Article

Most of the deserts of Egypt lie within the Sahara regional transition zone, with the exception of the western Mediterranean coastal region which lies within the Mediterranean-Sahara regional transition zone and the Gebel Elba region in southeast Egypt which constitutes a part of the Sahel regional transition zone. The vegetation types in the Egyptian deserts and oases are briefly described with mention of their most characteristic elements. Some neighbouring desert regions in Libya, Palestine, the Arabian peninsula and Sudan are compared with those of the Egyptian deserts. The palaeoclimatic conditions in Egypt are briefly discussed in relation to the past climatic changes and their effect on the present-day vegetation.