Deserts


		A desert is a landform that is very dry and has few plants and animals.
		Scientists say a landform is a desert if it receives less than 10 inches of rain in a year. Although there are not as many plants and animals in a desert, there are still quite a few that have learned to live in the dry environment. You can see a few plants in the photo to the left.
		About one-fifth of the land area of earth is a desert. Not all deserts are made of sand. Many have hard, dry dirt or rocks for a surface area. When you think of a desert you think of hot temperatures. Guess again. The largest cold desert is in Antarctica. The land is mostly ice with some rock. The largest hot desert is the Sahara (northern Africa). Even in a hot desert it can get very cold at night. There is very little air moisture to hold in the heat of the day.
		Although deserts seem like very barren landforms, they can be very beautiful. Barren here mean few plants and trees.
		Related Terms oasis - a spring fed area of a desert dune - sand dunes are found in deserts that have a lot of sand landforms like plateaus, mesas, buttes, mountains, hills, valleys, canyons, cliffs, and caves can all be found in some deserts


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