Deserts of the World

Deserts cover about 1/5 of the Earth’s land surface.

Sand covers only about 10 – 20% of most deserts Sand covers only about 10 – 20% of most deserts. The rest of land is made or gravel-covered plains, hills and mountains, dry lake beds, and dry stream channels.

Deserts are arid because they receive less than 10 inches of rain or snow each year.

Sand seas cover large areas of the desert regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Most of the world’s deserts are near the equator, so they are hot, but others are extremely cold. The temp at the Gobi Desert in Asia can get as low as -40°F.

The largest hot desert in the world is the Sahara in northern Africa The largest hot desert in the world is the Sahara in northern Africa. The Sahara is roughly the size of the contiguous United States. Temps reach as high as 136°F.

Wind and water erosion form buttes, mesas, and plateaus in deserts Wind and water erosion form buttes, mesas, and plateaus in deserts. Flash floods are sudden floods that occur when rain falls in a desert. The force of the water wears away the landscape.

Polar regions are considered arid deserts because nearly all the moisture is locked up in the form of ice.

Vocabulary Words

butte – a fat-topped hill with steep sides; a column of rock

desert – a dry region with little or no rainfall

dune – a mound or ridge of windblown sand

mesa – a flat-topped hill with steep sides; larger than a butte

oasis – a place in the desert where there is a source of water and where plants grow

Physical map – a map that shows natural landforms and waterways on Earth’s surface

plateau – a flat-topped hill with steep sides; larger than a mesa

Sand sea – a vast region covered by sand and dunes

Answers

1. Great Basin, Mohave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Patagonian and Atacama MONDAY 1. Great Basin, Mohave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Patagonian and Atacama 2. Sahara Desert; Africa

TUESDAY 1. 6; Gobi Desert 2. Australian Desert

WEDNESDAY 1. Less than 10 inches 2. Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, or Utah

THURSDAY 1. Bass Strait 2. The Great Barrier Reef; off the northeast coast of Australia

FRIDAY 1. 11 2. 1/5; 20%