DesertWe've all seen deserts in the movies. They are full of miles and miles of sand dunes. However, not all deserts are like this. Many deserts are rocky with scattered plants and shrubs. There are even deserts that are icy and cold.
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On this page we will describe the hot and dry deserts. You can follow these links to read about the icy cold polar deserts that are found in the and the.What makes a desert a desert?Deserts are primarily defined by their lack of rain. They generally get 10 inches or less rain in a year. Deserts are characterized in an overall lack of water. They have dry soil, little to no surface water, and high evaporation. They are so dry that sometimes rain evaporates before it can hit the ground!Hot in the Day, Cold at NightBecause deserts are so dry and their humidity is so low, they have no 'blanket' to help insulate the ground. As a result, they may get very hot during the day with the sun beating down, but don't hold the heat overnight.
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Many deserts can quickly get cold once the sun sets. Some deserts can reach of well over 100 degrees F during the day and then drop below freezing (32 degrees F) during the night.Where are the major hot and dry deserts?The largest hot and dry desert in the world is the in Northern Africa. The Sahara is a sandy desert with giant sand dunes.
It covers over 3 million square miles of Africa. Other major deserts include the Arabian Desert in the Middle East, the Gobi Desert in Northern China and Mongolia, and the Kalahari Desert in Africa.
Go here to learn more about the. Animals that live in the desert also have adapted to needing little water. Many get all the water they need from the food they eat. Other animals store up water that they can use later. The camel stores up fat in its hump while other animals store up reserves in their tails.What plants can live here?Only certain types of plants can survive the harsh environment of the desert.
These include cactus, grasses, shrubs, and some short trees. You won't see a lot of tall trees in the desert. Most of these plants have a way to store water in their stems, leaves, or trunks so they can survive a long time without water. They also tend to be spread out from each other and have a large root system so they can gather up all the water possible when it does rain.
Many desert plants are armed with sharp spines and needles to help protect them from animals.Dust StormsBecause the desert is so dry, the wind will grind pebbles and sand into dust. Occasionally a big wind storm will gather up this dust into a huge storm. Dust storms can be over 1 mile high and so thick with dust you can't breathe. Damned definition is. They can travel for over a thousand miles, too.Expanding DesertsCurrently deserts cover around 20% of the world's land, but they are growing.
This is called desertification and is caused by different factors including human activities. The Sahara Desert is expanding at the rate of around 30 miles per year.Facts about the Desert Biome. The giant saguaro cactus can grow 50 feet tall and live for 200 years. Plants that store water in their stems are called succulents. Some desert trees have deep taproots that grow up to 30 feet deep in order to find water. The elf owl will sometimes live inside a cactus during the day and then come out at night to hunt.
Dust storms from the Gobi Desert have been known to reach Beijing, China nearly 1,000 miles away. Camels can go without water for a week. A thirsty camel can drink 30 gallons of water in less than 15 minutes.
Map of the Sahara Desert by DuckstersThe Sahara covers large sections of eleven different countries including Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan.How big is it?The Sahara Desert is huge. It covers an area of 3,629,360 square miles and is still growing. From east to west it is 4,800 miles long and from north to south it is 1,118 miles wide. If the Sahara were a country it would be the fifth largest country in the world. Larger than Brazil and only slightly smaller than the United States. How hot does it get?The Sahara Desert is one of the most consistently hottest places on Earth.
The average temperature during the summer months is between 100.4 °F (38 °C) and 114.8 °F (46 °C). In some areas the temperature can exceed 120 °F for several days in a row.The overall of the Sahara makes it a difficult place for any life to exist. It is hot, dry, and windy. Even though it is so hot during the day, the temperature can drop rapidly at night.
Sometimes to below freezing. It rarely rains in the Sahara. Some regions can go years without seeing a drop of rain.Landforms of the Sahara DesertThe Sahara Desert is made up of several different types of landforms including:. Dunes - Dunes are hills made of sand. Some dunes in the Sahara can reach over 500 feet tall. Ergs - Ergs are large areas of sand. They are sometimes called sand seas.
Regs - regs are flat plains that are covered with sand and hard gravel. Hamadas - Hamadas are hard and barren rocky plateaus. Salt Flats - A flat area of land covered with sand, gravel, and salt. Desert Caravansacross the Sahara Desert were an important part of the economies of Ancient Africa. Goods such as gold, salt, slaves, cloth, and ivory were transported across the desert using long trains of camels called caravans. The caravans would often travel in the evening or morning hours to avoid the heat of the day.Interesting Facts about the Sahara Desert. The word 'Sahara' is the Arabic word for desert.
The Sahara used to be a lush region with many plants and animals. It began to dry up around 4000 years ago due to a gradual change in the tilt of the Earth's orbit. The highest point in the Sahara Desert is the volcano Emi Koussi in Chad. Its peak is 11,302 feet above sea level. Despite its large size, only around 2.5 million people live in the Sahara Desert. The most common language spoken in the Sahara is Arabic.Activities.
Take a ten question about this page. Listen to a recorded reading of this page:Your browser does not support the audio element.To learn more about Ancient Africa:CivilizationsCulturePeopleGeographyOther.