What is the world’s largest hot desert, covering much of North Africa?

The Sahara Desert is the world’s largest hot desert, covering much of North Africa.

It stretches roughly 4,800 kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean region south toward the Sahel. Its area is commonly estimated at about 9.2 million square kilometres, although its boundaries shift with climate and definitions.

The Sahara is larger than the contiguous United States but smaller than Antarctica and the Arctic, which are also classified as deserts. This is why “largest desert” and “largest hot desert” are different claims.

The landscape includes sand seas, gravel plains, rocky plateaus, mountains, dry valleys and scattered oases. Despite its extreme dryness, the Sahara supports specially adapted plants, animals and human communities.