Atlantic coastal desert

Atlantic coastal desert
The desert in Dakhla, Western Sahara
Location of the Atlantic coastal desert (in purple)
Ecology
Realm	Palearctic
Biome	Deserts and xeric shrublands
Borders	Mediterranean Acacia-Argania dry woodlands North Saharan steppe and woodlands Saharan halophytics, Sahelian Acacia savanna
Geography
Area	39,137 km2 (15,111 sq mi)
Countries	Mauritania Western Sahara
Conservation
Conservation status	Relatively stable/intact
Protected	6,872 km2 (18%)[1]

The Atlantic coastal desert is the westernmost ecoregion in the Sahara Desert of North Africa. It occupies a narrow strip along the Atlantic coast, where the more frequent fog and haze generated offshore by the cool Canary Current provides sufficient moisture to sustain a variety of lichens, succulents, and shrubs.