Deserts around the world

There are many types of deserts in the world.

They are terrestrial biomes that receive the least amount of rain and the most amount of solar
radiation throughout the year. Most of them have very high temperatures, in some cases
reaching 60 degrees above ground level during the hours of sunshine. However, not all deserts
in the world have high temperatures. There are also those in which low temperatures
predominate.
The location of these types of biomes is between 15 and 35 degrees latitude in both
hemispheres. In these regions we find an air circulation that produces low humidity in the
environment. These precipitations are those that are found with a mountain of high altitude.
When an air mass rises on the mountain shore, it cools and the moisture condenses, generating
precipitation in the form of rain. The problem is that the rains are triggered right on the mountain
and it is delicate that the other side of the slope has low humidity conditions and gradually
warms up.
If we take a look at the largest mountain ranges in the world, so in the downwind is the place
where there are deserts due to the conditions mentioned.
The most deserted areas in the world are those where there are high atmospheric pressures
that remain almost constant throughout the year. We will see what are the main deserts of the
world and the hot areas. The Sahara Desert, the Australian Desert and the Atacama Desert are
some of the most important.
There are different types of deserts depending on their characteristics:

Medium-latitude continental deserts: these are the ones on the opposite side of the
mountain range.
North American Desert : these deserts are characterized by high temperatures and
very high aridity.
Coastal deserts: are those that are located near the coast.
Australian Desert: the whole area is notable for its very high air level.
Cold and mountainous subpolar deserts : these deserts are characterized by low
temperatures and a much lower level of biodiversity due to extreme environmental
conditions.
Tropical and subtropical deserts : have a smaller extent due to the fact that the
tropical climate is usually prone to creating environments conducive to biodiversity
development.

Desert ecosystems are those in which high levels of aridity predominate, triggering extreme
environmental conditions. Some deserts, such as the Sahara Desert, receive virtually no rainfall
throughout the year. This makes the life forms found in these places almost non-existent. In
other cases, we have deserts that receive precipitation, but are very sporadic. Normally, this
precipitation is usually accompanied by storms.

Deserts with less rainfall tend to have a slightly higher level of biodiversity. The specimens that
can be found are drought-resistant shrubs, cacti and other plants belonging to the group of
succulents. The cactus is presented in a folded shape and allows it to expand when it absorbs
water during rainy periods. In addition, when it rains, the annual plants bloom more vigorously.

In terms of animals, reptiles and insects have shown remarkable adaptation to arid

environments . Most have nocturnal habits to avoid high daytime temperatures. There are also
some that are active in the colder months. There are some ecosystems that are found at high
altitudes and latitudes that cause them to be exposed to low temperatures during the
winter. Here we have the Nevada and Utah deserts which are usually reached by snow.

The soils of the world's deserts show very little wear and do not contain humus. It has a sandy
texture and in some of them it stands out in the growth of plants. This growth provides an
accumulation of plant debris on the soil surface and a source of food for wildlife. Lack of water
filtration and chemical weather make them less fertile.

The air that blows in the deserts of the world is characterized by the fact that it is hot and dry. At
ground level, there are temperature reversals that lead to high pressure central areas,
characterized by the absence of men and low rainfall. 

On the other hand, we have the human hand that determines certain areas where there are
intensive crops or that the forests have a negative effect that causes desertification. 

Desertification is one of the environmental impacts that causes the loss of fertile soil
worldwide and a significant reduction in biodiversity.

Sahara
The Sahara is 9 million km long and is the largest desert in the world. The Sahara covers a third
of Africa, about the surface of the United States of America. in two regions: northern Africa,
which includes only the Sahara, and southern Africa, which includes the rest of the continent.
Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Nigeria and Mali.
The Sahara Desert is very dry, but there is annual rainfall in most regions, but does not exceed
123 mm. A quarter of the Sahara has mountains, reaching 3415 m in Emi Koussi, Chad. Some
mountain peaks are covered with snow in winter. Only 200,000 km "of the Sahara oases are
fertile where fruits, vegetables and cereals are grown. They are fed by underground springs.

Gobi, also called Gobi Desert, great desert and semidesert region of Central Asia. The Gobi
stretches across huge portions of both Mongolia and China. Much of the Gobi is not sandy
desert but bare rock. It is possible to drive over this surface by car for long distances in any
direction: northward toward the Altai and Hangayn mountain ranges, eastward toward the Da
Hinggan (Greater Khingan) Range, or southward toward the Bei Mountains and Huang
He (Yellow River) valley.

Antarctica
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, underlying the South Pole. It is situated in the
Antarctic region of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is
surrounded by the Southern Ocean.
 On average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation
of all the continents. Antarctica is considered a desert, with annual precipitation of 8 inches along
the coast and far less inland. There are no permanent human residents but anywhere from 1,000
to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent.
Only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, seals, nematodes,
Tardigrades, mites, many types of algae and other microorganisms.

The coastline measures 17,968 km and is mostly characterized by ice formations.

Antarctica is divided in two by Mountains close to the neck between the Ross Sea and the
Weddell Sea. The portion west of the Weddell Sea and east of the Ross Sea is called West
Antarctica and the remainder East Antarctica, because they roughly correspond to the Western
and Eastern Hemispheres relative to the Greenwich meridian.

Flora and Fauna

Lichens, mosses, and terrestrial algae are among the few species of vegetation that grow in
Antarctica. More of this vegetation grows in the northern and coastal regions of Antarctica, while
the interior has little if any vegetation.

The Kalahari Desert is a large arid to semi-arid sandy area in

southern Kgalagadi Africa extending 900,000 km² (362,500 sq. mi.), covering much
of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It has huge tracts of excellent grazing after
good rains.
The Kalahari Desert is the southern part of Africa, and the geography is a portion of desert and
a plateau. The Kalahari supports some animals and plants because most of it is not a true
desert. There are small amounts of rainfall and the summer temperature is very high. The driest
areas usually receive 110–200 millimetres (4.3–7.9 in) of rain per year, and the wettest just a
little over 500 millimetres.

List of major deserts of the world:

1. Sahara   
Region: Northern Africa
2. Barberton, Simpson, Gibson, Australia Stuart, Victoria 
Region: Australia
3. Nafud, Hamada
Region: Saudi Arabia
4. Gobi      
Region: Mongolia and China
5. Kalahari          
Region: Botswana
6. Taklamakan   
Region: Sikiang province of China
7. Sonoran          
Region: USA & Mexico
8. Namib    
Region: Namibia
9. Karakum        
Region: Turkmenistan
10. Thar    
Region: India and Pakistan
11. Somalian      
Region: Somalia
13. Atacama        
Region: Northern Chile
14. Kyzyl Kum   
Region: Uzbekistan
15. Dast-E-Lut    
Region: Eastern Iran
16. Dasht-e-Kavir        
Region: Northern Iran
17. Mojave
Region: USA
18. Centura        
Region: USA
19. Sierra Nevada        
Region: USA
20. Patagonia     
Region: Argentina