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| Deserts of Africa | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sahara, Kalahari, Namib, Danakil, Karoo, Chalbi, Ogaden, Libyan Desert |
| Location | Africa |
| Area km2 | 9200000 |
| Countries | Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Angola, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya |
| Highest point | Emi Koussi |
Deserts of Africa
Africa hosts some of the world's most extensive and varied arid regions, from the hyperarid Sahara to the coastal Namib and the semiarid Kalahari. These arid zones have shaped the histories of Ancient Egypt, Carthage, Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, and modern states such as Algeria, Libya, Niger, and Sudan. Desert landscapes intersect with trade routes like the Trans-Saharan trade, colonial projects by France, Britain, and Italy, and conservation efforts led by organizations including IUCN and WWF.
The deserts span North, Southern, and parts of East Africa, including the Sahara Desert, Namib Desert, Kalahari Desert, Danakil Desert, Karoo, Chalbi Desert, and the Ogaden. Climatic drivers include patterns over the Intertropical Convergence Zone, influences from the Hadley cell, and oceanic currents such as the Benguela Current and Canary Current. Human demography crosses pastoralist groups like the Tuareg and Bedouin, agricultural centers like the Nile Delta, and urban expansions exemplified by Cairo, Khartoum, Tunis, and Tripoli.
The Sahara is Africa's largest, covering parts of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and Chad. The Sahel forms a transitional belt touching Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Sudan. Southern deserts include the Kalahari across Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, and the Karoo in Western Cape and Eastern Cape, South Africa. Coastal deserts include the Namib in Namibia and Angola, and the Danakil Desert spans Eritrea and Ethiopia. Smaller arid areas include the Chalbi Desert in Kenya and the Ogaden in Ethiopia.
Desert climates range from hyperarid in the Libyan Desert and Bodélé Depression to semiarid in the Hamada regions and the Steppe-like Sahel. Temperature regimes reflect latitude and elevation from coastal fog-driven systems along Walvis Bay and Skeleton Coast to extreme heat in basins like Degueche and Kufrah Basin. Ecological zones include dune fields such as the Grand Erg Oriental and Erg Chebbi, gravel plains like the regs, and seasonal wetlands in the Okavango Delta and Nile River floodplains. Conservation sites include Namib-Naukluft Park, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Sahara Desert National Park proposals, and transboundary initiatives like the Great Green Wall.
African desert geomorphology showcases ancient shields like the Tropic of Capricorn crossing the Kaapvaal Craton, rift-related features tied to the East African Rift, and volcanic provinces such as the Ethiopian Highlands and Erta Ale. Sand seas include the Grand Erg Oriental and Empty Quarter analogues, while fossil landscapes include the Sahara rock art zones and Pleistocene lake beds like Lake Chad palaeoshorelines. Mineral-rich basins host deposits of phosphate in Western Sahara, iron ore in Mauritania, uranium at Arlit, and hydrocarbons in Algeria and Libya.
Human occupation ranges from Palaeolithic sites associated with Aterian culture and Ibero-Maurusian remains to Neolithic pastoralism linked to the Saharan Neolithic and pastoral expansions related to the Bantu expansion. Caravan routes connected empires such as Ghana Empire, Mali Empire, and Songhai Empire to Mediterranean polities like Rome and later Islamic centers such as Timbuktu and Kairouan. Colonial borders drawn by the Berlin Conference and mandates after World War I altered nomadic territories, while modern states Algeria, Libya, Sudan, Chad, and Ethiopia manage desert populations including the Tuareg, Beja, Ethiopian Oromo, Somali people, San people, and Khoikhoi in the south. Contemporary issues involve resource governance by corporations like TotalEnergies and state entities such as Sonatrach and National Oil Corporation (Libya).
Desert biota includes endemic taxa such as the Welwitschia mirabilis of the Namib, the desert elephant in the Namib Desert and Kalahari, and adapted mammals like the addax and oryx across the Sahara and Sahel. Plant strategies include succulence in Aloe dichotoma, deep-rooting in Acacia tortilis along wadis, and fog-harvesting in species on the Skeleton Coast. Faunal adaptations feature water conservation in Fennec foxes, thermoregulation in dromedary camels, and migratory behaviors in birds such as the sociable lapwing and barn swallow along flyways that include oases like Siwa Oasis and Dakhla Oasis.
Economic activities span pastoralism practiced by Tuareg and Fulani, oasis agriculture around Nile Delta and Ouarzazate, mining operations at Zouerate and Arlit, and petroleum extraction in Ghadames Basin and the Nile Delta basin. Renewable projects include solar developments in Noor Power Station-scale initiatives in Morocco and proposed arrays in Egypt and South Africa, and wind farms in Namibia and Morocco. Conservation tourism leverages sites such as Sossusvlei, Etosha National Park, Okavango Delta, and historical attractions like Great Mosque of Djenne and the rock art at Tassili n'Ajjer. Challenges include land degradation addressed by Desertification-combatting programs like the Great Green Wall, water management controversies involving the Aswan High Dam and upstream projects such as Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and cross-border security linked to actors like Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Islamic State affiliates.
Category:Geography of Africa