According to many scientists, Africa, which today is the largest and most mysterious desert planet, is the birthplace of human civilization.It is also believed that it is desertification areas forced people to uproot their lives and adapt to new conditions of life.This is to some extent contributed to human evolution.
views of scientists on the past of the Sahara
According to some scientists, paleontologists, in an area where now stretches the Sahara Desert, was once a very different climate.He favored the wide dissemination of the diverse plant and animal species.Various lush vegetation gave shelter and food to animals and humans, so the region was densely populated by people.
Geographical location
length of the Sahara desert in the north to the south and from the western to the eastern border is so large that it takes up about 30% of the area of Africa, or a third of its northern part.The Sahara stretches from the Atlantic coast to the shores of the Red Sea.These geographical features are the natural boundaries of the desert to the west and the east.Distance from the western to the eastern borders is about 4800 kilometers.The length of the north to the south of the Sahara in its various areas ranging from 800 to 1200 km.In the north of the desert comes to the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea.In the south of the Sahara is bordered by ancient sedentary impassable dunes of the Libyan desert.
Given the enormous extent of the Sahara Desert from south to north, not to mention the fact that it is located in the northern hemisphere and does not pass the border of the equator.
modern look of the territory
On boundless expanses of the Sahara dominated by strong winds, which are able to move from one place to a huge mass of sand.It is for this reason that the territory is constantly changing its appearance.
uninformed people sometimes mistakenly believe that the entire length of the Sahara desert in the north to the south - is the area covered with the sand.But this is not so.Sand Sea occupy only 10% of the landscape.In most of the stretch rocky plateau rising above the sea level is not more than 400 m. Between them rises the massive amounts of volcanic origin.They can reach a height of 3000 m. The rocky boulders bizarre shapes - another view of the landscape of the Sahara.
For the reason that the length of the Sahara Desert from south to north is so vast, unified detailed classification of landscapes are constantly changing each other, has not been developed.The educational and scientific literature there are only a basic name, although in reality they exist anymore.
vast stretches of the Sahara desert in the north to the south - is sand and stones, sometimes interspersed with oases.They are fed by underground artesian and ground waters, which lie here in large numbers.Through this form extraordinarily beautiful nature spots among the dead silence of sand and stone.The riot of green and other bright colors oases especially pleasing sight of the person.
Increased drought
length of the Sahara desert in the north to the south from year to year increases.This occurs because of drought in areas adjacent to the desert territory, repeated with some regularity.Scientists, environmentalists differently explain this process, but the originator of the new areas of desertification in Africa is still recognized by people.Unwise use of natural resources always leads to problems of this kind.
human adaptation to life in the Sahara
The extreme conditions that exist throughout the desert, make a person living here almost impossible.However, despite this, even in the most arid regions of the Sahara live nomadic Tuareg and Teda.But still it must be said that some areas of the harsh edges completely deserted.
bulk of the population of the desert obzhila areas located along the coast of the Nile - the only river flowing across the Sahara.The channels are filled with the rest of rivers reviver only a short period of rain.Then they dry up and remind myself just to stay on the surface of the recess.
Man proved that the irrigation of desert areas can grow a rich harvest of crops, raise cattle.But artificial irrigation - an expensive type of work - fresh water lies deep under the sands, and raise it to the surface is not easy.The budget of many African countries can not withstand such costs.However, despite the enormous extent of the Sahara desert and difficult living conditions here, the governments of some countries are development works.As a result, we found deposits of oil, gas, phosphates, iron and copper ore, uranium, gold.Natural resources are stored in the bowels, elevate this region of the world in the category of perspective.
