Deserts located in Africa. Deserts of Africa: Sahara, Namib, Kalahari. The largest deserts on earth

Savannahs and Deserts in Africa occupy about 80% of the mainland area. The largest and most famous deserts in Africa are the Sahara Desert, the Kalahari Desert and the Namib Desert.

The Sahara is the world's largest desert, with an area of ​​about 9,065,000 sq. less area United States of America. The Sahara is located in North Africa, on the territory of more than ten states (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan). The Sahara does not lend itself to categorization within a single desert type, although the sandy-stony type is predominant. Many regions are distinguished in the desert: Tenere, Great Eastern Erg, Great Western Erg, Tanezruft, Hamada el-Hamra, Erg Igidi, Erg Shesh, Arabian, Libyan, Nubian deserts. The name "Sahara" is an Arabic translation of the Tuareg word "tenere", meaning desert. Its age is about 2.5 million years.

About 160 thousand mirages are observed annually in the Sahara. They are stable and wandering, vertical and horizontal. There are even special maps caravan routes with an assessment of places where mirages are commonly observed. These maps indicate where wells, oases, palm groves, mountain ranges.

Kalahari is a desert in South Africa within the states of Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. The Kalahari area is about 600 thousand square kilometers. The Kalahari climate is arid with a summer maximum of precipitation and mild winters, with aridity increasing towards the southeast. Precipitation (up to 500 mm) is confined to the summer period (November - April), but their value varies significantly both in time and in area. Kalahari is one of the hottest areas South Africa. The average maximum temperature is plus 29 °, and the average minimum temperature is plus 12 °, evaporation is 3 thousand mm.

Namib (port. Namibe, English Namib) is a coastal desert in southwestern Africa. The Namib area is over 100,000 km2. The desert stretches for 1900 km along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean from the city of Namibe in Angola, through all of Namibia (which takes its name from the desert) to the mouth of the Ulifants River in the Cape Province of South Africa. From the ocean, it goes deep into the continent at a distance of 50 to 160 km to the foot of the intracontinental plateau; in the south it connects with southwestern part Kalahari.

The name "Namib" in the language of the Nama people means "a place where there is nothing". The Namib Desert is extremely dry (only 10-13 years of precipitation per year) and, with the exception of a few coastal towns, is virtually uninhabited. The Namib is considered the oldest desert in the world: desert or semi-desert conditions have existed here continuously for 80 million years, that is, the desert was formed back in the time of the dinosaurs. As a result, several endemic species of plants and animals have arisen here, which are adapted to life in the local extremely hostile climate and are not found anywhere else in the world.

Important deposits of tungsten and uranium ores and diamonds have been explored in the desert. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean, washing the shores of the Namib Sea, are extremely abundant in life; The coast of the desert attracts numerous seals, sea birds and even penguins, which, despite the African heat, nest on deserted shores and coastal islands.

Deserts are vast natural zones of both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, subdivided into several types according to their composition, occupying more than 16.5 million km 2, occupying more than 11 percent of the entire land. On Earth, there are sandy and saline, clay and rocky, and even snowy deserts.

Sahara - a huge desert with an area of ​​​​8600 km 2, located on the territory of 11 states. Despite the more common sandy type of territories, the surface of the Sahara does not belong to one specific category of deserts, since its areas capture all desert types, with the exception of snowy ones, which are a separate natural zone. Despite the popular belief that deserts are waterless, the Nile flows through the Sahara, the tributaries of which form a stable permanent transit watercourse.

These vast, often lifeless expanses are inhabited by approximately 2.5 million people, typically local indigenous peoples and ethnic groups, mostly confined to a nomadic lifestyle, depending on seasonal changes.

2nd place

Libyan desert occupies an area of ​​2 million km 2, extending over the territory of three states. Quite numerous oases are inhabited by the Berber and Libyan peoples, representing point centers of life, the main occupation of which is the cultivation of crops and fruit trees, as well as cattle breeding. There are numerous exits in the Libyan desert groundwater, which significantly affect the life of the entire natural zone.

3rd place

Nubian desert mostly located on the territory of Sudan, to a lesser extent - in Egypt, its total area is 1240 thousand km 2. In the northern part, sandy-stony lands smoothly pass into the Arabian desert. The climate features in this natural area cause a lack of precipitation for several years. Maximum temperature in these places reaches 53 degrees. The Nubian desert is home to up to 2.5 million people belonging to more than 20 different nationalities.

4th place

Gobi Desert , having an area of ​​1.3 million km 2, occupies the vast territories of China and Mongolia. During several years Chinese government actively struggles with the rapid advancement of the desert, deciding to carry out its artificial landscaping. Climatic differences in the Gobi desert reach 100 degrees difference, with summer temperatures within 55°C, winter temperatures can reach -55°C.

Due to its length and the difference in climatic biological conditions, the desert is not only actively populated, but has an economic significance based on agriculture, mining natural resources and animal husbandry.

Desert highlands of North America The large basin covers an area of ​​​​more than 500 thousand km 2, which, together with mountain ranges reach a value of 1036 thousand km 2. This is one of the driest places on the continent, representing almost lifeless spaces that are of particular interest to tourists who prefer to spend time in harmony with nature. But in addition to the main uninhabited territory in Great Basin the city of Salt Lake City with a population exceeding 180 thousand is located, which became the capital Olympic Games in 2002.

The sandy desert of Rub al-Khali stretches for 650 thousand km 2, occupying the territories of four states located in the Middle East. Almost completely lifeless spaces serve in rare cases for the extraction of gypsum, quartz and gravel, the lack of vegetation and water does not make it possible to develop agriculture and animal husbandry. This is one of the hottest and driest deserts in the world with the most constant climate, with a temperature of 47°C being stable for July and August.

What is a desert? This is a unique flat natural area with very poor flora and fauna. Climatic conditions in such a zone are specific and poorly suited for comfortable living and active life. On Earth there are sandy, clay, rocky, salt and ice. What is the most big desert on the planet?

Two queens

If we talk about these zones in the usual sense, then this is endless expanses sand, mostly bare and lifeless, hot under the scorching sun. The Sahara is the most endless, largest sandy desert in the world, it is located on the African continent, its area is 9.1 million square kilometers. But on our planet there is also a huge ice - Antarctic. It is located in Antarctica and occupies almost 14 million square meters. km! Given that from a geological point of view, these zones in Antarctica and Africa are deserts, then the conclusion suggests itself that the largest desert on the planet is the Antarctic. Other most big deserts world - Sahara, Arabian, Gobi, Kalahari, Patagonian, Victoria, Syrian, Great American, Chihuahua, Great Australian, Karakum, Sonora, Kyzylkum and Takla Makan. This list includes the most significant deserts in the world, the area of ​​​​which exceeds 200 thousand square meters. km. The following is a summary of the most interesting facts about these natural areas.

Antarctic

As mentioned above, it is located in Antarctica, its area reaches 14 million square kilometers, only 1% of the land is free of ice, this is the largest desert on Earth. In addition, it is:

• most dry place on the planet - indeed, during the year there is no more than 50 mm Hg of precipitation. Art. in the form of snow, real rain in Antarctica has not been falling for more than 2 million years. It's a paradox, but the driest zone in the world has the most fresh water- 70% of the total world supply in the form of ice blocks;
• the windiest - the wind speed here reaches 320 km / h. Such winds are called katabatic;
• coldest in winter average temperature is -60°С...-70°С, in summer - from minus 20°С to minus 45°С. The most low temperature- 91.2°C was recorded in 2013. With such indicators, a person freezes in 1-3 minutes.
• and most high place on the planet.

This realm of ice does not belong to any state, there is no permanent population, only scientists and researchers agree to spend some time in such extreme conditions. Sometimes there are tourists here. Before being sent to Antarctica, everyone has their wisdom teeth and appendix removed. The flora and fauna of the Antarctic desert is very scarce, but only here you can meet the largest and most beautiful penguin in the world - the emperor. natural phenomenon this unique place- A bloody waterfall, the water in which is bright red (hence the name)! Interestingly, this is a timeless zone in literally, since there is no time zone on the continent.

Takes up all northern part African continent. Today its area is 9.1 million square meters. km, which is a little more area Brazil, but annually the Sahara expands to the south by about 7-10 km. There are many deserts in Africa, but the Sahara is the largest on the mainland and the second largest in the world after the Arctic. It partially occupies the territory of 12 African States.

From the north it is washed mediterranean sea, from the west - Atlantic Ocean, and from the east it is bounded by the Red Sea. The southern border of the desert is the ridge of the ancient sand dunes, beyond which the more fertile land of the savannas begins.

Huge areas The Sahara are deserted, due to the hot arid climate, lack of water and vegetation, these areas are not inhabited, only near rare oases, as well as in the river valleys of the Nile and Niger, settled tribes live.

The relief of the Sahara is not only endless sandy plains, but also oases, dunes, wadis, mountains. Interestingly, the height high mountain in this desert more than 3400 meters, in winter its top is covered with snow. One of the local phenomena is the singing dunes, which make sounds similar to organ music.

Acacias, wormwood, oleanders, dates, fig trees, ephedra, and citrus fruits grow in oases along the banks of the wadi. Where there is greenery, there are also animals: hares, jerboas, hedgehogs, maned sheep, antelopes, gazelles, moufflons, jackals, mongooses, hyenas, many vipers, lizards, scorpions. About 300 species of birds live in the desert.

Mirages - main riddle Sahara. Suddenly, plausible images of cities, castles, armies of soldiers, ships and other visions appear before travelers. One day, a whole caravan died trying to reach the oasis, which seemed to be no further than 2-3 km, but in fact it was at least 700 km away! This difficult optical illusions Scientists have not yet found an explanation.

Arabian

Africa has another large desert- Arabian. It occupies almost 2.4 million square kilometers. Lies on the Arabian Peninsula between the Red Sea and the Nile Valley. The Arabian desert is famous for an even more severe climate than the Sahara. Sandstorms often rage here, sharp temperature drops are observed - from + 55 ° C during the day to frost at night, precipitation is scarce and extremely rare. Therefore, there are very few plants here, only occasionally there are ashtray, juniper, capers and date palms. The main inhabitants of the desert are lizards, snakes, insects. There are also birds.

Interestingly, the Arabian Desert, under a thick layer of sand, keeps countless treasures - there are very rich gold deposits, which are being developed by geologists. IN Lately tourism is booming here.

This is the largest desert in Eurasia. It covers an area of ​​1.3 million square kilometers and is located partly in southern Mongolia and partly in northern China. Incredible temperature differences are observed here - from +60°C to -55°C, depending on the time of year and day! Sometimes the surface heats up to +70°С!

The landscape of the Gobi is very diverse: waterless rocky terrain gives way to sandy plains, followed by high dunes, turning into mountains, periodically blooming oases and green groves. Vegetation is more in the north; the closer to the south, the more deserted the surrounding area. Animal world The Gobi is quite diverse: in addition to the usual rodents, horses, gazelles, snakes, lizards and insects, bears and even snow leopards are found here. foothill areas.

Africa again! In the southern part of the continent is the Kalahari Desert - the hottest on the mainland. It occupies about 900 thousand square kilometers. Famous for its red sands, from the side it seems that the sun has completely burned this land. But it's not. Despite the hot and dry climate, many animals somehow manage to survive here: giraffes, zebras, gazelles, jackals and hyenas, lions and leopards, rhinos, many species of rodents, lizards, monitor lizards, geckos, snakes. Of the birds in the Kalahari, bustards, ostriches, falcons, and larks live.

5 more large deserts of the world

Other major deserts of the world:

• Patagonian, occupies a little more than 670 thousand square kilometers. Is in South America in Argentina and Chile. Interestingly, as such, there is no heat here, even snow falls in winter, the desert area was formed due to a very small amount of precipitation, nature does not spoil the Patagonian plateau with rain.
• Victoria - located in Australia, occupies about 650 thousand square kilometers, that is, almost half of the continent. This is a desert flat area, dried up by the winds, for the most part covered with thorny drought-resistant spinifex, sometimes there are thickets of acacias, mighty eucalyptus trees grow in wet lowlands. When a rare rain falls in the desert, it immediately changes: it is covered with juicy herbs and fragrant bright flowers. The fauna of the Australian desert is unique, represented by endemic animals that are not found anywhere else in the world. Interestingly, 9 of the 10 most venomous snakes in the world live here.
• Syrian - located in the Middle East, its sands stretch over 500 thousand square kilometers. The climate here is subtropical. In summer, average temperatures fluctuate between +29 ... + 35 ° С, in winter night frosts are not uncommon. The flora and fauna of this desert is quite poor.
• Great American - occupies a little more than 490 thousand square kilometers, located in the west of the North American continent, surrounded by mountains and plateaus that block the path of moist air from the ocean.
• Chihuahua is another huge desert in North America, its area reaches 450 thousand square kilometers. It is located on the US-Mexican border and is distinguished by an amazing landscape: " sky islands"- wide canyons with a flat bottom, surrounded by mountains with flat tops.

Victoria Desert (Australia)

It is impossible not to recall the Great Sandy Desert in the northwestern part of Australia (400 thousand square kilometers), the famous Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan (350 thousand square kilometers), the sandy and rocky Sonora in North America (310 thousand square kilometers), the Kyzylkum in Central Asia(300 thousand square kilometers) and the mysterious Takla Makan in China (270 thousand square kilometers), which is called the Valley of Death.

As you can see, the largest sandy deserts in the world are in Africa, Asia, America and Australia. In Russia there are small deserts in the east of Kalmykia, in the south Astrakhan region, V Volgograd region. There are no real deserts in Europe, although some geographers mention sand massif Aleshkiv sands, located in the south of Ukraine.

Desert. Before your eyes immediately there is a picture of a boundless sea of ​​sand, camels, scorpions and a huge ruthless sun overhead. In principle, the picture is correct, but incomplete. And this desert has nothing to do with it at all. Since here instead of sand there is only snow, ice and cold. In fact, the concept of "desert" is much more complex and multifaceted. Let's figure it out.

A desert is a land area characterized by sudden temperature changes and minimal rainfall. It is believed that they should be less than 250 mm per year. You will be surprised, but the largest desert on Earth is the Antarctic Desert.

Where is the largest desert in the world located?

The Antarctic Desert is located on the very southern point our land and occupies almost the entire territory of the sixth continent - the mainland Antarctica. This is neither more nor less than 13.8 million square meters. km. The population ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 people. These are mainly workers of meteorological stations and scientific expeditions. 98% of the territory of this desert is covered by an ice shell with an average thickness of 1.5 km. According to scientists, it contains up to 90% of the world's fresh water reserves.

Climate of the Antarctic Desert

The climate is harsh, even cruel. Antarctica is a recognized champion in low temperatures. In winter, the thermometer drops to minus 70 degrees, in summer it is a little warmer, about 30-50 below zero. Relatively comfortable temperature only on the coast during the summer months - minus 10 Celsius. And this is also due to the phenomenon of albedo - when heat is reflected from snow and ice. It was on the territory of the Antarctic desert that the record for the lowest temperature on the planet in the history of the Earth was recorded. In 1983, the thermometer showed minus 89.2 degrees below zero. The title of "desert" Antarctica rightfully bears - the amount of precipitation here is about 4 cm per year. Due to the fact that the crazy cold literally “dries up” moisture, the Antarctic Desert is considered the driest place on earth. And, as in every self-respecting desert, storms rage here too. Only snow. The wind carries snow at a speed of 320 km. at one o'clock.

Fauna and flora of the Antarctic desert

Due to the harsh conditions, life in this icy desert is very scarce. In oases, places free from ice, mosses and lichens grow, frost-resistant mites and springtails settle on them. Only here lives Belgica Antarctica - a wingless midge, the largest terrestrial animal of the Antarctic desert. Its length is about 11 mm. And on the coasts of Antarctica you can meet seals and

Desert. How many mysteries this word contains! How many civilizations are hidden under its endless sands. And how many alluring secrets she still has left! Therefore, in this article we will pay attention to the largest deserts in the world. So, get ready for a journey into the world of amazing and endless expanses.

1. Sahara Desert

most big desert th in the world is the Sahara. No wonder it is called the real Queen of the Desert. Its area is only slightly smaller than the territory of the United States of America, and is 9.1 million square kilometers. Sahara is located in the northern part of the African continent, and is part of such states as Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Niger, Mali, Sudan, Chad and Western Sahara.

Also, at the mention of mirages, almost everyone remembers the Sahara, since it is here that people most often see different oases. So, during the year the desert shows its guests from 100 to 200 thousand mirages. Experts even made special "mirage" maps for amateurs, in which the places of their most frequent appearance are indicated.

2. Arabian desert

The size of the Arabian Desert is more than 2.3 million square kilometers. She is considered the second great desert peace. Its location is Arabian Peninsula, as well as the territories of such states as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan.

The desert is famous for its frequent dust storms and strong winds, making most of it uninhabited. In addition, it is also striking that large jumps in daily temperatures occur in the Arabian Desert. So, for example, during the day, an egg laid on the sand becomes boiled after 10 minutes, and on the same night, stones can crack from frost.

3. Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert is located on the territory of China and Mongolia. It originates from Altai mountains and Tien Shan, and ends in the steppes of Mongolia and borders on the Yellow River. total area The Gobi is 1.2 million square kilometers. The desert got its name from the Mongolian word, which translates as "waterless place". For comparison: the Gobi desert is 2 times larger than the US state of Texas.

4. australian desert

Everyone knows that Australia is a country where funny kangaroos and koalas live. In addition, this is the world of numerous cockatoos and endless beaches, where it is so nice to spend your holidays! However, few people know that almost half of the Australian continent is occupied by a huge desert.

total area Australian desert is 647 thousand square kilometers. But this desert is not just a collection of sand, wave and wind. This is something original. So, here is not only a desert, consisting of sand, but also of stone, or rather of fine gravel. In addition, the desert in Australia amazes guests with its red dunes, which the Simpson Desert is famous for. The height of such formations reaches 40 meters!

5. Kalahari Desert

The Kalahari Desert means “torturous” in the local Berber language, and in fact, many people remember this area in Africa as something completely unsuitable for life, and getting there often means dying a painful death. But let's not talk about sad things, because any desert is a danger to a person, and you need to travel in it very carefully.

So, the area of ​​the Kalahari desert begins in Namibia and Botswana, and ends in the Republic of South Africa. The locals call it Curry Curry. Its total territory is 600 thousand square kilometers. In addition, experts note that every year the Kalahari area increases significantly, turning into a desert all new areas of the once good land. Among the countries that are suffering from the onset of the desert, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe should be mentioned.

6. Desert Karakum

The literal name of the Karakum desert in translation from Turkic means "black sands". And this is actually true, although we have been accustomed to bright yellow sweets of the same name since childhood. General area desert is 350 thousand square kilometers. The height of the sand dunes in some places can reach 60 meters! The Karakum desert is located in most of Turkmenistan. On its area there is small vegetation, therefore, in certain seasons locals use the Karakum as a pasture for livestock.

7. Takla Makan Desert

The Takla Makan Desert is located in Central Asia. It is not as well known as other "record holders", but it also occupies an impressive area - 337 thousand square kilometers. In 2008, the desert was able to surprise everyone: record low temperatures were noted in it, and some places were even covered with snow!

8. Desert Salar de Uyuni

The Salar de Uyuni Desert is the world's largest salt desert. It is located in Bolivia. Experts estimate the amount of salt located on its territory as 10 billion tons.

It is unique that when it rains, the salt reserves dissolve in the water and turn the Salar de Uyuni into the largest salt lake, which is very shallow in depth and looks more like a mirror lying on the ground. This effect is achieved due to the fact that salty water It has a different refractive index, which, when reflected, is similar to reflection in an ordinary mirror.

9. Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert is largest desert located in Chile. It bears the title of the driest place on earth. However, even on this sun-scorched earth, plants manage to grow: they have a unique mechanism for surviving in harsh conditions. At the same time, in dry times, they do not grow and do not multiply, and this can happen even for several years, but with the advent of rain and moisture, they bloom in full.

10. Desert Antarctica

The desert of Antarctica is the only icy desert in the world. It is located on an area of ​​more than 14.1 million square kilometers. Few people know that Antarctica is the driest place on earth! Such a climate is explained by the fact that the strongest cold literally “dries up” moisture, and the total amount of precipitation here does not exceed four centimeters per year. It is also interesting that it was in Antarctica that the lowest temperature on earth was recorded - minutes 89 ° C!