CHAPTER 1 HOT AND DRY The sun beats down on the desert sands The temperature rises A hot wind blows the sand into a whirlwind Small animals hide in tunnels under the sand Others find shelter among the rocks Such is life in the Sahara Desert the largest hot desert in the world The Sahara is the world's third largest desert behind Antarctica and the Arctic Desert
A desert is a very dry area that gets little rain The Sahara includes parts of at least 11 countries or territories in North Africa The desert covers 3 5 million square miles 9 1 million sq km This is approximately the size of the United States However the size of the Sahara changes over time It gets bigger and smaller Sand dunes in the Sahara can reach as high as 500 feet 152 meters But only one fourth of the Sahara is sand Most of the desert is rocky There are plains plateaus and some mountains Wadis are dry streambeds If rain falls the wadis fill with water
Trees grow at an oasis in the Sahara in Morocco Desert plants and animals have adapted to the difficult conditions in the Sahara Plants animals and people are often found near an oasis An oasis is a place with underground water The Atlas Mountains are in the north of the Sahara The desert also contains other mountain ranges These include the Tibesti and the Ahaggar
