Interesting facts about the Sahara desert

The Sahara Desert covers a large part of northern Africa and is one of the most famous places on the continent.

In ancient Arabic, Sahara means "empty space" or "space where nothing grows", or in other words, desert. It is the third largest desert in the world, covering an area of ​​about 8.6 million km ² . In the 1990s, the Sahara expanded by nearly 636,000 km ² .

The Sahara Desert spans 10 countries including Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan and Tunisia.

The Sahara is the hottest desert in the world. Temperatures here can reach 50 degrees Celsius during the day and drop to 0 degrees Celsius at night.

Many scientists have evidence that the Sahara Desert was once a tropical forest. Fossilized tree trunks have been found, proving that a vast jungle may have existed here. In addition, many rock carvings show that the Sahara was once home to animals such as lions, crocodiles, hippos, and elephants.

The rare phenomenon of snow falling in the desert has occurred in the Sahara. The first time it happened was one night in 1979, when the snow fell for half an hour and melted a few hours later when the sun rose. In recent years, the phenomenon has also appeared due to climate change.

The two main tribes that inhabit the Sahara are the Bedouins and the Tuareg. The Bedouins are an Arab tribe that still speak a language that originated in the Arabian Peninsula. While the Tuareg are nomads who speak a Berber language.

In the Sahara Desert of Egypt, there is a place called Wadi Hitan, which means “Valley of the Whales.” The name came about after archaeologists found the remains of thousands of whales in the area. In addition, many dinosaur fossils have also been found in the Sahara.

A marathon was held across part of the Sahara desert called Marathon Des Sables. The race took place over 7 days over a 250 km route. The biggest obstacle for the competitors was not the distance, but the heat, which reached 50 degrees Celsius.

The Sahara has a rich wildlife, with nearly 70 species of mammals, about 90 species of birds, and more than 100 species of reptiles. One of the most common animals in the Sahara is the Arabian camel. They have adapted to the dry climate and can go without food or water for 17 days. However, when they find water, they can drink more than 100 liters of water in just 10 minutes. In addition, goats are also popular livestock in this desert.

The main river in the Sahara Desert is the Nile. It is the second longest river in the world, originating in the East African country of Rwanda and flowing into the Mediterranean Sea.

Sand from the Sahara desert is carried by the wind to the Amazon rainforest and becomes a natural fertilizer for the plants there.

The world record for crossing the Sahara desert by bicycle was set in 2011 by a Briton with a time of 13 days and 5 hours.

The vegetation in the Sahara is also very diverse. Due to the high temperatures, there are about 1,100 species of plants here, mainly shrubs.

The Ténéré Tree is known as the most isolated tree in the world because it was the only tree in the Sahara Desert for 200 km. However, the tree died when it was hit by a drunk driver in 1973.

According to Zing.vn

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/giai-tri/nhung-su-that-thu-vi-ve-sa-mac-sahara/249898.htm