In physical geography, a form of landscape that recieves little or no precipitation. As a consequence, deserts have a reputation for having little life in them. Compared to other regions this is often true, but upon closer examination, deserts often hold a wealth of life that usually remains hidden to preserve moisture.
There are different forms of deserts. The desert is not necessary composed of sand, it may also consist mainly of rocky terrain or even salt flats. Some places are deserts even though they are covered in snow. This remarkable fact comes about because such locations don't recieve precipitation, but snow does blow in from elsewhere.
Deserts include:
- Atacama desert in Chile
- Sahara, Kalahari in Africa
- Simpson desert, Great Sandy desert, Sturts stony desert, Tanami desert, Great Victoria desert in Australia.
- Gobi desert in China.
- Kara-Kum deserts in western Asia.
- Thar-Cholistan desert in India and Pakistan.
- Mojave, Great Basin, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts in North America.
see also oasis