The Desert Biome

Deserts are places on earth that are characterized by little vegetation and rain. They are made up of sand or rocks and gravel. Deserts cover about one-fifth of all the land in the world. Most deserts lie along the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, imaginary lines that lie north and south of the equator.

Oases are parts of the desert where plants grow and water is almost always available. An oasis is formed by a pool of water trapped between layers of rock beneath the desert floor. The regular water in an oasis allows people to settle in the desert and even grow crops.

Some deserts are named and nicknamed things like Death Valley, "the Empty Quarter," and "the Place from Where There is No Return" because of the lack of water there.

To learn some basic facts about deserts, follow the links below.

Here are some interesting desert facts:
  • The Gobi Desert in Asia is cold for most of the year.
  • Mountains on the edge of deserts prevent rain from entering. The rain stays on the other side of the mountain creating rain forests next to many deserts. These deserts are called rain shadows.
  • The world's deserts are growing through desertification. This happens when grasslands that border the desert become as dry as the desert. Desertification can also be caused by intense farming.
  • Deserts are second only to tropical rain forests in the variety of plants and animals that live there.

 

To learn even more about deserts, visit these wonderful web sites.


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