Fig. The map of North Africa showing the areas in white more than 800 m above sea level Here, we analyze the Sahara Desert in Africa, the largest desert in the world. Fig. shows a map of north Africa, white-colored above 800 m above sea level. The elevation is mostly below 800 m, except for the Atlas Mountains and the central region of the Sahara Desert. For example, a city in the center of the Sahara, Agadez in Niger, is 520 m above sea level, and the shortest way to the coast is about 1300 km, even though it cannot circumvent Nigeria.