Because of this similarity, the desert has been used both as a location for filming sci-fi movies, and as a test site for real NASA missions. exams. Arabian Desert Probably the first one that springs to mind, the Sahara Desert is the world's hottest. Set in the dry, rain shadow of the Himalayas, the Gobi Desert lies in north-western China and southern Mongolia. Get ready for a great New Year. But the experience and the vistas are sure to make it worthwhile. Experts have several ways of categorizing the different types of deserts, but most will agree on some version of the following four classifications: hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold. Some hot and dry deserts receive less than one inch every year, while others can go a whole year without any. It is the seventh largest desert in the world, clocking in at 0.25 million square miles (0.65 million sq. km). The Taklamakan Desert is one of the worlds largest sandy deserts. Desertany large, extremely dry area of land with sparse vegetationis one of Earths major types of ecosystems. It covers areas in Argentina and Chile. While some parts of it are in New Mexico, others are in the states of Arizona and Texas. It is mostly in Canada, Greenland, and Russia, which make up the northernmost region on the planet. Coastal Cooling: Deserts may result if air is cooled, and then rewarmed, prior to reaching the region. Located in the West of Asia, the Arabian desert stretches across Yemen, the Persian Gulf, Oman, Jordan, and Iraq. Guests can travel to the Namib Desert via air. The Arabian Desert is situated on the Arabian Peninsula and makes up parts of Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Omissions? Extending from northern China into Mongolia, the Gobi Desert receives an average of 7 inches of. The landscape of the Kalahari is characterized by vast savannas of red sand, longitudinal dunes, and a lack of surface water. The Mojave Desert receives from 3 to 10 inches (76 to 254 mm) of rain per year, while the Colorado Desert receives from 2 to 6 inches (51 to 152 mm). The Antarctic Desert is the Largest Desert in the World in terms of its size. Usually, travellers choose to go to Sahara desert by car with a private driver. name four deserts of the world. Dunes (in particular crescent-shaped barchans) cover most of the desert. The chief deserts of the world are as follows: 1. It is a barren and sandy landscape, but is surprisingly rich in natural resources, such as oil and sulfur. The following list identifies some of the largest deserts of the world. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The great Australian Desert, one of the biggest deserts of the world The deserts of Australia (including the Great Victoria Desert) combine as the Australian Desert. With little cloud cover, the climate is hot, dry and sunny all year round. We'll share General Studies Study Material on your E-mail Id. The landscape of the Syrian Desert is mainly desert pavement a surface of tightly-packed rocks. Vegetation is sparse or non-existent in the deserts hyper arid central region, which is bordered by arid grasslands and shrublands. It has a land area of approximately 5.4 million square miles. Unitech Cyber Park Sector 39,
It forms a natural border between India and Pakistan and covers an area of approximately 200,000 km2. Animals that live in the Great Sandy Desert include: dingo, perentie (and other goannas), bilby, marsupial mole, thorny devil and red kangaroo. Animals found in the Mojave Desert include: the desert tortoise, Mojave rattlesnake, common chuckwalla (a large lizard), bighorn sheep, gray fox, black-tailed jackrabbit, greater roadrunner, Gambels quail, turkey vulture and golden eagle. Being a cold winter desert, it has a long winter and an average annual temperature of just 3 C. Known as the largest desert in Asia, Arabian desert covers an area of 2,330,000 square kilometres. A list of famous deserts from all around the world. The nearest airport is Ely which is about 67 miles away. Fast Fact Can't Catch a Break (or a Raindrop) Asian continental deserts. Follow the link below to find out more and to sign up! (Its completely free, you can unsubscribe at any time, and well never share your details.). It extends across a number of Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. Antarctica Desert. A characteristic plant of the Chihuahuan Desert is the creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, an evergreen shrub with yellow flowers. Covering a combined total of about one-fifth to one-third of the land surface of the Earth, deserts are landscapes or regions that receive little precipitation, with a relatively high level of evaporation, creating a deficit. Thank You, Your details have been submitted we will get back to you. The soil, however, is significantly more absorbent and is better at supporting plant life, such as saltbushes, rice grass, and chrysothamnus. Desert type: Polar cold desert. Animals that live in the Gobi Desert include the Mongolian wild ass, wild Bactrian camel, black-tailed gazelle, marbled polecat, Gobi jerboa and wolf. mi. The Sahara is the largest desert in Africa, and the largest hot desert in the world - with summer temperatures reaching 122 F (50 C) - and stretching across 12 North African countries. It is also considered a desert due to the lack of precipitation; the frigid air is too cold to hold moisture. Animals found in the Kalahari Desert include springbok, wildebeest, hartebeest, lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena, brown hyenas, African wild dog, warthog, giraffe, zebra and elephant. Covering most of North Africa, the Sahara is . It covers an area of 161,400 square kilometres and is amongst the largest deserts of the world. While it gets more rain than the Antarctic, it still only receives approximately six to ten inches a year. Toggle text. 1. If you choose to rent a car, then its best to book it in advance during the high season. Crossing the Karakum Desert is the Karakum Canal, the worlds second-largest irrigation canal. Coastal deserts are often shrouded by heavy fog, but even so, rainfall is uncommon, a result of the wind preventing moisture from moving onto the land. name four deserts of the world The Great Victoria is a subtropical desert located in Australia. While all can be generally characterized by their extreme environmental conditions, what classifies a desert is not sand or heat, but rather the amount of annual precipitation (rain or snow) these regions receive. What are the names of the famous deserts in world? Due to its unique location between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes, the Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth. Sahara . Covering an area of 5.5 million square miles, Antarctica is the worlds largest desert (and the fifth largest continent). The four largest deserts in the world are: Antarctica - the world's largest desert Sahara - the world's largest hot desert Arabian Desert Gobi Desert You can find out more about deserts on this page: Find out more about the Sahara Desert here: Find out more about the deserts of North America: You can find out more about the Sahara Desert on this page: You can find out more about Antarctica on this page: Find out which penguins live on Antarctica on this page: See pictures and facts on Antarctic seals here. The Largest Desert in the World in terms of size, the Antarctic Desert is the biggest desert on earth. When warm, moist air is cooled, excess water condenses and falls as precipitation. The soil is coarse and gravelly, and does not support much life. This is a list of deserts sorted by the region of the world in which the desert is located. Have we missed any other famous deserts from around the world? Other notable deserts include the Arabian and the Kalahari. The quickest completion of the 4 Deserts was a time of 23 hours, 12 minutes, and 33 seconds. On this page youll find interesting facts on these and many other famous deserts. It includes all deserts above 50,000km2 (19,300sqmi). Approximately one-fifth of the Earths surface is covered in desert; however, this does not necessarily mean vast stretches of dry land and mountainous sand dunes. The first documented crossing of the desert was completed by British explorer Ernest Giles in 1875. It is common knowledge that the melting ice caps are shrinking the polar deserts, but global warming is also leading to higher rates of desertificationthe process where fertile land becomes dry and arid. The world's deserts are divided into four categories. Somali-Chalbi (Northern Africa) 3. The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert that covers parts of the states of Arizona and California in the United States and Baja California, Baja California Sur and Sonora in Mexico. The ride takes around 23 hours. The Basin and Range Province is a vast area that consists of approximately 100 . Australia's deserts are home to a variety of endemic animals too, including reptiles, birds, mammals, frogs, and insects. Iranian Desert (western Asia) ADVERTISEMENTS: 6. The Thar Desert accounts for approximately 4.56% of Indias total land area. It is a vast erg (sand sea) that covers an area of around a quarter of a million square miles. Publicado por en junio 2, 2022 en junio 2, 2022 Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Death Valley is also the lowest point of the United States, with an elevation of 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. Rank Name Type Image Area (km 2) Area (sq mi) Location Nation(s) 1: Antarctic Desert: Polar ice and tundra: 14,200,000: 5,482,651: Antarctica: N/A 2: Arctic Desert . This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-deserts-1854209. Many people think it's also the biggest but in fact, it comes in third, after Antarctica and The Arctic. This means that tall mountain ranges prevent precipitation from reaching drier regions, such as the Himalayan Mountains and the Gobi Desert. melanie shamet nationality; sealy and hooley commercial law 5th edition pdf; oakbank oldtimers hockey tournament 2020; dana from that '70s show; hawthorn identification 3. Animals that live in Rub Al Khali include the Arabian oryx, ostrich, Ruppells Sand Fox, Sand Cat, Rub Al Khali Hare, desert monitor, and arachnids such as scorpions and camel spiders. Arabian. A sparsely populated ecoregion, great Victoria desert covers an area of 422,466 square kilometres. How Crocodilians Are Related To Dinosaurs, Axolotl Facts For Kids: Information, Pictures & Video, Animals Of The Stone Age: A List Of Stone Age Animals With Pictures & Facts, Walrus Facts & Pictures Discover The Iconic Tusked Arctic Animal, Thor The Wandering Walrus Seen In Iceland, What Do Animals Eat? In fact, an astonishing 98 percent is permanently covered by a sheet of ice. Covering around one million square miles, the Arabian Desert is the worlds second-largest hot desert, after the Sahara Desert. ActiveWild.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon stores. To the northwest is the Sonoran Desert, which lies at a lower level. Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert is the largest desert in Asia, covering 500,000 square miles. From the airport, you can takeRoute 23to the Atacama Desert and arrive in San Pedro de Atacama in an hour. The desert has an elevation of between 800 and 1500 meters, and is mostly surrounded by mountain ranges. The Gobi desert covers southern Mongolia and northern China. The Sahara is the largest desert in the northern hemisphere, which is the top half of Earth. From there, you can board an expedition ship and be standing face to face with glaciers and penguins just a few hours after departing Punta Arenas. July 3, 2022July 3, 2022. fell down stairs bruised buttock where does shaquille o'neal live in texas stihl fs 55 drive shaft. 4. 1. Spanning parts of Mongolia and China, it measures 0.5 million square miles (1.3 million sq. As the desert is in the Great Basin National Park, you can reach the park from Las Vegas, about 300 miles away, by taking I-15 to US 93, then US 50 to Nev. 487. The Great Sandy Desert is located in northwest Australia, and is the countrys second-largest desert (after the Great Victoria Desert). The Patagonia Desert is bordered on the west by the Andes mountain range, which creates a rain shadow over the desert. Covering an area of over 3.5 million square miles, the Sahara Desert is the worlds largest hot desert. plants will grow in a . Arctic Polar Desert sweet things to write in a baby book. It is also considered a rain shadow desert because the Himalayas block out all rainy weather. East of the Sahara, there are other large deserts, including the Arabian Peninsula, in Western Asia, and the Thar, in India and Pakistan. Africa Sahara Libyan Kalahari Namib North America Great Basin Chihuahuan Sonoran Colorado Yuma Mojave South America Patagonian Atacama Asia Arabian Rub al-Khali Gobi Kyzylkum Takla Makan Australia . Despite the extreme temperatures (highest during. The Himalayas form a rain shadow over the desert, giving it an arid, yet cold desert climate. Spread across the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Gujarat, it is also home to majestic forts and palaces. The desert was created around 7 million years ago, as remnants of a vast sea called Tethys closed up.. There is no regular boat or ferry service to Svalbard from anywhere. Antarctica. Did You Know That More People Drown In Deserts Than Die From Dehydration? Frost can form in some areas, even in the summer. During the summer, the temperature rests around the mid-20 degree Celsius range. The characteristic terrain of the Sahara Desert is hamada: a landscape of rocky plateaus that lack sand. km). The Sonoran desert has a subtropical climate and receives from 90 to 300mm of rainfall annually. As with most subtropical deserts, it is cooler during the winter, but still fairly hot. If you are lucky enough to visit them all you will be exposed to the most varied landscapes and their vast beauty. Various kinds of deserts experience very hot . Deserts are the driest places on Earth. True to their name, they tend to be very hot and dry all year round. A study conducted in 2018 shows that it has grown by ten percent since 1920. As a semiarid desert, it shares similar characteristics with the Gobi desert. Dry grasslands and gibber plains (a rocky surface formed of interlocking rocky fragments) are also present in the desert. what happened to mike gallagher? The Atacama Desert is located on the Pacific Coast of South America, and covers southern Peru and northern Chile. The ancient city of Palmyra is situated in the Syrian Desert. The wildlife of Kalahari Desert consists of the black-maned lion, leopard, the endangered species of Africa Wild dog, gemsbok,blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, zebra,kudu, lion,leopardandcheetah. The continent has many deserts which receive less than 10 inches of rainfall annually. It lies south of the Mojave Desert and west of the Chihuahuan Desert. The desert is an incredibly harsh environment with lows going well below zero degrees in the winter, and water sources are almost nonexistent, making the area almost devoid of flora and fauna. Antarctica is located at the southernmost part of the world, and contains the South Pole. Desert Animals List with Pictures And Facts, Desert Plants List With Pictures And Facts, Sand Cat Facts, Pictures, Information. The animals found in the Antarctic continent are mainly penguins, whales, seals, albatrosses and other seabirds. Top 12 Most Famous Deserts Of The World | Travel.Earth Deserts can be hot or cold, and cover almost one-third of the Earth's surface area. Few plants can survive such brutal conditions. Deserts are classified into four types based on their geographic location: polar deserts, subtropical deserts, cold winter deserts, and cool coastal deserts. Gobi Desert This desert is located in Mongolia and stands for one of the most incredible sights in the world. Also known as the Great Indian Desert, Thar desert covers an area of 200,000 square kilometres. It can get much hotter, but does not normally rise any higher than 38 degrees, as opposed to fifty. Another characteristic plant of the desert is the creosote bush, Larrea tridentata. miami beach convention center testing hours; schoolcraft spring break 2021; yegor malinovskii wife; labellas cheektowaga ny menu. Missed the zoom call? Animals found in the Atacama Desert include the Vallenar / Atacama toad, several species of lizard including Fabians lizard, Andean flamingos, South American grey fox, and the guanaco and vicua, both of which belong to the camel family. Animals found in the Patagonian Desert include the Patagonian grey fox, mountain lion, lesser rhea, guanaco (a South American member of the camel family), Patagonian mara (a large rodent), tuco-tuco (a small burrowing rodent) and Chimango caracara (a falcon). It receives a relatively high rainfall of around 370.4mm per year. The Sahara Desert. 68th BPSC Prelims Answer Key 2023 Out Now, Check Set A, B, C, D, Desai-Liaquat Pact, History, British Objections & Aftermath, Important Boundary Lines in the World List, International Borders, List Of G20 Summits, Countries, Members, Hosts & Venue, List of Countries and their Parliament Name for General Awareness, Rajaji Formula, History, Proposal, Significance & Failure of C.R. For many people, the Sahara, which spans some 3.32 million square miles (8.6 million square km), is the world's largest desert; however, one could certainly argue that at 5.5 million square miles (14.2 million square km), Antarcticawith its plains of icecould be considered the world's largest "technical" desert. Contrary to popular belief, the desert is only 30% sand. name four deserts of the worldnevada board of pharmacy regulations. The lowest, 436 feet (133 metres) below sea level, is in the Qattara Depression of Egypt. They experience warm summers that never quite reach the blazing temperatures of the above two types. Gobi Desert. The Thar Desert is a vast region of shifting sand dunes. The Great Victoria Desert consists of an expanse of dunes with dry lakes (known as playas) and crescent-shaped dunes (known as lunettes). Fly to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolias capital and then, take a domestic flight from there to Dalanzadgad. Animals found in Namib desert are baboon, leopard, cheetah, brown and spotted hyena, klipspringer,springbok, steenbok, Cape and bat-eared fox,Hartmanns zebra, as well as wild desert horses. With a surface area of approximately 9 million square kilometres, the Sahara is the third-biggest desert overall and the largest hot desert in the world. km), the Great Basin is one of the big four deserts in North America. Here are the most famous deserts around the world: Dive into the world of flavors, aromas and recipes, youll immediately wish you knew by heart! Deserts generally increase in size during dry seasons and decrease during wet seasons, but humans are interfering with this natural cycle, causing deserts to grow faster than they are shrinking. As you can see, deserts have much to offer from beautiful landscapes to unique animal habitats. 3.5 million sq. Vegetation regions can be divided into five major types: forest, grassland, tundra, desert, and ice sheet. Thar (Western Asia) 7. This creates sand, which is a distinctive feature of many desert landscapes. The highest point in the desert is the 11,204-foot (3,415-metre) summit of Mount Koussi in the Tibesti Mountains in Chad. 1. It covers much of Jordan and over half of Syria, and also includes parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. 1. Unsurprisingly, coastal deserts are located along coasts next to large bodies of water, such as oceans. Rain is rare and is generally separated by long, dry spells. Animals found in the Great Victoria Desert include lizards such as the great desert skink, perentie and sand goanna; carnivorous marsupials such as the sandhill Dunnart and crest-tailed mulgara; and other Australian desert species such as the southern marsupial mole, water-holding frog, dingo, princess parrot and malleefowl. There are train services as well to towns of Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer from different places in India. The Arctic Polar Desert is the worlds second-largest desert. Incorrect details? The car will cover 249 miles (561 km) in roughly 9 hours. Animals found here in Patagonia desert are burrowing owl,tuco-tuco, mara, pygmyarmadillo, Patagonian weasel, puma, Patagonian grey fox, desert iguana, westernribbon snake, and various species of eagle and hawk. Join the thousands of Active Wild subscribers who receive free wildlife and science news & info direct to their inboxes! There are no direct flights between but you can drive to Gaborone airport, fly to Maun, then travel to the Kalahari Desert. (Skylab photograph). The Taklamakan Desert lies on the path of the Silk Road, an ancient trading route between the Far East and the Mediterranean. Precipitation, not sand and heat, determine what areas are deserts. The desert is characterized by vast sand seas known as ergs. Deserts cover roughly one-third of the Earths land surface. The Sahara Desert is the Largest Hot desert in the world. Found in the few areas of the desert that are capable of supporting life are gazelles, boars, foxes and wild camels. Long and arid summers are followed by a few months of winter. Much of the regions moisture is supplied by ocean fog. There are four major North American deserts: the Great Basin Desert, Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Desert. Hot and dry deserts are also known as arid or subtropical deserts. Meny Lukk national monument bank uk; will arnett brothers and sisters The Arabian Desert covers most of the Arabian Peninsula, and includes much of Saudi Arabia, as well as parts of Yemen, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Israel, and the Asian part of Egypt. As a subtropical desert, it is a barren landscape of rock and gravel. Turkestan Desert (Central Asia) 8. To its northeast lies the Gobi Desert. The Largest Desert The two largest deserts on Earth are in the polar areas. and is covered by ice for . Summer temperatures can go as high as fifty degrees Celsius during the day, but drop drastically at night. Some interesting facts about these deserts are mentioned below: The Antarctic is classified as a polar desert. Said to bethe largest desert in the world, the vast inhospitable and freezing expanse of Antarctica is only home to small groups ofscientific researchers (only between1,000 and 5,000). Without water, neither plants nor animals can survive, therefore deserts are typically low in biodiversity (the number of different species found in an area). mi. This vast desert region receives a maximum of 100mm of rainfall per year, with some regions receiving even less. Since these deserts are found toward the middle of major landmasses, they are termed continental deserts. Take a direct flight fromSantiago International Airport (SCL)to theAirport El Loa Calama(CJC)which will only take two hours. / the shard apartments brochure / name four deserts of the world. Sand seas stretch from the coast inland, turning to rocky plains near the Great Escarpment. The desert is also known as the Patagonian Steppe. Northern America (Alaska, Canada and Greenland), North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia), Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia and South Africa). more 2 SIGHTSEEING, BOTSWANA Kalahari Desert With an area of around 124,000 km2, the Mojave Desert is roughly the size of Greece. The Arabian Desert is the fourth largest desert in the world, with an area of about 899,618 square miles. Pecos, TX, 500 miles inland, receives still less, 11" annually. Deserts are found not only in regions of the world that have low precipitation, but also in regions situated in the rain shadow of mountains. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. In fact, some of the Best Places To Visit in Texas, such as Big Bend . The Namib Desert is home to Welwitschia mirabilis, a strange-looking desert plant that extends two long leaves across the desert floor from its underground base. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Kyzylkum Desert covers parts of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia, and is situated between two rivers: Amu Darya and Syr Darya. The Arabian is the worlds second largest subtropical desert. Reach Mendoza, capital of Argentina and from there take a bus via Ingeniero Jacobacci and San Carlos de Bariloche. Famous deserts of the world include the Sahara and Namib deserts of Africa; the Arabian, Gobi, and Thar deserts of Asia; the Great Sandy and Great Victoria deserts of Australia; the Atacama and Patagonian deserts of South America; and the Mojave and Chihuahuan deserts of North America. For the General Awareness component of many competitive exams like NDA, CDA, SSC CGL &UPSC, the Largest deserts in the world is an important topic. Deserts can be hot or cold, and cover almost one-third of the Earths surface area. Located directly north of the Mojave Desert, it is a dry expanse of clay, silt, and sand; however, as a semiarid desert, it receives a fair amount of snow during the winter months. What wildlife is able to thrive in such an environment is currently under threat from drought, over-grazing, and hunting. Deserts are usually considered to be hot, arid areas with vast stretches of sand and dry earth. It contains complex linear dunes that are separated by almost 6 kilometers. Read about our five favourite deserts across the world. 3. As well, the yearly evaporation is greater than the amount of rain that falls. The passenger train services are provided by Indian Railways. Regional animals include coyotes, badgers, and various types of birds and reptiles. It contains glaciers, snow, and bare rock in a harshly cold environment. Unless we change our ways, this number could increase drastically throughout the coming years. Deserts are defined as regions with less than 10 inches (250 millimetres) of annual precipitation. There are four major deserts in the United States, collectively forming the North American Desert. From the airport there, you can book a car rental for the entirety of your trip into thedesert. So, take a look at this list of deserts in the world worth visiting. These inhospitable conditions mean that biodiversity is low, especially inland from the (slightly warmer) coasts. This desert is home to wildlife like the pronghorn antelope, blacktail jackrabbit, Colorado chipmunk, rock squirrel, wood rat, cliff chipmunk, white-footed mouse, porcupine, and more small mammals. Headlines 14 Feb 2023 Top Tips on Stage Racing from Personal Trainers. For air travel, guests can reach the OR Tambo International in Johannesburg where they will be assisted in transferring to Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek. Some famous deserts in the world are the Sahara, Antarctic, Arctic, Gobi and Namib deserts. The worlds biggest desert is the Antarctic desert. By day, deserts may be baking hot, but at night they can be freezing cold. The deserts found on Earth are extremely diverse, each unique in their own way. They are very dry, but not in the traditional sense. It is considered a desert because it rains on average only 10 mm every year. [1] The races were recognized as the world's leading endurance footrace series by TIME magazine in 2009 and 2010, [2] as the "Ultimate test of human endurance". Situated between the Sierra Nevada and Wasatch mountain ranges, the Great Basin Desert is one of North Americas four main deserts (the others being the Sonoran, Mojave and Chihuahuan Deserts). The semi-arid savannah of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa covers parts of Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. Due to intense heat, rain is known to evaporate in hot and dry deserts before it can even reach the ground. Although temperatures can get very high during the summer, the Kyzylkum Desert is classified as a cold winter desert due to the below-freezing temperatures that can occur during the winter. km). Lack of cloud means that heat collected during the day escapes into the atmosphere at night, often resulting in extreme differences in day and night temperatures. Few animals live in the Taklamakan Desert. Wild animals such as meerkat, hyena, kudu, and wildebeest call this region home. Small mammals such as gerbils and jerboas are also present. The desert sands are dotted with clumps of small shrubs. While this is certainly the case for some regions, all do not fit this description. Area size: ~ 13.9 million square kilometers / ~ 5.4 million square miles. Antarctica is also known as the "continent of records". They are hot and dry, semi-arid, coastal, and cold. Most animals are small and only come out at night when things are cooler. Tree growth is either extremely sparse or entirely lacking throughout much of the region. The largest colonies ofIvory gullare found in the region, as well as Atlantic walrus, Polar bear, arctic wolf, whale and arctic hare. Strong winds often increase the aridity (dryness) of the desert landscape. Despite the arid climate, the Sonoran Desert is known for the variety of its plant life.