Deserts of North Africa facts

It is rocky. Most of the Sahara consists of rocky hamada; ergs (large areas covered with sand dunes) form only about 20% of the total area.

In deserts. Desert rose is the colloquial name given to rosette formations of crystal clusters of gypsum or baryte which contain abundant sand grains. Desert roses occur when the crystals form in arid sandy conditions, such as the evaporation of a shallow salt basin.

Agricultural fields. This is an astronaut photo of the Al Khufrah Oasis in Libya. The circular shape of fields is characteristic of center pivot irrigation. These fields are approximately 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) in diameter. Lighter colors indicate fields that have been harvested recently or just planted.

In Morocco. The Berber language is ancient and has 2200 years of written tradition. In 2011 Berber became a constitutionally official language of Morocco, after years of persecution (under the policy of Arabization). There is a movement among speakers of the closely related varieties of Northern Berber to unite them under a standard language.