Sometimes the sand sings. It hums and groans as the wind rearranges it. Oſt en, the sand spins and swirls, whipping across the landscape. At times, the sand is still, piled high in towering dunes. But never is the sand of the Sahara still for long. T is is a place of constant movement and change. T e Sahara is the world’s largest hot


desert. It covers an enormous patch of land in North Africa. If the Sahara were a country, it would be the fi ſt h largest in the world. Eleven countries have parts of the Sahara within their borders. T ey are: Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Chad, Morocco, Eritrea, Niger, Mauritania, Mali, and Sudan.


A Changing Land T e Sahara is ever-changing due to the forces of weathering and erosion. Weathering—the breaking down of rock—comes in several forms. T e sizzling sun by day and frigid cold by night create a cycle for desert rocks to expand and contract. Rocks split and break apart due to this temperature change. Powerful winds spin sand, dust, and


small rocks in the air. T ese blast and grind away at the rock. Wind, water, and other forces also erode, or move, sand and rocks to a new place. As a result, the Sahara contains many


landforms, such as sand dunes, mountains, plateaus, basins, and plains. Of all the types of landforms here, sand dunes may be the most familiar. Sand dunes are oſt en found in ergs, or large sandy areas. In Morocco, the golden sands of Erg Chebbi are huge.


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Although it is only one feature of the desert, the Sahara may be best known for its sand dunes.


But ergs only make up about 20 percent


of the Sahara. Other landforms are more common. Regs are fl at plains covered with tightly packed gravel. T ey make up about 70 percent of the Sahara, formed by ancient rivers and seas. Hamada are also part of the Sahara.


T is desert landscape is formed mostly of barren, rocky plateaus. T ere are many mountains in the Sahara.


Some are red and rocky. Others are covered with snow. An area in Chad contains volcanic mountains. Sahara’s highest peak is here. It’s an extinct shield volcano called Emi Koussi.


FAST FACT:


Don’t make the mistake of saying “Sahara Desert.” That would mean: “Desert Desert.” Sahara is an


English pronunciation of the Arabic word for “desert.”


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