1. A desert is defined as any place on earth which receives extremely low precipitation (i.e. rain or snowfall). A desert typically receives less than 40cm (16 inches) of precipitation per year.
2. There are two types of desert i.e. hot deserts and cold deserts. The cold deserts are found in the polar regions of the earth. They are the Arctic and Antarctic deserts. The cold deserts are also referred to as polar deserts.
3. Around one-third of the earth’s surface is covered in deserts.
4. The overall size of deserts is increasing. Around 46,000 square miles of land are turned into desert every year. This is as a result of climate change and human activities like clearing forests.
5. The largest desert in the world is the
Antarctic Desert. It covers an area of 13.8 square kilometers around the North Pole. The second-largest is the Arctic Desert which covers an area of 12.7 square kilometers around the North Pole.
6. The largest hot desert in the world is the Sahara . It covers an area of 9.4 square kilometers and spans 12 North African countries.
7. The smallest desert in the world is the Carcross Desert. Located in Yukon, Canada, this desert is just 1 square mile (640km) in size.
8. The Sahara is considered the hottest place on earth. Average temperatures range between 40 and 47°C. The highest temperature ever recorded in the Sahara was 58°C in 1913. It is the highest atmospheric temperature ever recorded on earth.
9. The driest desert in the world is the
Atacama Desert in Chile. Parts of this desert have received no rainfall since records began. Scientists believe that parts of the Atacama have been in extreme desertification for over 40 million years.
10. The coldest desert in the world is the Antarctic desert. The average winter temperature is -49°C. However, in 2010, a temperature of -94.7°C was recorded, and in 2013, a temperature of -92.9°C. These are the two lowest atmospheric temperatures ever recorded anywhere on earth.
0 Comments