Geography · Rivers & mountains
Famous deserts
Sahara, Gobi, Kalahari, Mojave.
What Makes a Desert?
A desert is a dry place that gets very little rain. Most deserts receive less than 25 centimetres of rain each year. That's why they look so dry and sandy! Some deserts are hot, but others can be freezing cold. Not all deserts are covered in sand – some have rocks or gravel instead. Plants and animals that live in deserts are very tough and clever.
The Sahara Desert
The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world. It stretches across North Africa, covering eleven different countries! The Sahara is nearly as big as the United States. During the day it can reach 50 degrees Celsius – super hot! At night it gets very cold. Giant sand dunes tower up to 180 metres high in some places. Camels help people travel across the sandy landscape.
The Gobi Desert
The Gobi Desert lies in northern China and southern Mongolia. Unlike the Sahara, the Gobi is a cold desert. Winter temperatures can drop to minus 40 degrees Celsius – freezing! The Gobi has more rocks and gravel than sand. Dinosaur fossils have been found buried in the Gobi's dry ground. Strong winds blow across this vast, harsh desert.
The Kalahari Desert
The Kalahari Desert covers parts of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. It is sometimes called a semi-desert because it gets more rain. Red sand covers much of the Kalahari. Lions, meerkats and other animals live here. The San people have survived in the Kalahari for thousands of years. They know how to find water hidden underground.
The Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert is in the United States, mainly in California. It is much smaller than the other famous deserts. The Mojave is home to Death Valley, one of Earth's hottest places. Special Joshua trees grow only in this desert. Las Vegas, a big city, sits at the edge of the Mojave. Summer days are scorching hot but winter can bring snow.
Worked examples
1. Which desert would you visit to see the world's biggest hot desert?
- Think about which desert is described as the largest hot desert.
- The Sahara stretches across North Africa and eleven countries.
- The answer is the Sahara Desert.
2. A explorer finds dinosaur fossils in a rocky, cold desert in Asia. Which desert is it?
- Look for clues: rocky, cold, in Asia, dinosaur fossils.
- The Gobi Desert is in Asia and is cold and rocky.
- Dinosaur fossils are found in the Gobi.
- The answer is the Gobi Desert.
3. Which desert is home to meerkats and the San people?
- Remember which desert has these animals and people.
- The Kalahari is in southern Africa.
- Meerkats and the San people live in the Kalahari.
- The answer is the Kalahari Desert.
Try it yourself
Which desert is the smallest of the four famous deserts we learned about?
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