October 9, 2010 at 5:00 pm

Picture of the Day – The Mirage

by twistedsifter

 

THE MIRAGE


 

sahara desert Picture of the Day   The Mirage
Photograph by Rui Pires

 

The Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert. At over 9,400,000 square kilometres (3,630,000 sq mi), it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The only larger desert in the world is Antarctica, classified as such due to very low precipitation rates. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean. To the south, it is delimited by the Sahel: a belt of semi-arid tropical savanna that comprises the northern region of central and western Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the sand dunes can reach 180 metres (590 ft) in height. The name comes from the Arabic word for desert. [Source: Wikipedia]

 

via 1x.com