2. Fun Facts
• Sure, our planet looks like a watery blue marble from space, but one-
third of Earth’s land surface is partially or totally desert.
• There are parts of the Atacama Desert in Chile where no rain has
ever been recorded. Scientists believe portions of the region have
been in an extreme desert state for 40 million years—longer than any
other place on Earth.
• Then again, if you are lost in the desert, headaches and diarrhea
might not be your biggest problem.
4. The Desert Life
• Plant life in the desert is scarce, but there are more plants living here
than you would expect. For example two of the most popular desert
plants are the ocotillo which is a leafy green plant that produces
flowers. The other one is the saguaro cactus which was named
Arizona's state flower.
• Deserts cover more than one fifth of the Earth's land, and they are
found on every continent. Deserts can be classified as "hot" or "cold".
Deserts receive less than 10 inches of precipitation a year. Lack of
water creates a survival problem for all desert organisms, animals,
plants and people.
5. Types of Deserts
• There are four types of deserts: subtropical deserts are hot and dry
year-round; coastal deserts have cool winters and warm summers;
cold winter deserts have long, dry summers and low rainfall in the
winter; polar deserts are cold year-round.
• The largest deserts in the world are the Antarctic Desert and the
Arctic Desert. The Antarctic Desert 13,829,430 square kilometers
across the south pole. The Artic Desert covers 12,726,937 square
kilometers of the north pole.
