Sahara Desert

General facts: Largest Desert in the world 10 percent of the African continent, 5000 years ago had a significantly larger mammal population, due to it getting dryer and over hunting in the last 100 years, the mammals are near extinction in the sahara. Intro: Definition of desert: â€Å"a region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all† Deserts cover about one fifth of our planet, and are caused by extremely low rainfall over an area. Arid deserts generally occur at low latitudes, and can be found in North-America, South-America, Africa, and Southern Asia. In deserts such as the Atacama, there has never been any rainfall recorded since record keeping has come into existence. While â€Å"coastal deserts† are mildy warm and get some rainfall and â€Å"cold† deserts are cold. Climate: Temp: The average temperature for this desert is 86 degrees Fahrenheit with the hottest ever recorded being 122 degrees. With freezing temperatures in the winter the climate of the Sahara is one the of the strangest on the planet. Temperature swings of 37.5 to 99.5 have been recorded. Rainfall: the average rainfall for the Sahara is just 2.5 cm and in the eastern parts it only gets .5 cm of rain a year. Seasonal Variations: There are not much variations in seasons in this desert. It is mostly hot with very little rain. The only exception is winter. During winter the temperature can drop below freezing and it is more likely to rain during these times. Human Interaction:  The current state of the biome is as usual with one exception: the water supply. The only human presence is around areas of permanent water supplies, such as oasis’ and water that is underground but close to the surface. Humans that live in these areas use the little water that is available for them selves and take that small amount away from the creatures that live there.