International Desk: Among all the mysterious places in the world, the Sahara desert is many times ahead of others. The Sahara desert has taken many forms over time. The current Sahara is the hottest place on Earth; A few million years ago it was the Tethys Sea! Or the famous sand kingdom Sahara was once green, fertile and populated! From the southern part of Africa, early humans left for Europe. Although research has been going on for ages, the tangle of mysteries has not been completely unraveled. The sphere has puzzled people with all the surprising information.

Sahara Desert Desert in Africa

The Sahara desert borders 12 African countries. Dominating a large part of North Africa. Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Niger, Mali, Western Sahara, Tunisia, Mauritania, Eritrea, Sudan have this desert. The Sahara desert covers 31 percent of North Africa. Its total area is 36 lakh square miles. Adding the area that receives 250 millimeters of rain would increase the area of ​​the Sahara to 4.2 million square miles. Which is almost equal to the size of the United States!

The entire continent of Africa lies on one of the Earth's tectonic plates. A long time ago there was the Tethys Sea between Africa and Europe. It is thought that 40 million years ago the motion of the tectonic plates caused the Tethys Sea to move northward and Africa and Europe converged. As a result, the northern part of Africa is compressed and rises much above the sea level. After that this area gradually became dry.

From 40 years of research by a German researcher, the Sahara was green and fertile even 4 to 12 thousand years ago. Every 20,000 years, the Sahara desert changes from wetlands to grasslands. Every 20,000 years the Earth tilts slightly to the north. As a result, the course of the Earth's monsoon winds changes, causing heavy rainfall in the Sahara desert. As a result, many plants grow in this region and become favorable for humans. It is estimated that in the next 15 years, the Sahara will become green again.

Evidence that the Sahara desert used to be a sea is 150 kilometers away from Cairo, the capital of Egypt. In a place called Wadi Al Hitan or Valley of the Whales in the Sahara desert, fossils of the extinct Doradan species of whale were found about 36 million years ago. Wadi Al Hitan has so far found the largest number of fossils in the world.

Sand Kingdom The Sahara desert can be divided into five regions. Western Sahara, Air Mountains, Tibesti Mountains, Libyan Desert and Tinneri Desert. The Sahara consists of rocky plateaus and seas of sand. Once a sandstorm starts here, it can continue for up to four days. Sometimes due to sand storms, the sand forms a high peak! Most of which are more than 180 meters high!

The Sahara desert is the world's largest sand dune. With the sand here, the whole world can be covered 8 inches thick! The sands of the Sahara take different forms due to the combination of light rainfall and wind. Which includes sand dunes, rocky plateaus, dry valleys or gravel. However, despite being a sand kingdom, the Sahara has grasslands and mountains in several parts. Many small lakes and rivers also exist in the Sahara.

Sahara desert is said to be the hottest place on earth. Because the sun is much more stable in the Sahara compared to other places on earth. Most deserts receive more than 82 percent of the sun's rays. And in the eastern part of the Sahara, there is about 91 percent or 4 thousand hours of sunlight a year.

In addition, there is less vegetation than required, less rainfall due to higher temperatures. 38-40 degrees celsius in summer becomes unbearable in the Sahara. But it reached the temperature to burn the body. 47 degrees Celsius was recorded in the town of Bou Barnos in the Algerian desert. Eyes widened while checking the temperature of the sand. The highest sand temperature ever recorded in Sudan was 83.5 degrees Celsius or 182.3 degrees Fahrenheit!

It would be a mistake to assume that the hot, barren desert is devoid of life. Due to geography and diverse natural features, the biosphere here is also somewhat diverse. There are about 2,800 species of plants in the Sahara desert. A quarter of the plants here are native. Which is not seen anywhere else in the world. There are many trees in the Sahara including palms, succulents, acacias. Adapting to the climate, their shape is also different from other plants. Trees are small to protect from sandstorms or strong winds. Thick trunks to retain water during dry season and wide roots below ground to easily find water.

Apart from the flora, the fauna of the Sahara desert is also very rich. A type of deer called Edex lives in the Sahara desert. Edex can survive for about a year without water. Deer called Dorcas gazelle can also survive for a long time. Which also lives in this Sahara. In addition, several species of foxes live in the Sahara. Saharan cheetah lives in Mali, Niger, Togo, Algeria.

Different species of reptiles are seen here. Smaller species of crocodiles inhabit Mauritania and the Enedi Plateau. The very dangerous Deathstar Bisha bus is also here. Up to 10 cm long, the venom of this bee contains high amounts of azitoxin and xylatoxin. A death star bite is enough to kill a grown man!

Part of the Sahara is increasing as a result of global climate change. Scientific studies have found that the Sahara has increased by 10 percent in the past 100 years. Droughts have increased due to global warming. And as the rate of precipitation decreases, the area of ​​the Sahara desert increases. Natural disasters are associated with reckless behavior of people. If this continues, the density of the Sahara will increase in the near future. What is threatening to people!