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What natural features form the boundaries of the Sahara Desert?
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Sahara
Sand dunes in the Sahara, near Merzouga, Morocco.
The Sahara Desert is defined by several distinct natural boundaries across northern Africa:
- West: The Atlantic Ocean serves as the western border.1
- North: The desert is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlas Mountains, which act as a geologic barrier separating the desert from the Mediterranean basin.12
- East: The Red Sea forms the eastern boundary.1
- South: The Sahel marks the southern limit, acting as a semiarid transitional zone between the Sahara and the more humid savannas further south.13
Because the Sahara is a dynamic environment, its total area and specific boundaries can shift over time as the desert expands or contracts.1