Traveling to Egypt will bring a lot of pleasure to fans of extreme sports and people who are interested in unusual natural attractions and crave adventure. While visiting the deserts of Egypt, you will ride camels along the caravan routes, visit the pyramids, maybe even see a real miracle - an oasis in the middle of the sandy sea. From this article you will get useful information about the Egyptian deserts.
General characteristics
Most of the territory of Egypt is covered with deserts. In the western part are the Libyan and Great Sandy Deserts, which are usually attributed to the Sahara region. To the east is the Arabian Desert, which occupies vast areas between the Nile and the Red Sea. In the south, you can visit the Nubian Desert, located on the border area of Egypt with Sudan. On the Sinai Peninsula, in the northern part of the state, there is also a desert.
Egypt is an arid country that surprises with the number of dried up dead rivers. Butthere used to be life here! An interesting fact is that only 10% of the Egyptian territory is currently inhabited. This small percentage falls on the Nile Delta, the fertile coast of this river and the Suez Canal. The remaining 90% of the territory attracts hermits, nomads, fearless travelers and camels.
However, if you are lucky, you will be able to find oases in the middle of the deserts of Egypt. In these picturesque places, springs of hot and cold, fresh and mineral water spring up. Underground there are groundwater, and in oases they get the opportunity to get to the surface. It's a magical sight.
Sugar
First, we need to talk about the Sahara, because the name of this region is familiar to everyone. The Sahara Desert in Egypt is a collection of sandy areas, which in general occupy the area of ten countries of the African continent, that is, 7700 thousand km2. All the deserts that will be discussed later are part of the Sahara.
Climatic conditions
What are the names of the deserts in Egypt, you will learn a little later. Now we will talk about the climate of the Sahara. The region has a tropical and subtropical climate. Temperatures rise so high that they reach +58 °C, which is the highest recorded temperature on the planet. Precipitation may not fall for several years, and then evaporate without touching the surface. But the wind here is a frequent occurrence. Its speed reaches 50 m/s. He is able to raise the strongest dust storms. The desert zone is characterized by strongtemperature fluctuations. During the day it can be hot over +30 °С, and at night the thermometer shows 0 °С.
Flora and fauna
Vegetation is unevenly distributed across desert areas, because living organisms need moisture. Therefore, most plants can be found in oases: these are ferns, ficuses, cypresses, xerophytes, cacti, acacias.
Different animals live in the Sahara. The fauna is mainly represented by rodents, insects and birds. Along with jerboas, gerbils and hamsters, miniature chanterelles, antelopes, mongooses, jackals and camels are found here. Lots of reptiles. Try to avoid monitor lizards, horned vipers and sand epha.
The Libyan Desert
This area occupies vast territories in the northeastern part of the Sahara. Due to its large size, the desert belongs to three states at once: Libya, Sudan and Egypt. Its area, according to the latest data, reaches 1934 km2, which places it in second place in terms of size in the world.
This desert was founded on the territory of Egypt by a rocky plateau, which is tilted towards the Mediterranean Sea. The plateau is completely covered with sand, and not ordinary, but quicksand. In addition, it is in this region that the Great Sand Sea is located, which is considered the lowest place on the entire continent! There is a depression here, the depth of which reaches 113 meters (we are talking about the depression of Qattara with an area of 18,000 m2).
Arabian Desert
This territory,completely covered with sands, stretched between the shores of the Red Sea and the Nile River. It smoothly passes into the Nubian desert in southern Egypt. It is located on the territory of a spacious plateau, at an altitude of 600 m. The relief of the Egyptian desert is heterogeneous: for example, mountains can be seen in the eastern part. This place is very dangerous for living beings, as it is known for destructive dust storms, hurricanes, moving sand masses, dunes. During the day it is very hot here, and at night, on the contrary, it is cool, while the climate is very dry and sultry. Precipitation may not fall for several years. However, even here you can find life: cereals and shrubs grow in the few valleys.
Nubian desert
Another desert of Egypt occupies an impressive territory. It extends to the border with Sudan and continues within this country. It is separated from the waters of the famous Red Sea by a mountain range called Etbay. The Nubian desert is rightfully considered one of the largest in the world. Like other deserts in Egypt (their names are presented in our article), it is located on a rocky plateau with a slight slope towards the sea.
Its relief is heterogeneous and is represented by bare ancient rocks in the east and quicksand in the west. There are also riverbeds that have dried up in the distant past. Precipitation is infrequent and rarely exceeds 25 mm Hg. Art. in year. The expanses of the Nubian desert are laid railroad tracks and highways.
Flora and fauna of the Nubian Desert
Practicallythere is no vegetation: only cereals, thorns and shrubs survive in such harsh conditions. The animal world is mainly represented by reptiles. On the sand, if you look closely, you can see traces of lizards. Large reptiles live here near skinks and agamas. At night, the activity of insects and arachnids increases. Don't be surprised if you happen upon tarantulas, scorpions or scarabs, which are symbols of Egypt.
Sinai Desert
This is one of the most beautiful deserts located in Egypt. It is located on the Sinai Peninsula. Its relief is the most heterogeneous: the At-Tikh plateau in the center of the desert is surrounded by dunes in the north, sharp rocks and granite mountains in the south. Their peaks rise above sea level by 2637 m and in many places are adjacent to flat areas.
You can see here frozen stone figures, giant rocks of various shapes, as well as stunted trees. All this is surrounded by a boundless sandy sea. The land in the Sinai desert does not know the hands of man, so you will not find any traces of intelligent life here. Occasionally there are miniature oases and wells. Due to the harsh hot climate, the Sinai Peninsula has endured numerous battles and conquests.
This white desert in Egypt remains a sacred place for many. According to the Bible, Moses and his people wandered through the vast territories of the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years. Modern tourists will be able to arrange a quad bike safari and ride oncamels.
Flora and fauna of the Sinai desert
Amazing plants grow in this region: lecanor and tamarix. The latter secretes a sweet juice, which, perhaps, was the very “manna from heaven” that fed Moses. In the mountains you can find thickets of hawthorn and pistachios. There are not very many animals here: most often there are rodents. However, the lucky ones can see a Nubian goat, hear the singing of larks, and discover a nest of desert chickens. But it’s better not to look for a meeting with a golden eagle.
This was the basic information about the Egyptian deserts.
