How can a desert be interesting right? It’s just a big place full of…nothing. Well, that’s what you think. And that’s why this list is going to be pretty interesting for you. For one, do you know where the biggest desert in the world is? Depending on where you live and how geographically aware you are, you’re probably thinking Asia (the Middle East), Africa (for those of you who know where the Sahara is), or Australia (basically the whole continent right?). But you’re all wrong. The world’s biggest desert is actually…well, we don’t want to give it away. We will however give you a hint: deserts aren’t necessarily places covered in sand. As you’ll see in a moment, barely 20% of the Sahara Desert is sand. Most of it is gravel, mountains, and rock. Moreover, deserts are defined by the level of precipitation they receive. Take a guess and see if you’re right by reading these 25 interesting tidbits about deserts that will make you glad for rain!
Featured Image: wikipedia
One third of the Earth's surface area is desert (at least partially)
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Arizona was once home to camels
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Google street view employed a camel to include desert footage
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia There is a desert in Alaska with dunes over 45 meters high (150 feet). It is known as the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Over 100,000 square km of land turn to desert each year due to climate change and forest clearing
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay Less than 20% of the Sahara desert is sand. The rest is mostly gravel, rock, and mountains.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Lebanon is the only country in the Middle East that doesn't contain a desert
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia According to the UN, roughly 1 billion people in over 100 countries are threatened by desertification
Source: un.org, Image: wikipedia The Sahara Desert stretches farther than the distance between Los Angeles and New York City
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia In some parts of the Atacama Desert in Chile, rain has never been recorded. It may come as no surprise then that it is considered the driest place on Earth
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Sand from the Sahara is blown across the Atlantic Ocean and settles in the Amazon River Basin. In other words, the Sahara Desert fertilizes the Amazon!
Source: wikipedia If you’re into deserts, maybe you’d like to check out these 25 incredible deserts that will make you wish it never rained.
In 1979 it snowed in the Sahara
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay The largest desert in the world is actually Antarctica
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia If you get lost in the desert and need water, a cactus may not be your friend. First of all, you'll need a machete to cut it open, and second of all, many species are poisonous
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia The fastest crossing of the Sahara via bike was made by Reza Pakravan, an analyst from London. He made it in 13 days
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia The Trans-Sahara Highway is one of the oldest transnational highways in Africa. In spite of this, some of the center regions are still unpaved, unhospitable, and requires special vehicles to cross
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Roughly 2,500 square kilometers of land in China turns to desert every year. This causes dust storms in other parts of the world
Gerhard Knies, a German physicist, calculated that in only 6 hours the Earth's deserts absorb more energy from the sun than all of humanity uses in a year. Now we just have to figure out how to harness that...
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia There are 30 countries (mostly in Africa) that have 75% or more of their land covered in desert
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia The kangaroo rat doesn't need to drink water. It gets all its fluids from the food it eats
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia The Sahara Desert is about 3 million years old. Compare that to the Atacama Desert which is more than 40 million years old!
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay There have been prehistoric cave paintings found in some parts of the Sahara that depict it as being a bit greener and more lush.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia In spite of receiving only about 8 cm of rainfall every year, the Sahara is home to about 2 million people.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Although it is the world's largest desert, Antarctica also holds 75% of the world's fresh water!
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia There are deserts on every continent and even Europe's semi-arid deserts (in Spain and Italy) are gradually getting bigger.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Lists Going Viral Right Now
