desert after Antarctica and the Arctic worldwide.
  • The Sahara desert has a surface area of 9,400,000 square kilometres (3,600,000 sq mi).
  • The Sahara Desert is very hot! Temperatures can reach 136 Fahrenheit which is  57 Centigrade.
  • The Sahara desert is located in North Africa.
  • The Sahara covers a significant service area of eleven countries. These are: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan.
  • If the Sahara desert was a country it would be the fifth largest company in the world!
  • It rarely rains in the Sahara. Total rainfall is less than three inches per year. Some regions can go years without seeing any rainfall. This makes it a difficult place to live for human beings, animals and plants alike.
  • Despite these difficult conditions the Sahara desert is home to a number of plant and animal species. It’s estimated that over 500 species of plants live in the Desert and around 70 species of animals.
  • There are over a 1000 species of trees which live in the Sahara. These are typically located close to Oasis’.
  • The Sahara desert is not all dry land. There are water sources throughout the desert including Lake Chad and the world famous River Nile.
  • Although the Sahara is a desert there is still a population of approximately 2 million people. These people are typically located close to water sources. Some of these people are nomadic (Group of people who move around regularly and have no physical fixed location).
  • The word Sahara is the Arabic word for desert.
  • The most common language spoken in the Sahara is Arabic.
  • The climate of the Sahara has changed significantly through the Earth’s history. It’s suggested that the Sahara was once a green, lush region ripe for habitation. This began to change over 4000 years ago due to the change in the tilt of the earth’s orbit.
  • It is estimated that the Sahara will be lush and green again in around 15,000 years time.
  • The volcano Emi Koussi can be found in the Sahara desert. This is the highest point in the Sahara desert and reaches heights of 11,302 feet above sea level.
  • One common misconception is that the Sahara desert is always hot. This is not true and between the months of December and February the temperatures can plunge significantly. Some sand dunes have even been spotted with snow!
  • The Sahara desert can also get cold at night time too. The temperature can drop rapidly and at times it can be below freezing. This makes it an incredibly difficult place to live as the varying temperatures make clothing choices challenging.
  • The Sahara’s most famous animal is the dromedary camel. This fantastic animal is commonly used by desert nomads. The dromedary camel can travel for days with no food or water and when it does reach a water source it can take on board over 30 gallons of water in minutes. This can prepare the camel for the hot and dry days ahead.
  • Amongst the other animals still found in the Sahara are the gerbil, jerboa, Cape hare, and desert hedgehog. There is also types of sheep, oryx, gazelles, deers and Nubian wild ass.
  • The wildlife tend to gather along the less severe northern and southern margins and near desert water sources. This allows the animals to successfully survive in such varying conditions.
  • Sandstorms are common in the Sahara desert. A sandstorm refers to a high amount of wind occurring in sandy areas, usually in deserts, where the wind speed is able to lift the top layer of sand from the ground and push in all directions.
  • It’s suggested that these strong winds and dust have sent the particles as far as the US from the Sahara desert.

Sahara Desert Worksheets

This bundle includes not one but two complete worksheet packs with over 40 pages of worksheets all ready-to-use. These worksheets are perfect for students to learn about the Sahara Desert which is the largest hot desert and third largest desert after Antarctica and the Arctic worldwide.

Worksheet Pack 1:

  • Sahara Desert Facts
  • Locating Sahara
  • Sahara Desert Word Search
  • Fact or Bluff
  • What am I?
  • Locate Them!
  • Search Them Up!
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Sahara Desert Acrostic
  • Promoting Sahara!
  • I Discovered…

Worksheet Pack 2:

  • Sahara Desert Facts
  • Mapping the Sahara Desert
  • Sahara Day and Night
  • Saharan Sandstorm
  • Saharan Wordfind
  • Saharan Dunes
  • Living in the Sahara
  • World Record Deserts
  • Key Answers

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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