![]() ![]() Kinds of Deserts The world’s deserts can be divided into five types-subtropical, coastal, rain shadow, interior, and polar. Others are dry expanses of rock, sand, or salt flats. Although the word “desert” may bring to mind a sea of shifting sand, dunes cover only about 10 percent of the world’s deserts. They are home to around 1 billion people-one-sixth of the Earth’s population. Deserts are found on every continent and cover about one-fifth of Earth’s land area. ![]() ![]() In all deserts, there is little water available for plants and other organisms. The amount of evaporation in a desert often greatly exceeds the annual rainfall. Most experts agree that a desert is an area of land that receives no more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year. One thing all deserts have in common is that they are arid, or dry. People have adapted to life in the desert for thou sands of years. And most deserts, far from being empty and lifeless, are home to a variety of plants, animals, and other organisms. Although some deserts are very hot, with daytime temperatures as high as 54☌ (130☏), other deserts have cold winters or are cold year-round. People often use the adjectives “hot,” “dry,” and “empty” to describe deserts, but these words do not tell the whole story. Deserts are areas that receive very little precipitation. ![]()
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