Sahara

[suh-har-uh, -hair-uh, -hahr-uh]

noun

1. a desert in northern Africa, extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Nile valley. About 3,500,000 square miles (9,065,000 square kilometers).

2. any arid waste.

Sahara

/ səˈhɑːrə /

noun

1. a desert in N Africa, extending from the Atlantic to the Red Sea and from the Mediterranean to central Mali, Niger, Chad, and the Sudan: the largest desert in the world, occupying over a quarter of Africa; rises to over 3300 m (11 000 ft) in the central mountain system of the Ahaggar and Tibesti massifs; large reserves of iron ore, oil, and natural gas. Area: 9 100 000 sq km (3 500 000 sq miles). Average annual rainfall: less than 254 mm (10 in.). Highest recorded temperature: 58°C (136.4°F)

Sahara

1. Desert in northern Africa.

At approximately 3.5 million square miles, it is the world's largest desert.

Other Word Forms

• Saharan adjective
• Saharian adjective
• trans-Sahara adjective
• trans-Saharan adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sahara¹

From Arabic ṣaḥra (plural ṣaḥārā ) “desert”

Example Sentences

People traffickers dump people in the Sahara desert; others crowd them onto unsafe boats.

From BBC

Russia has dangled the possibility of building a nuclear power plant in uranium-rich Niger - a vast, arid state on the edge of the Sahara desert that has to import most of its electricity.

From BBC

Meteorites can fall anywhere on Earth, but because of the favourable climate for preservation and the lack of human disturbance, the Sahara has become a prime spot for their discovery.

From BBC

The UK has backed Morocco's plan for ending a territorial conflict in Western Sahara, as part of a deal that will secure lucrative investment projects in the 2030 men's football World Cup.

From BBC

They soured last year when Macron announced France was recognising Moroccan sovereignty of Western Sahara and backed a plan for limited autonomy for the disputed territory.

From BBC

Related Words

• wilderness