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Sahara Desert Facts & Worksheets

Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert and third largest desert in the world after Antarctica and the Arctic

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The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert and third largest desert in the world after Antarctica and the Arctic. It’s often known as the largest desert as many associate deserts with hot conditions and thus discount the Arctic and Antarctica. 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 alternatively, you can download our 36-page Sahara Desert worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY

  • The name Sahara is derived from the Arabic noun ar αΉ£aαΈ₯rāʾ, which means desert, and its plural, αΉ£aαΈ₯ārāʾ. It is also related to the adjective aαΉ£αΈ₯ar, which means desertlike, and has a strong connotation of the red hue of the arid plains.
  • The origins of the world’s largest hot desert, the Sahara, are thought to date back approximately 600 million years when the sea repeatedly submerged the region, depositing sediments; when it resurfaced, it was alternately covered by forests, savannahs, and even marshlands. 
  • During that time, oaks, cypresses, olive trees, and Aleppo pines flourished in the area. These lands surfaced once and for all approximately 50–55 million years ago, and the land began to dry, as many finds attest: shells, trunks now turned into stone after a long silicification process, wall paintings, and graffiti depicting the typical fauna of the savannah.
  • The Sahara Desert is said to be a geologically active region of the planet as it has the tendency to change from dry and desolate to lush and green every 20,000 years or so. 
  • A team of researchers reported in 2019 that sediments appeared to change from dry to wet in sync with slight changes in the tilt of the Earth’s axis, based on an examination of dust deposits dating back 240,000 years.
  • The sand dunes of the Sahara stand out both visually and aurally. 
  • When wind passes over large, curved dunes primarily composed of silica-containing sand grains 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm in diameter, they can generate a tremendous resonating noise. 
  • This roaring hum is most likely caused by friction between sand grains or air compression, which can reach 105 decibels.
  • The Sahara Desert is located in northern Africa and covers over 3,500,000 square miles (9,064,958 square kilometers), roughly 10% of the continent. The Red Sea borders it to the east, and it extends west to the Atlantic Ocean.
  • The Sahara Desert extends across several African countries, including Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia. 
  • The majority of the Sahara Desert is undeveloped and has a diverse topography in which the wind has shaped the majority of its landscape, which includes sand dunes, sand seas known as ergs, barren stone plateaus, gravel plains, dry valleys, and salt flats. 
  • Sand dunes cover approximately 25% of the desert, with some reaching heights of over 500 feet (152 meters).

HABITAT: FLORA

  • Plants have evolved numerous adaptations to the desert. Their long roots capture even the smallest trace of water on the surface or at great depths.
  • The plants can save water by having thorns rather than leaves. When it is hot, dry thorns do not end up losing water evaporation; leaves do. Furthermore, some cacti have a dense network of thorns that shield them from the sun’s rays.
  • Furthermore, some plants that grow in the Sahara Desert tend to have long roots in order to fetch water from a distance. Trees, such as Mequites, have very long taproots that reach water at great depths by going down very low into the land surface, up to more than 30 meters.
  • Desert Coloquinte, Euphorbia, Mugwort, desert cabbage or desert salad, Acacia, Palm dates, Tamarix, and Matricaria chamomilla (an aromatic vegetable plant) are examples of plants that can be found in the Sahara Desert.

HABITAT: FAUNA AND HUMANS

  • Various animal species must adapt to hyper-arid conditions, strong winds, intense heat, and even wide temperature swings in the Sahara. 
  • The majority of Sahara mammals are small, which allows them to minimize water loss. They frequently meet their water requirements through their diet. 
  • The animals hide in burrows during the day and hunt at night when the temperature drops. They’ve evolved anatomical transformations like the fennec fox’s large ears, which aid in thermal dissipation, and its hairy soles, which protect its feet.
  • There are an estimated 70 mammal species, 90 bird species, 100 reptile species, and numerous arthropod species in the Sahara Desert.
  • The Sahara is home to animals such as Barbary sheep, oryx, anubis baboon, spotted hyena, dama gazelle, common jackal, and sand fox; birds such as ostriches, secretary birds, Nubian bustards, and various raptors; and reptiles such as cobras, chameleons, skinks, various lizards, and crocodiles can also be found in the Sahara where there is enough water. 
  • The wildlife is primarily concentrated along the less drastic northern and southern margins, as well as near desert water sources.
  • According to estimates, the total population of the Sahara is less than two million people, including those who live in permanent neighborhoods near water sources, migrate with the seasons, and follow ancient trade routes as permanent nomads.
  • Small villages are formed where water sources are available but there are still few groups who are nomads.
  • Today, established communities around the Sahara desert are supported by technological developments, tourism, and residents’ adaptation to changes.

CLIMATE AND ECONOMY

  • The climate of the Sahara is distinguished by very little rainfall, hot days, and cool nights. The biggest differences are in the summer, when it’s hotter and drier, and the temperature difference between day and night is greater. Winter temperatures are milder during the day but significantly colder at night.
  • It has two distinct climates: a dry subtropical climate in the north and a dry tropical climate in the south. The dry subtropical climate has unusually high annual and diurnal temperature ranges; cold to cool winters; hot summers; and two precipitation maximums. 
  • The dry tropical climate is distinguished by a strong annual temperature cycle that corresponds to the sun’s declination; mild, dry winters; and a hot, dry season preceding variable summer rains. 
  • The cold Canary Current influences a narrow strip of the western coastal zone, which has a relatively cool, uniform temperature.
  • The Sahara’s main economic activities are livestock herding and trade. Camels, goats, and sheep are raised by desert dwellers, and gardens and date palms are grown in some oases.
  • The main trade good is salt, which can be mined or extracted from evaporated water. Furthermore, the Sahara Desert is rich in uranium, which is widely distributed throughout the Sahara and is especially important in Niger. 
  • Other economically significant minerals have been discovered in the Ahaggar, Ar, Tibesti, and Eglab regions. Phosphate deposits are abundant in Morocco and Western Sahara, and smaller deposits have been discovered elsewhere.

Sahara Desert Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Sahara Desert across 36 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert and third largest desert in the world after Antarctica and the Arctic.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

  • Sahara Desert Facts
  • Mapping the Sahara Desert
  • Day and Night in the Sahara
  • Saharan Sandstorm
  • Sahara Dunes
  • Fauna in the Sahara
  • Flora in the Sahara
  • Settling in the Sahara
  • Rules in the Sahara
  • Saharan Word Find
  • World Record Deserts
  • Promoting the Sahara
  • Extraterrestrial Desert

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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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