North Africa is known for its beautiful landforms and amazing cities. The Sahara covers a lot of North Africa. The name Sahara comes from the Arabic word for “desert”. The Sahara is the biggest desert in the world. It is so big that nearly all of the United States could fit into it. Giant sand dunes (called ergs) cover about a quarter of the desert, the rest is made up of gravel plains (called regs). The Sahara also has mountain ranges, for example the Ahagger Mountains are located in the central Sahara. Their highest mountain is 9,842 feet. The Atlas Mountains is another mountain range in the Sahara. The mountains rise to 13,671 feet. Very low areas are called depressions. The Qattara Depression in western Egypt is 440 feet below sea level. The Nile River is the world’s longest river. It empties into the Mediterranean Sea. About 99% of Egypt’s population lives in the Nile River Valley or Nile River Delta. The Nile River valley is like a long oasis in the desert. Water from the Nile irrigates surrounding farmland. East of the Nile is the Sinai Peninsula. Mountains and desert cover the Sinai. Between Sinai and the rest of Egypt is the Suez Canal. The canal was built in the 1860s by the French. The Cities in North Africa are also very interesting. The capital of Egypt, the most populous country in North Africa, is Cairo. More than 10 million people live in Cairo. Today Cairo is a mix of modern building and small mud brick houses. Alexandria is another city in Egypt. It is home to more than 4 million people. The city is a
North Africa is known for its beautiful landforms and amazing cities. The Sahara covers a lot of North Africa. The name Sahara comes from the Arabic word for “desert”. The Sahara is the biggest desert in the world. It is so big that nearly all of the United States could fit into it. Giant sand dunes (called ergs) cover about a quarter of the desert, the rest is made up of gravel plains (called regs). The Sahara also has mountain ranges, for example the Ahagger Mountains are located in the central Sahara. Their highest mountain is 9,842 feet. The Atlas Mountains is another mountain range in the Sahara. The mountains rise to 13,671 feet. Very low areas are called depressions. The Qattara Depression in western Egypt is 440 feet below sea level. The Nile River is the world’s longest river. It empties into the Mediterranean Sea. About 99% of Egypt’s population lives in the Nile River Valley or Nile River Delta. The Nile River valley is like a long oasis in the desert. Water from the Nile irrigates surrounding farmland. East of the Nile is the Sinai Peninsula. Mountains and desert cover the Sinai. Between Sinai and the rest of Egypt is the Suez Canal. The canal was built in the 1860s by the French. The Cities in North Africa are also very interesting. The capital of Egypt, the most populous country in North Africa, is Cairo. More than 10 million people live in Cairo. Today Cairo is a mix of modern building and small mud brick houses. Alexandria is another city in Egypt. It is home to more than 4 million people. The city is a