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What is a desert and where did the word desert come from?
Deserts are one of the many things in this world that I find absolutely fascinating. The more I learn about the desert the more it amazes me.
In many deserts in the world there is rain and cold ocean. There is frost and snow, dew and fog and wind and dust. I am going to share some of the facts about the desert that you might find interesting.
Have you ever wondered where did the word desert come from?
The word desert is one of the oldest written words. The ancient Egyptians heirography pronounced it as ‘tesert'. It came from the Latin word ‘desrtum’ meaning to abandon or forsake.
What is the picture that comes to your mind when you hear the word desert? Below is the image that I imagine when I hear the word desert.
Sahara Desert
Image Credit: onthegotours.com
Downloaded: January 20, 2021
Mirage In Desert
Image Credit: mymoroccotours.net
Downloaded: January 20, 2021
Mirage
Mirage
A very common phenomenon in the desert is mirage. A person might think they see blue water in the desert but it is actually the trick of the light. What our eyes and mind interpret as blue water are the rays from the blue sky and wisps of cloud that are refracted through air near the ground surface.
Ayers Rocks
Image Credit: nationalgeographic.org
Downloaded: January 20, 2021
Ayers Rock
Ayers Rock is located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. It is a rock which change its color. It seems yellow brown at sunrise and by the end of the day it looks orange red. The particles of the dust and air in the atmosphere act as filters. They remove the blue light from the sun rays therefore the color of the rock is enhanced i.e. the rock looks red at sunset.
Ayers Rock
Image Credit: bookme.com.au
Downloaded: January 20, 2021
Sahara Desert
The Sahara desert which is located in the African continent is the largest hot desert in the world. It is also the third largest desert in the world by area. The word Sahara is driven from the Arabic word ‘Sahra’ which means desert. There are evidence that suggest that at one point in the Sahara desert there were grasses and stocks and many lakes that supported antelope, giraffes, elephants, hippopotamus, crocodiles as well as the human population.
Desert Landscape & Features
Sahara Desert Dunes
Image Credit: express.co.uk
Downloaded: January 20, 2021
Dunes
Some of the desert have dunes which are made out of sand. They are different in size. The dunes in the Sahara desert can reach almost 600 feet and cover 15% of the entire desert land.
Yardages In Desert
Image Credit: pinterest.com
Downloaded: January 20, 2021
Yardages
The word Yardages is driven by the Turkman; it means ridge or steep bank.
Yardages are different in size. They can form unusual shapes and might resemble different objects. They are formed by wind erosion and typically made by softer rocks.
Desert Pavement
Image Credit: Dreamstime.com
Downloaded: January 20, 2021
Desert Pavement
Desert pavements are generally formed by the wind and they have strong ground.
Desert Badland
Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org
Downloaded: January 20, 2021
Badlands
Badlands are barren soil surface that have been deeply dissected by rapid water erosion.
Alluvial Fans
Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org
Downloaded: January 20, 2021
Alluvial Fans
They are formed from the deposit of sediments such as slit and sand, rocks, & clay from the emergence of rivers and streams in the mountain areas.
Rivers
Some of the world's largest rivers are found in the desert. They are known as exotic rivers because very little water comes from the desert itself. Most of the water comes from the outside water regions.
Lakes & Wetlands
Some of the deserts have lakes. Lakes are seasonal however and they are created by local circumstances.
Nature In Desert
Dragon Blood Tree
The Socotra Island in Yemen has dragon blood trees. It is called a blood tree due to red sap that the tree produces.
Blood Tree
Image Credit: lifeandtrendz.com
Downloaded: January 20, 2021
Animals
Deserts depending on where they are located in the world have different animals. Some of the deserts have chameleon which live about four to five months. The eggs are hatched in November. They reach sexual maturity in less than two months, reproduce in January and die by February.
Other animals include Kangaroos, rats, gazelles, elands, oryxes, camels, red vizcacha rats, and scorpions.
Desert Cities
Some of the famous dessert cities are Dubai and Los Angeles.
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