The Coastal Desert of Egypt

The coastal deserts in Egypt are found along the Mediterranean (east and west), the Red Sea, and the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba in Sinai Peninsula. The variations in their floristic composition and vegetation structure are varied considerably. The association between the landform units and their floristic features showed significant differences. In the meanwhile, the biological spectrum and chorological analyses of the flora exhibited a general trend in both dominance and structure. Climatic variations, especially rainfall, between the different geographical areas play a profound role in the species distribution patterns. The relationships between the vegetation and the prevailing environmental characteristics indicated the importance of certain soil factors such as coarse and fine sediments, moisture content, electrical conductivity, pH, and organic matter. The distance from the sea and altitude were other significant factors in delimiting species distribution.