Traveling to Egypt will bring a lot of pleasure to extreme lovers and people who are interested in unusual natural attractions and crave adventure. While visiting the deserts of Egypt, you ride camels along 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 receive useful information about the Egyptian deserts.
general characteristics
Most of Egypt is covered in deserts. In the western part lie the Libyan and Great Sand Deserts, which are usually attributed to the Sahara region. In the east is the Arabian desert, which occupies vast territories between the Nile channel and the shores of the Red Sea. In the south, you can visit the Nubian Desert, located on the border 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. But before life was in full swing here! An interesting fact is that only 10% of 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 is attracted by hermits, nomads, fearless travelers and camels.
However, if you are lucky, then 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 beat. Groundwater is found underground, and in oases they get the opportunity to reach the surface. This is a magical sight.
Sahara
First you 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 that generally occupy the area of ten countries on the African continent, that is, 7, 700 thousand km 2. All deserts, which will be discussed later, are part of the Sahara.
Climatic conditions
What are called 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 largest recorded temperature on the planet. Precipitation may not occur 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 lift the strongest dust storms. The desert zone is characterized by strong temperature differences. During the day, the heat may be above +30 ° C, and at night the thermometer shows 0 ° C.
Flora and fauna
Vegetation is unevenly distributed across desert territories, because living organisms need moisture. Therefore, most plants can be found in oases: these are ferns, ficus, cypress, xerophytes, cacti, acacia.
Various animals live in the Sahara. Basically, the fauna is represented by rodents, insects and birds. Along with jerboas, gerbils and hamsters, miniature chanterelles, antelopes, mongooses, jackals and camels are found here. A lot of reptiles. Try to avoid meeting with monitor lizards, horned viper and sandy eph.
Libyan desert
This area occupies vast territories in the north-eastern 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 recent data, reaches 1934 km 2, which places it in second place in 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 quick-moving. In addition, it is in this region that the Great Sand Sea is located, which is considered the lowest place on the whole continent! There is a hollow, the depth of which reaches 113 meters (we are talking about the Kattara hollow with an area of 18, 000 m 2).
Arabian desert
This area, completely covered with sand, stretches 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 desert of Egypt is heterogeneous: for example, in the eastern part you can see mountains. This place is very dangerous for living creatures, as it is known for destructive dust storms, hurricanes, moving massifs of sand, dunes. It is very hot during the day, and cool at night, on the contrary, the climate is very dry and sultry. Precipitation may not occur for several years. However, even here you can find life: in small valleys cereals and shrubs grow.
Nubian desert
Another desert of Egypt occupies an impressive territory. It extends to the border with Sudan and continues within this country. 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 in the direction of the sea.
Its relief is heterogeneous and is represented by exposed ancient rocks in the east and quicksand in the west. There are riverbeds that have dried up in the distant past. Precipitation occurs infrequently and rarely exceeds 25 mm Hg. Art. in year. Through the expanses of the Nubian Desert, railway tracks and highways were laid.
Flora and fauna of the Nubian desert
There is practically no vegetation: only cereals, thorns and shrubs survive in such harsh conditions. The fauna is mainly represented by reptiles. In the sand, if you look closely, you can see traces of lizards. Large reptiles live near the Skinks and Agamas. At night, the activity of insects and arachnids increases. Do not be surprised if you accidentally come across tarantulas, scorpions or scarabs, which are a symbol of Egypt.
Sinai desert
This is one of the most beautiful deserts located in Egypt. It is located on the Sinai Peninsula. The relief is the most heterogeneous: the At-Tih plateau in the middle of the desert is surrounded by dunes in the north, sharp cliffs and granite mountains in the south. Their peaks rise above sea level at 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 the boundless sandy sea. Earth in the Sinai desert does not know the hands of man, so you will not find here any traces of intelligent life. Occasionally there are miniature oases and wells. Due to the harsh hot climate, the Sinai Peninsula withstood numerous battles and aggressive approaches.
This white desert in Egypt remains a sacred place for many. According to the Bible, Moses and his people roamed the vast territories of the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years. Modern tourists will be able to arrange a quad bike safari and ride a camel.
