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  1. Desert | Definition, Climate, Animals, Plants, & Types | Britannica

    Mar 2, 2026 · Desert, any large, extremely dry area of land with sparse vegetation. It is one of Earth’s major types of ecosystems, supporting a community of plants and animals specially adapted to the …

  2. Desert Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

    DESERT meaning: 1 : an area of very dry land that is usually covered with sand and is very hot often used before another noun; 2 : a place or area that does not have something interesting or important

  3. Desert - Climate, Ecosystems, Adaptations | Britannica

    Mar 2, 2026 · The arid conditions of the major desert areas result from their position in subtropical regions to either side of the moist equatorial belt. The atmospheric circulation pattern known as the …

  4. desert summary | Britannica

    Desert terrain may consist of rugged mountains, high plateaus, or plains; many occupy broad mountain-rimmed basins. Surface materials include bare bedrock, plains of gravel and boulders, and vast …

  5. desert - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

    Introduction When people think of a desert, they usually think of a sandy, hot, and dry place. But there are other types of deserts as well. A desert is any large region that gets very little rain each year. …

  6. desert - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

    Desert areas differ greatly in their surface features, which range from mountains to plateaus to plains. The ground may be bare rock or be covered with sand, scattered boulders, or a “desert pavement” of …

  7. Location, History, Map, Countries, Animals, & Facts - Britannica

    5 days ago · Sahara, largest hot desert in the world. Filling nearly all of northern Africa, it measures approximately 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from east to west and between 800 to 1,200 miles from north …

  8. How Do Deserts Form? | Britannica

    The standard many college textbooks use to define a desert is: an area receiving less than 10 inches (250 mm) of precipitation per year.

  9. Food desert | Causes, Effects & Solutions | Britannica

    Food desert, an impoverished area where residents lack access to healthy foods. Food deserts may exist in rural or urban areas and are associated with complex geographic and socioeconomic factors, …

  10. Cold desert | Description, Examples, & Facts | Britannica

    The high-elevation Great Basin Desert is a cold desert in the United States. It covers most of Nevada, the western half of Utah, and parts of other nearby states.