1. Deserts of the World

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

3. 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.

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

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

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

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

10. Vocabulary Words

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

12. desert – a dry region with little or no rainfall

13. dune – a mound or ridge of windblown sand

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

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

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

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

18. Sand sea – a vast region covered by sand and dunes

19. Answers

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

21. TUESDAY
1. 6; Gobi Desert
2. Australian Desert

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

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

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