The Danakil Depression is known for what?

Being one of the hottest places on Earth

The Sahara was green with lakes and grasslands about how long ago?

About 6,000 to 10,000 years ago

African Deserts Quiz: Can You Get 8 Out of 10?

This African deserts quiz crosses the Sahara, the Namib, the Kalahari, the Danakil and the Libyan Desert. Can you get 8 out of 10 on Africa's hottest, oldest and most surprising drylands?

Start African Deserts Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Sahara
The Sahara is about the same size as which country?
Namib
Which desert is often called the oldest in the world?
Kalahari
Which famous delta floods into the Kalahari?
Ethiopia
The Danakil Depression is known for what?
Namib
Which red dune area in Namibia includes Big Daddy and Deadvlei?
Sahara
The Sahara was green with lakes and grasslands about how long ago?
Animals
Which small fox with huge ears lives in the Sahara?
Libya
What is the name of the huge Saharan sand sea in Libya and Egypt?
Namibia
Why is Namibia's Skeleton Coast so named?
People
Which people have lived in the Kalahari for tens of thousands of years?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: The Sahara is about the same size as which country?
Answer: The United States
The Sahara covers about 9 million square kilometers, roughly the size of the United States or China.
Q2: Which desert is often called the oldest in the world?
Answer: Namib
The Namib has been arid for at least 55 million years and has some of the tallest sand dunes.
Q3: Which famous delta floods into the Kalahari?
Answer: Okavango Delta
The Okavango spreads across northern Botswana and attracts huge numbers of animals in the dry season.
Q4: The Danakil Depression is known for what?
Answer: Being one of the hottest places on Earth
The Danakil has colorful hot springs, salt flats and the lava lake of Erta Ale.
Q5: Which red dune area in Namibia includes Big Daddy and Deadvlei?
Answer: Sossusvlei
Deadvlei's dead camel thorn trees are about 900 years old and stand on a white clay pan.
Q6: The Sahara was green with lakes and grasslands about how long ago?
Answer: About 6,000 to 10,000 years ago
Rock art shows giraffes, hippos and cattle in places that are now sand and rock.
Q7: Which small fox with huge ears lives in the Sahara?
Answer: Fennec fox
The fennec's large ears help release heat and hear prey underground.
Q8: What is the name of the huge Saharan sand sea in Libya and Egypt?
Answer: Great Sand Sea
The Great Sand Sea is famous for its long dunes and for mysterious yellow desert glass.
Q9: Why is Namibia's Skeleton Coast so named?
Answer: Whale bones and shipwrecks
Fog, currents and sandbars wrecked many ships along this harsh coast.
Q10: Which people have lived in the Kalahari for tens of thousands of years?
Answer: The San
The San are famous for tracking skills and rock art, and their languages use click sounds.

African Deserts Quiz – Sand, Salt and Survival

Deserts cover about a third of Africa. The Sahara dominates the north, while the Namib and Kalahari spread across the southwest. Each has its own climate: the Namib is cooled by fog from the Atlantic, while the Sahara is hot and dry.

Deserts were not always dry. The Sahara has swung between green and dry periods, driven by changes in Earth's orbit, and rock art records animals that once roamed there.

People and animals adapt in clever ways. Tuareg and San communities have long histories in deserts, and beetles in the Namib drink fog that condenses on their backs.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is for nature fans and travelers curious about Africa's deserts.

How big the Sahara is
Which desert is oldest
Why the Kalahari has a delta
What the Danakil is like
How the Sahara was once green

Did You Know?

Sahara means desert in Arabic.
Sand covers only about a quarter of the Sahara.
The Namib's fog brings water to plants and beetles.
Erg Chebbi in Morocco is a famous dune field.
Welwitschia plants in the Namib can live over 1,000 years.