Physical features of the Sahara Desert
Some geographical features of the Sahara are sand dunes, dry valleys, salt flats, and several mountain ranges, some of which are volcanic.
The Sahara has a number of physical features, including ergs, regs, hamadas, and oases.
Ergs cover 20% of the Sahara. They are sand dunes that stretch for hundreds of kilometers at heights of more than 300 meters. Ergs cover most of Algeria and Libya and parts of Mali and Nigeria. Ergs can contain large quantities of salt.
Regs are plains of sand and gravel that make up 70% of the Sahara. The gravel can be black, red, or white. Regs are the remains of prehistoric seabeds and riverbeds, but are now nearly waterless.
Hamadas are areas of flat, raised land that are also known as plateaus. A hamadais a type of desert landscape consisting of largely barren, hard, rocky plateaus, with very little sand. A hamada may sometimes also be called a reg, though this more properly refers to a stony plain rather than a highland.
An oasis is a hub of water in the desert, often in the form of springs, wells, or irrigation systems. About 75 percent of the Sahara’s population lives in oases, which make up only 2,071 square kilometers of the desert’s vast area.
A sand dune is a mountain of sand. Some dunes can be as high as 600 feet. These dunes are found in huge areas of shifting sand called ergs.
Written by Brendan
The Sahara has a number of physical features, including ergs, regs, hamadas, and oases.
Ergs cover 20% of the Sahara. They are sand dunes that stretch for hundreds of kilometers at heights of more than 300 meters. Ergs cover most of Algeria and Libya and parts of Mali and Nigeria. Ergs can contain large quantities of salt.
Regs are plains of sand and gravel that make up 70% of the Sahara. The gravel can be black, red, or white. Regs are the remains of prehistoric seabeds and riverbeds, but are now nearly waterless.
Hamadas are areas of flat, raised land that are also known as plateaus. A hamadais a type of desert landscape consisting of largely barren, hard, rocky plateaus, with very little sand. A hamada may sometimes also be called a reg, though this more properly refers to a stony plain rather than a highland.
An oasis is a hub of water in the desert, often in the form of springs, wells, or irrigation systems. About 75 percent of the Sahara’s population lives in oases, which make up only 2,071 square kilometers of the desert’s vast area.
A sand dune is a mountain of sand. Some dunes can be as high as 600 feet. These dunes are found in huge areas of shifting sand called ergs.
Written by Brendan