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Mr Classy· 5 years ago
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Name the two large deserts of africa?

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Updated on09/14/26

The two largest deserts in Africa are the Sahara Desert and the Kalahari Desert, with the Sahara holding the top spot by a massive margin and the Kalahari ranking second on the continent.

The Sahara Desert

  • The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world and by far the largest desert in Africa, covering approximately 9.2 million square kilometers (roughly 3.6 million square miles).

  • It stretches across 11 North African countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad, Sudan, and Tunisia.

  • The desert spans from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east, forming a natural boundary between the Mediterranean region and sub-Saharan Africa.

  • It's known for extreme aridity and heat, with some areas going years without rainfall and daytime temperatures regularly exceeding 50°C (122°F).

The Kalahari Desert

  • The Kalahari Desert is the second-largest desert in Africa, covering an area of roughly 900,000 square kilometers (around 350,000 to 360,000 square miles), making it just over one-tenth the size of the Sahara.

  • It spans parts of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, with Botswana making up the largest share of its territory.

  • Unlike the Sahara, the Kalahari is technically a semi-arid savanna in parts, since it receives more rainfall than a true desert typically would, which supports a noticeably wider range of wildlife.

  • Its landscape features rolling red sand dunes, sand sheets, and salt pans, and the region is home to species like lions, cheetahs, elephants, and various antelope.

A Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature

Sahara Desert

Kalahari Desert

Rank in Africa

Largest

Second largest

Approximate Size

9.2 million km²

900,000 km²

Countries Covered

11 North African countries

Botswana, Namibia, South Africa

Climate Type

Extremely arid, hot desert

Semi-arid savanna in parts

Notable Wildlife

Sparse due to extreme conditions

Lions, cheetahs, elephants, antelope

Wrapping It Up

Between the two, the Sahara and the Kalahari cover a huge share of the African continent and represent two very different versions of what a desert can look like, one defined by relentless heat and near-total dryness, the other softer, greener in places, and far more alive with wildlife. Together, they're a good reminder that "desert" isn't a single fixed category, and understanding both gives a fuller picture of Africa's landscape than looking at either one alone.

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Tara Verma
Tara Verma
Ten years in the classroom, shaping minds — bringing the same clarity and purpose to every piece she writes about education.
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Tara Verma is a practising teacher and education content writer with over 10 years of classroom experience across primary and secondary levels. She holds a Master's degree in Education (M.Ed.) from Delhi University and a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from Jamia Millia Islamia — qualifications that ground her writing in both pedagogical theory and the day-to-day realities of teaching in India. Her content covers exam preparation strategies, learning methodologies, curriculum guidance, student mental health, career counselling for students, and the evolving state of school and higher education in India. Her work has appeared on platforms including TeacherVision India, Jagran Josh, and Careers360, where she writes for students, parents, and fellow educators who need content built on actual teaching experience — not theory alone. Over a decade of working directly with students across age groups and learning levels has given Tara a practical understanding of how education content should be written — clearly, accessibly, and with genuine awareness of the challenges students and teachers face on the ground. She has taught 1,000+ students, contributed to school curriculum development initiatives, and published 250+ articles on education across digital platforms. She is an active member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) India. Across all her writing, every recommendation is classroom-tested, every insight comes from direct teaching experience, and every article is held to the same standard she applies in her own classroom — accuracy, clarity, and genuine usefulness for the reader.

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Replying to the question above
Answered on08/16/21

Asia stands first and Africa at second place as largest continent in the world .It is also the second highest populated place on earth with equally poor population ratio.Africa has Sahara the largest desert of the world where there are human population, birds and animals in this desert. The Kalahari desert is another desert in Africa which receives 10 inch of rainfall through the year and is inhabited by animal life.

 

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