Desert | Definition, Climate, Animals, Plants, & Types
WEBSep 11, 2024 · desert, any large, extremely dry area of land with sparse vegetation. It is one of Earth’s major types of ecosystems, supporting a community of distinctive plants and animals specially adapted to the harsh environment. For a list of selected deserts of the world, see below.
Desert - Wikipedia
WEBA desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third …
Desert - National Geographic Society
WEBMost experts agree that a desert is an area of land that receives no more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year. The amount of evaporation in a desert often greatly exceeds the annual rainfall. In all deserts, there is little water available for plants and other organisms.
Deserts, facts and information - National Geographic
WEBWhat is a desert? Deserts cover more than one-fifth of the Earth's land area, and they are found on every continent. A place that receives less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain per year is...
Desert Biome - National Geographic Society
WEBOct 19, 2023 · noun. area of land that receives no more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year. Deserts are extremely dry environments that are home to well-adapted plants and animals. The main types of deserts include hot and dry deserts, semi-arid deserts, coastal deserts, and cold deserts.
Deserts Explained - National Geographic Society
WEBOct 19, 2023 · What Is a Desert? Deserts cover more than one-fifth of Earth's land area, and they are found on every continent. A place that receives less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of rain per year is considered a desert. Deserts are part of a wider class of regions called drylands.
Desert - Climate, Ecosystems, Adaptations | Britannica
WEBSep 11, 2024 · Deserts are varied and variable environments, and it is impossible to arrive at a concise definition that satisfies every case. However, their most fundamental characteristic is a shortage of available moisture for plants, resulting from an imbalance between precipitation and evapotranspiration.
Deserts 101 | National Geographic - YouTube
WEBDeserts are diverse ecosystems that occur on all seven continents. Learn about the four major types of deserts, the surprising amount of wildlife some of the...
Sahara | Location, History, Map, Countries, Animals, & Facts
WEB3 days ago · Sahara, largest desert in the world. Filling nearly all of northern Africa, it measures approximately 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from east to west and between 800 to 1,200 miles from north to south and has a total area of some 3,320,000 square miles (8,600,000 square km).
Not all Deserts are Sandy - Education
WEBOct 19, 2023 · A desert is actually just a place that has very little precipitation. Subtropical deserts like the Sahara are what people generally imagine when they think about the desert. The Sahara has rocky plateaus as well as sand dunes .