Biomes of the World - The Desert

The Chihuahuan Desert covers parts of the US and Mexico.
Chihuahuan Desert

June 5,  was World Environment Day, and that year's theme was Deserts and Desertification: Don't Desert Drylands! In honor of this day, check out why the world's deserts are such an important part of our earth!

The Desert - What Makes This Biome Unique?

Deserts are areas that have hardly any rain, are extremely dry and are usually very hot. Animals and plants have adapted to the harsh environment so they can survive the extreme conditions. There are four types of deserts in the world. Read on to find out what they are!

The Desert - Hot and Dry Regions

North America has four major hot and dry deserts: Chihuahuan, Sonoran, Mojave and the Great Basin. The soil is coarse and rocky (like gravel) and drains well, which means the soil is very dry. The finer sand and dust is blown away so only heavier rocks and dirt are left behind. The plants found here are all small, thick shrubs and short trees. Temperatures in a hot and dry desert average about 20-25 degrees Celsius, but can reach as high as 50 degrees Celsius! The largest desert in the world is a hot and dry desert called the Sahara. The Sahara covers most of the northern African continent.

The Desert - Semiarid Regions

Major semiarid deserts include the sagebrush regions of Utah, Montana. There are also semiarid deserts in Greenland, Russia, Europe and northern Asia. The soil is sandy and fine but also has loose pieces of rock and it can be gravelly. There isn't a lot of water, however, there are lots of spiny plants that provide shade.

Related Stories:

readers voted!



thrice wrote:

ive never been to a desert but i live in the continent where the sahara desert
commented: Wed Oct 09, 2013


nancybd98 wrote:

commented: Sat Oct 05, 2013


JennyD wrote:

cuz babt whenecvvverurready
commented: Tue Sep 03, 2013

there are 12 more comments

Please login or register to add comments

share with your friends

Twitter Facebook Myspace Digg

like this article?
get more just like it in your email


What's the Best Name for a Desert? Vote!

  • Death Valley - very fitting.
  • Great Sandy Desert - it's all in the name.
  • Painted Desert - guaranteed to be on someone's living room wall.
  • Black Rock Desert - sounds like a dessert, instead of a desert.

related stories

Biomes represent different geographical areas of the world with distinct and extreme weather patt...
Forests play an important role in all our lives and cover one third of Earth's surface. Rainfores...

latest videos

Random in the forums

Gippi posted in General:
Banned for being a game lover :p
reply 7 minutes
Gippi posted in Say Anything:
9 Ur Cute :)♥♥♥:]
reply 22 minutes
teslajr posted in Debating:
Pretty sure a non nuclear ballistic missilie will destroy oil reserves quite well. And just as Kytax said, cyber attacks. In fact, very recently, like a few days ago Syrian hackers said that they comprimised US central command. And NATO relying on Texas, US's reserves of oil and Alaska isn't a good thing. While Russia has loads of gas. They export millions of barrels to Europe a year. I'm sure that the UK, Germany and other powerful NATO countries need those millions of barrels or there will be a problem. And if it takes more than 10 years to defeat the Taliban for the US, I'm sure Russia can stand up a fight. Alpha, how are the federal reserves gonna last having to supply the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Albania, Greece, Belium, Norway, Poland, Romania. Did I even count all of the NATO members?
reply 30 minutes
kytax posted in Debating:
If anything, The US has already won. The Taliban has lost it's Leadership and suffered many Cuasulties. Therefore, The United States Army's job is done. And they plan to leave this year.
reply about 4 hours
kytax posted in Debating:
"AlphaT" wrote: "teslajr" wrote: "AlphaT" wrote: So, the hit em' hard and don't stop, war mongering Russia, combined with the biggest army on The Globe, and maybe even the second largest country in the world as a shoo in, along with small terrorist countries against the rest of the world. No, as in the rest of the world. Practically every single other country besides the SCO that is relevant. Canada, France, Spain, UK, Italy, Greece, Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Poland....and so on. NATO hands down. What? What are you trying to say here, NATO would win? How? Well, your entire argument lies on the assumption that if the SCO could put a lid on the Unites States oil import, then the United States would have to surrender. The United States Federal Oil Reserves are stocked well enough that we could have enough time to drill in Alaska if push ever came to oil is not a problem in this situation. China's economy would not survive then without the USA's importation of their products, so they would have a hard time keeping in the fight if it were to drag out. Then you are left with Russia, small terrorist countries, and the rest are basically worthless. We can fend off any terrorist attempt now that we are post-9/11. So we are left with Russia. Russia would cave in due to the threat of having basically all relevant countries in the west of Eurasia, and the USA, closing in on them. There is no way that the SCO could win. But think about it. Sure the US Army/Navy in Alaska is strong. But Russisan Army has yet to soften, even 20 years Post-USSR. Using enough of it's power, Russia could bomb America's offshore- Oil Rigs in Alaska. That completly limits NATO to Texas and other States with oil. And, in recent years oil in Texas has been on decline. Prices for gas can even go as high as over 4 dollars just for where I live. (California) Now combine the average price of Gas in the US  ( 3-4 dollars a gallon) With Arabia AND Alaska being bombed. Prices of gas will skyrocket, And when that happens, The Middle class becomes poor and possibly unable to pay taxes. Not to mention most US army vehicles need gas.  Terrorists can perform Cyber-attacks on US computers and hack them. While China easily would go bankrupt. The Question is, Would the SCO need China?  I think it's possible for a NATO victory. And a possible SCO victory.
reply about 4 hours

play online games









