Deserts of the world

Deserts of the world.

The word desert brings some kind of dryness in our throat upon hearing it. But in reality the word desert actually means an uninhabited land or a waterless and a treeless region. Rajasthan is the only name that crops up in our minds on hearing the word desert. But in reality there are other deserts in the world that are far bigger than the one at rajasthan. 

            The biggest of them all is the Sahara desert. It’s located in North Africa and measures a mind blowing 9,065,000 square kilometers. Now that’s what you call big.

            But most people are not aware that deserts are of two types: -

1.      Hot desert

2.      Cold desert

1.      Hot desert.

         The main form of precipitation in a hot desert is rain and that too only ten inches or less per year. Some of the world famous hot deserts are: -

a)      The Arabian Peninsula or the Arabian Desert that covers 23,00,000 square kilometers. This desert is covered almost entirely by sand and has some of the most extensive stretches of sand dunes in the world. Some of the animals found in this desert are the camel, gazelle, lizard, jackal, desert locust and the Oryx. A revealing fact about this desert is that nomadic Bedouin tribes have traveled through the Arabian Desert for thousands of years.

b)      The Kalahari Desert situated in southwestern Africa that covers 5,20,000 square kilometers is covered mainly by sand dunes and gravel plains. Some animals found here are the ground squirrel, hyena, jackal, and the gazelle. A revealing fact about this place is that the Bushmen have lived here for 20,000 years.

c)      The Thar Desert that is located partly in India and partly in Pakistan covers 2,00,000 square kilometers has majorly been covered by sand dunes and the rest by gravel plains. Some animals found here are the black buck, the jackal, great Indian bustard, and the Indian spiny tailed lizard. Small villages of 10-20 houses are scattered throught this desert.

                   Some other hot deserts are the Sonoran in the southwestern United States, the Sahara, Monte desert in Argentina, Chihuahuan in north central Mexico and the Australian desert.     

2.      Cold deserts

                The main form of precipitation in a cold desert is snow and that too only ten inches or less per year. Some of the world famous cold deserts are: -

a)      The Gobi desert located in northern china which covers a huge 4,50,000 square miles is covered mainly by sandy soil and areas of small stones called “Gobi”. Some animals found here are lizards, wolf, bacterian bamel, the gazelle, gerbil, and the jerboa. It was crossed by Genghis khan in the early 13^th century and presently many nomads have settled on government run farms.

a)      animals found here are the bighorn sheep, jackrabbit, pocket mouse, and the side blotched lizard. The Great Salt Lake is located here.

b)      The Atacama desert located in coasts of Peru and Chile covers 1,40,000 square kilometers is covered by sand dunes and pebbles and is one of the driest areas on earth. Some animals found here are lizards, Peruvian fox and is also a nesting area for many seabirds. Only a few thousand people (mostly farmers) live in the inland desert areas. Large deposits of sodium nitrate are found in this desert that is used to make gunpowder.

                       Some other cold deserts are the “Iranian desert” in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, the “Namib desert” in coasts of southwestern Africa, the “Takla makan” in the western china and the “Turkestan desert” in parts of the middle east and southwestern Russia.  

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