Crossword Genius

In Africa, it's very largely deserted (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sahara

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'in africa' is the definition.
(I know that Sahara is part of Africa)

'it's very largely deserted' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'it' could be 'sa' (old-fashioned abbreviation for sex appeal) and 'sa' is found in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sahara that I've seen before include "About 3,500,000 square miles of Africa" , "Uncultivated region of north Africa" , "Great desert in N Africa" , "Hottest desert" , "World's largest desert" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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