University of California
Ucmp: The Desert Biome
Learn about the four types of deserts: hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold with this key facts and information. Includes links to other biomes: aquatic, forest, grasslands, and tundra.
Science Struck
Science Struck: Facts About the Sahara Desert
Discusses the physical geography of the Sahara Desert, the climate, its landforms, the plants and animals that live there, and some of the people who live there or visit.
Science Struck
Science Struck: Sahara Desert Climate
Describes the climate of the Sahara Desert and the climate changes that have occurred there in the past.
Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies
Mocomi: Sahara Desert Facts and Information
Provides interesting facts about the Sahara Desert including its climate, plants, animals, and landscape.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Africa: Explore the Regions: Sahara
Informative site containing facts and insights about the African region of the Sahara. Explore the countries, people, and economy of this fascinating region, the largest desert in the world. Country closeups detail interesting and...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Deserts
Not all deserts are the same. This still collage produced for Teachers' Domain features views of different deserts around the world.
Oxfam
Oxfam's Cool Planet: Animals of the Desert
Resource looks at the different types of insects, mammals, reptiles, and birds found in the desert and the strategies they use for survival.
Other
Whozoo: Desert Horned Viper
Special adaptations of the Desert Horned Viper are featured on the WHOZOO website. This endangered species lives in the sand and rocks of the deserts of North Africa, Israel, Arabia, and the Sinai peninsula.
Other
One World Magazine: Deserts
Explore the sands of the Arab world and the Sahara by reading personal accounts and histories about the people, religion, and culture of the region.
Tramline
Desert Field Trip
Use this site to find out how deserts are formed, where the largest desert is located and if there are different types of deserts.
Other
Encyclopaedia of the Orient: Sahara
Information about the world's largest desert, the Sahara, including size, location, people, climate, physical features, and animal life. Includes a chart of temperatures (in Celsius) and rainfall (in millimeters) by month and by yearly...
Ducksters
Ducksters: Geography for Kids: World Deserts
Learn about the geography of the world's deserts such as the Sahara, Arabian, Gobi, and Mohave on this website.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Life in the Sahara (Lesson Plan)
A lesson in which students share prior knowledge and conduct research about the location, people, and animals of the Sahara region of Africa. Involves the creation of a project about the geography of the Sahara and how desertification...
Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden: Hot Deserts of the World
Find out about the sizes, physical features, and plant and animal life of some of the world's great deserts, including the Arabian, the Great Sandy, the Chihuahuan, the Kalahari, the Mojave, the Sahara, the Sonoran, and the Thar deserts.
US Geological Survey
Usgs: What Is a Desert?
At this site from the United States Geological Survey, you can read an informative and scientific explanation of what deserts are and what occurs in them. View pictures of deserts and a diagram showing the distribution of deserts in Africa.
Other
Sos Children's Villages: Our Africa Climate
Our Africa is a project that allows the children of Africa to film their lives and their country the way they see them. This section describes the varied climate of Africa and includes videos on agriculture, the Kalahari Desert, and...
The History Cat
The History Cat: Geography: Environment: Fighting Desertification
Lists reasons we should be concerned about desertification and discusses how the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert is becoming desertified.
The History Cat
The History Cat: Geography: People: Taureg Nomads of the Sahara
Read about the characteristics of the Taureg, a nomadic people who inhabit the Sahara region. Their lifestyle is described and what they do to survive in the extreme heat of the desert.
Other
Bradshaw Foundation: Dabous Giraffe in Niger
This resource provides information on a project being done to make molds of one of the oldest pieces of African rock art, a Sahara giraffe carving.
BBC
Bbc News: Niger Country Profile
Niger is a country on the edge of the Sahara desert. This BBC profile includes an overview of the country's history, demographic and economic facts, information on its leaders and a listing of its communications media.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Ataka
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
BBC
Bbc News: Strange Predictions for the Future From 1930
Describes some fantastic predictions made in the 1930s for what technology might bring in the future, for example, the creation of a sea in the Sahara Desert and the widespread ownership of personal airplanes. (Published 26 December 2014)
Oxfam
Oxfam's Cool Planet: Algeria
Explore the lives of the Algerian people through a virtual journey while learning facts and figures on the country. Gain information on such topics as sports, art, music, daily life, food, history, geography, environment, and more.
Curated OER
Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Maps Etc: Colonial Africa, 1899
Map of Africa in 1899 showing the colonial possessions of European powers on the continent established at the Berlin Conference of 1885. This map shows major cities and trade centers, railroad routes and canals, major river systems, and...