Major deposits of oil and natural gas lie under the Sahara in Algeria and Libya. These countries rank among the largest producers of the two vital fuels. The Sahara also contains valuable deposits of copper, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, and other minerals, but many of them have not been mined. The Sahara has a dry, hot climate. The mountainous central Sahara gets slightly more rain than other areas of the desert.
Snow sometimes covers the mountaintops.
The Sahara is extremely hot during the day, but it turns cool at night. The Sahara has a population of about 2 million. Large areas of the desert, such as the Great Western Erg and the pebbly plains of the Tanzerouft in Algeria, have no permanent settlements. Most Saharan people are Arabs or Berbers or have mixed Arab and Berber ancestry. The chief inhabitants of the Sahara include the Moors, the Tuareg, and the Toubou.