Sahara

However, the papier-mâché seashell was carried by the wind quite a long way before landing—improbably, but not impossibly—in the scorching sands of the Sahara.

Many people in Western Sahara hope Morocco's long-discussed autonomy plan for the area -- now backed by the UN Security Council -- will accelerate development and end the half-century-long territorial dispute.

Some analysts believe Sansal was a victim of a dispute between Paris and Algiers over the Western Sahara.

Relations had already been on the slide after President Macron announced France was recognising Moroccan sovereignty of Western Sahara and backed a plan for limited autonomy for the disputed territory.

The Sahara Desert is known as one of the driest places on Earth, receiving only about 3 inches of precipitation each year -- roughly one-tenth of what falls in Chicago.