Paper Topic:

Specific biome-Sahara Desert

: Specific biome-Sahara Desert

p : language Need essay for 7th grade student (written on 7th grade level ) on the Sahara Desert biome-

Must have-

1 . Geographical location

2 . Native plants

3 . Native animals

4 . Geographical features- mountains , temperatures , climate , annual rainfall , etc

5 . Any endangered animals and the reason for the endangerment

Details-

2-3 pages long

750 words

Font no smaller than 12

5 paragraphs

3 resources

Bibliography included : must include one magazine , one book , one encyclopedia

Due- January 14 9 :00am

CST

The word Sahara comes from Arabic word which means `mouse-colored The Arabs have considered the Sahara to be a vast stretch of barren land . Islamic culture began to associate Sahara with death and cemetery . Individuals who inhabit the Sahara also associate the desert with death (Gerster , Georg , Sahara Desert of Destiny . The Sahara desert is the largest desert in the World , having an area of 3 ,500 ,000 square miles (about the size of the US . Many nations of Northern Africa such as Algeria , Morocco , Tunisia , Libya , Egypt , Mauritania Mali , Senegal , Niger , Chad and Sudan contain the Sahara Desert . Several geographic locations such the Atlantic Ocean , the Atlas Mountains , the Mediterranean Sea , the Red sea and the Sahel Steppe surround the Sahara Desert . The desert runs 3000 miles from east to west , and 1200 miles from north to south . The Sahara Desert may be divided into 3 portions namely , the Libyan Desert (which runs from Eastern Libya to the Nile Valley , the Arabian Desert (which runs between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea ) and the Nubian Desert (present in the Northeast of Sudan . The various rocks landscape types present in the Sahara include sand dunes Hamada (denuded rocks , gravel plains and flat areas . Rocks occupy about 70 of the entire desert , and hence it is considered to be a stone desert . Only 15 are occupied by sand dunes . The remaining 15 are occupied by mountains , oasis , and transition zones . Many people have suggested that the Sahara may be expanding into the surrounding regions (Columbia University Encyclopedia . The Sahara occupies about 10 are of the entire African continent . Many organisms (including plants and animals ) have adapted themselves to suit the Sahara climate . Only recently (last few thousands of years ) has the rainfall increased in the Sahara slightly . Recently , the fossils of a great mammal (considered to be the Supercroc ) were found in the Sahara Desert (WWF

The vegetation in the Sahara is sparse and very little perennial forms exist . In the Sand dunes , vegetation is completely absent . The plants in the Sahara Desert are Xerophytes , Ephemeral (they survive only during the favorable conditions that exist after the rains ) and halophytes (which may be present only in areas receiving some rainfall . After a rain , about 20 of the sand dunes and 50 of the gravel plains seem to be covered with vegetation . Plants have to adapt to the extreme high temperatures and drought situation in to survive in the Sahara Some of the plants in...

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