Geography News Network

Located in the northern portion of Africa, the Sahara (the Arabic word for desert) is the world’s largest hot desert. By definition, deserts receive less than 10 inches of rainfall annually, but half of the Sahara receives less than an inch of rainfall while the rest receives about 4 inches annually. Bound by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the east, the Sahara has been creeping southward into the Sahel...