The Sahara or officially the Sahara Desert in (Arabic) الصحراء الكبرى, as sahra al kibeera, 'The Great Desert' is the largest hot desert in the world covering an area of 3.629 million sq miles[]. It is the third largest desert on Earth if [Antarctica] and the Arctic region is included. The Sahara covers eleven Afrikan countries from West to East and North to South. The countries range from mountainous, semi arid regions to coastal plains in the North on the Mediterranean, Western Atlantic, the Red Sea region and Indian Ocean. The Niger River and Nile River flow across the Sahara giving the arid region much needed sources of water.
Countries
The Saharan countries are as diverse as the desert's landscape. Not all the countries are entirely arid or lack water. Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt (Kemet), Sudan, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Niger, Chad, Mali and Eritrea. Immediately to the south is where the Sahel region begins. The sahel earned its name from being the transitioning point from where the Sahara becomes the equally large West and Central Afrikan forests.