The Sahara is the world’s largest desert. It covers more than 3.5 million square miles (9 million square kilometers) in northern Africa. The Sahara receives less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain each year but contains hundreds of individual oases. The elevation in the Sahara Desert ranges from 100 feet (30.5 meters) below, to more than 11,000 feet (3,353 meters) above sea level. There are people who live in the Sahara, mostly at or near oases.