Sahara

The Sahara is a super-duper big desert in North Africa. It's so huge, it's like having a giant sandy blanket covering many countries! It's the biggest hot desert in the whole world. It's so wide, it stretches all the way from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. That's like driving across the United States many, many times!

It's mostly very, very hot and dry. You'll find lots of sand dunes that look like giant waves made of sand. Sometimes, these dunes can be as tall as a 10-story building! There are also rocky areas and mountains. It doesn't rain much, so plants and animals have to be very special to live here.

The Sahara wasn't always a desert! A super long time ago, it used to be green with grass and even had lakes. The Earth wiggles a little bit every 20,000 years, and this wiggle changes where the rain goes. So, the Sahara has been a desert and then green again, like a giant seesaw!

Even though it's so hot, some amazing animals call the Sahara home. You might find camels, which are like nature's super-hikers, able to go a long time without water. There are also lizards that love the heat and even some sneaky foxes. People have lived in the Sahara for a very, very long time too, finding ways to survive in this tough place.