Index  | Activity 20

UNIDAD 6: LOS MEDIOS NATURALES DE LA ZONA CÁLIDA

ACTIVITY 19: HOT DESERT ECOSYSTEMS

                                                                     Map from: http://www.mapsofworld.com/images/world-desert-map.gif

 

1.Click in the pictures to learn some new vocabulary.

http://www.srv.net/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.sethwhite.org

 

2. Read the text.

LOCATION

Deserts are located between 15º and 30º north and south of the equator. The largest hot desert in the world is the Sahara, in north Africa. Other deserts around the world include the Kalahari ( southern Africa ), the Atacama (South America), the Gobi (Asia) and the Australian Desert.

CLIMATE

Deserts have very high temperatures all year. Average daytime temperature 30ºC, with extremes of over 50 ºC. Temperatures can fall to 0º C at night.

Deserts receive less than 250 mm of rainfall each year.

  SOILS

Desert soils are thin and have little organic mater. Because water is evaporated so quickly salt builds up on the surface of the soil. Desert soils are not very fertile.

  VEGETATION

  Vegetation presents climate adaptations:

a)     Cacti store water in fleshy stems,

b)     Plants have thick, waxy skins to reduce water loss,

c)      Cacti have spikes to prevent animals eating them,

d)     Plant roots grow deep to soak up as much water as possible.

WILDLIFE

Desert can support a surprising amount of wildlife. Deserts animals include termites, spiders, lizards, snakes, kangoroos and camels.

 

3. Copy these questions into your notebook and answer them.

1)     Are deserts located on the equator?

2)     Is Kalahari the largest desert in the world?

3)     Can deserts reach temperatures of over 50ºC?

4)     Are desert soils very fertile?

 

4. This a list of biggest deserts of the world. Select two and look up more about them. Copy the information down.

Rank Desert’s Name Area
(km²)		 Area
(sq mi)		 Country/Countries
1 Antarctic Desert 14 000 000 5 400 000 N/A
2 Sahara Desert 8 600 000 3 320 000 Egypt, Libya, Chad, Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria.
3 Arabian Desert 2 331 000 900 000 Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Koweit, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.
4 Gobi Desert 1 300 000 500 000 Mongolia
5 Patagonian Desert 673 000 260 000 Argentina
6 Great Victoria Desert 647 000 250 000 Australia
7 Great Basin Desert 492 000 190 000 United States
8 Chihuahuan Desert 450 000 175 000 Mexico and United States
9 Great Sandy Desert 400 000 150 000 Australia
10 Karakum Desert 350 000 135 000 Turkmenistan
11 Sonoran Desert 310 000 120 000 United States and Mexico
12 Kyzyl Kum 300 000 115 000 Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
13 Taklamakan or Takla Makan Desert 270 000 105 000 People's Republic of China
14 Kalahari Desert 260 000 100 000 Botswana, Namibia and South Africa
14 Kavir or Dasht-e Kavir Desert 260 000 100 000 Iran
14 Syrian Desert 260 000 100 000 Syria, Jordan and Iraq
15 Thar or Great Indian Desert 200 000 77 000 India and Pakistan
16 Gibson Desert 155 000 60 000 Australia
17 Simpson Desert 145 000 56 000 Australia
18 Atacama Desert 140 000 54 000 Chile
19 Namib Desert 135 000 52 000 Namibia
20 Mojave Desert 65 000 25 000 United States

List of deserts by area - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Index  | Activity 20