A desert is a region that receives very little rainfall, usually below 25 centimetres a year. Deserts can be hot or cold. The world's major deserts are a common topic in world geography and static GK sections.
The Sahara Desert
- The largest hot desert in the world.
- It is located in North Africa.
- It spreads across many countries including Algeria and Egypt.
Other Hot Deserts
- Arabian Desert - in the Middle East.
- Kalahari Desert - in southern Africa.
- Thar Desert - in India and Pakistan, mostly in Rajasthan.
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Cold Deserts
- Gobi Desert - a cold desert in Mongolia and China.
- Antarctica - the largest desert in the world, a cold polar desert.
- Ladakh in India is a cold desert.
Features of Deserts
- Very low rainfall and large day-night temperature change.
- Sandy or rocky surfaces with sparse plants.
- Plants like cactus store water to survive.
Quick Revision Points
- The Sahara is the largest hot desert.
- Antarctica is the largest desert overall (cold).
- The Thar Desert lies in India and Pakistan.
- The Gobi is a cold desert in Asia.
- Ladakh is a cold desert in India.
- Deserts get rainfall below 25 cm a year.
- The Kalahari lies in southern Africa.