Description:
Almost all of North Africa lies north of the equator. The Sahara, the largest and hottest desert in the world, is located in the centre of North Africa and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. The northwest edge of this huge, dry area rises up into the snowy Atlas Mountains. Countries closer to the equator have a wetter climate, and the hot desert changes first into grassland, and then into thick tropical rainforest.