Important Deserts Flashcards
Because it is covered with water, it is somewhat surprising that this desert is considered a desert, but it is classified as such due to its lack of precipitation. Players should be familiar with its tallest mountain, Vinson Massif in the Ellsworth Mountains; its active volcano Mount Erebus; the surrounding Ross and Weddell Seas; and the Ross Ice Shelf. The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole in 1911; a month later, Robert Scott reached it, but Scott died on the return trip. Ernest Shackleton had to abandon his ship, the Endurance, during an attempt to cross this desert on foot.
Antarctica
This desert is the world’s second-largest desert, but it is the largest hot desert. The Atlas Mountains bound the western part of this desert on the north, and the Sahel — a savannah-like strip — bounds it on the south. It is dominated by rocky regions, sand seas, salt flats, and dry river valleys (wadi) that are subject to flash floods. The Berber and Tuareg peoples are native to this desert.
Sahara
This deserts chief claim to fame is the rain shadow of the Andes, which makes it the driest hot desert in the world
Atacama
This desert is a large region, not all of which is arid enough to qualify as a desert. It is known for its red sand, large game reserves, and mineral deposits. Its San Bushmen speak a click language.
Kalahari
This desert is bounded by the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain ranges along the San Andreas and Garlock Faults. It is between the Great Basin and the Sonoran Desert, and it contains the lowest and driest point of North America, Death Valley. It is most strongly associated with the Joshua tree.
Mojave
This desert, Asia’s second-largest desert (after the Arabian Desert), is bounded on the north by the Altai Mountains. It is known for its role in the Silk Road trading route and the Nemegt Basin, where fossilized dinosaur eggs and human artifacts have been found.
Gobi
Its name means “Empty Quarter” in English, and it is sometimes considered the most inhospitable place on earth. It is known for the world’s largest oil field, the Ghawar, and for once being part of the frankincense trade.
Rub’ al-Khali (Part of the Arabian Desert)
This desert, a coastal desert, is known for its bizarre Welwitschia and medicinal Hoodia plants. It is thought to be the oldest desert in the world.
Namib
This desert, which is shared by the Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest National Parks, is known for its colorful, banded rock formations.
Painted
