The Sahara Desert is a place full of extremes in many ways. The largest desert in the world, the Sahara spans an incredible 3,600,000 square miles. It covers almost the entire northern region of Africa! Famous for its scorching heat during the day, the Sahara also experiences low temperatures of only 24 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

The Sahara is located north of the equator, which means the sun shines most brightly directly over the desert. Almost twelve hours of continuous sunlight from the very strong sun illuminates the Sahara. The sparse vegetation and lack of cloud cover also mean very few shaded areas to cope with the heat. It's no wonder the desert is as hot as it is!

"However, sand does not retain heat well at all. Sand does not store anything after reflecting heat back into the air. Once the sun sets, there is nothing left to warm the sand. The heat of the day then quickly diminishes, resulting in a cold night."