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 plants and animals specially adapted to the harsh environment. A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems.

Understanding the Context

The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or semi-arid. In literature and in legend, deserts are often described as hostile places to avoid. Today, people value desert resources and biodiversity.

Key Insights

Communities, governments, and organizations are working to preserve desert habitats and increase desert productivity. Sahara, largest hot 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). The main types of deserts include hot and dry deserts, semi-arid deserts, coastal deserts, and cold deserts. The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona is full of life despite its arid, desolate appearing landscape.

Final Thoughts

This is a list of deserts sorted by the region of the world in which the desert is located. Some geographical features are referred to as "deserts", and this word may even feature in their names, despite not meeting any meteorological definitions for a desert. [citation needed] Accona Desert – area of Siena, Italy. Explore the world’s greatest deserts, their history, geography, wildlife, and breathtaking landscapes across the globe. Learn about the four major types of deserts, the surprising amount of wildlife some of them contain, and how new desert areas are beginning to form. Deserts are the driest places on...