Deserts
1
A desert is a hot area of land that gets very little rain—not more than 200 mm a
year. Temperatures during the daytime can get as high as 55° C. At night, de-
serts cool down , sometimes even below 0° C.
Deserts cover about 20% of the world’s land. The biggest is the Sahara desert,
which is about the same size as Europe.
Because deserts are very dry only certain kinds of plants and animals can live
there.
Locations of deserts
Most deserts lie between 15° and 35° north and south of the equator. They
were created by air that rises over the equator and comes down over the
Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. All over the world many deserts
lie in these regions.
1. Land over the equator becomes very hot. The hot and wet air rises and it
rains a lot in these areas.
2. The air cools down and moves north– and southwards. It gets drier.
3. The cool air sinks to the ground . It dries out over the Tropic of Cancer in
the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the south.
4. Warm air near the surface moves back to the equator. These winds are
called trade winds.
Some deserts are formed in regions that are cut off from the ocean by high
mountains. Winds carry wet air from the ocean to the land. When the air climbs
WORDS
certain =special
cover =here: make up
create = make
cut off =separate
little = not very much
rise = go up
surface =the top layer of an
object
trade wind = a tropical wind
that blows to the equator
from the northeast or the
southeast
Tropic of Cancer = a line
around the world that lies
23½° north of the equator
Tropic of Capricorn = a line
around the world that lies
23½ ° south of the equator
Equator
Tropic of
Cancer
Tropic of
Capricorn
Deserts
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over high mountains it loses most of its moisture and when it falls down on
the other side it becomes very warm and dry. Deserts on the western coast of
North America were formed by such winds.
Many areas have become dry because they are too far away from the ocean. Air
loses its moisture by the time it reaches places that are thousands of kilome-
tres from the coast.
Deserts can also develop near the coast. Cold water moves from the Antarctic
northwards along the African and South American coast. The warm air in these
places cools down and mixes with the cool water. There is a lot of fog, but no
rain. That’s why the Atacama desert in Chile and the Namib desert in Africa
are among the driest deserts in the world.
Landscapes of the desert
Only about 10% of all deserts are made up of sand. Most of them are rocky
places that consist of gravel and larger stones. Desert landscapes are formed
mostly by the power of the wind and water.
Strong winds form rocks in strange ways. They also build up dunes made of
sand. Such dunes can be up to 200 m tall and they can travel large distances
every year.
After rainy times , small streams carry water. They cut their paths through the
desert and carry sediments with them .These streams often end in lakes
where the water evaporates and salt and minerals are left over.
Sometimes underground water comes to the surface. Such a place is called an
oasis . It is the only spot where people can live, plant crops and raise animals.
Climate
In summer, temperatures may reach up to 55°C during
the daytime , but at night they drop below 0° C.
Most deserts get very little rainfall— on average, not
more than 20 cm a year. There may be years without
any rainfall at all. Sometimes a lot of rain falls during
thunderstorms that last for a few hours.
When the desert dries up after heavy rainfall, salt and
other minerals are left behind on the ground. Salt lakes
are very common in these places. That is why some
desert areas have yellow, brown and red colours.
WORDS
among =together with
average =normal, usual
common = you can find some-
thing very often
consist of =to be made up of
cut =hack, chop
develop =build up
distance =the area from one
place to another
drop = go down
dune = a hill made of sand
evaporate = water changes
into gas
fog = cloudy air near the
ground. It is difficult to see
through it
gravel = small stones
heavy = very strong
landscape =an area or coun-
tryside of a special type
lose = it doesn’t have some-
thing any more
moisture = small parts of
water that exist in the air or
on the ground
northwards = to the north
oasis = a place with water
and trees in a desert
path = way
plant crops =to grow plants
like wheat or corn which
farmers use as food
raise = to look after animals
rocky =stony, full of rocks
sediment = small stones and
sand that rivers carry with
them
spot = place, area
stream = a very small river
surface =the top layer of an
object
thunderstorm = a storm with
thunder and lightning
Deserts
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Living in the desert People who live in deserts must protect them-
selves from high temperatures during the day-
time and low temperatures at night and in the
winter.
Some people live in mud houses that are painted
white . They keep out the heat during the day-
time and protect people from cold evenings. No-
mads in Africa live in tents and move around all
year in search of areas with water. Many of
them wear long coats that protect them from
the sun and the wind.
Plant life Desert plants must change their way of life and get used to the heat and the
dryness.
Some flowers only live for a few days . The seeds may be in the desert ground
for years and when it rains they start to blossom.
Plants of the desert usually have small leaves that look like needles. Such
plants can live with very little water, which they store in the needles or stems.
Some plants have long roots that reach up to 80 metres below the surface.
Animals Many kinds of animals live in the desert: spiders, reptiles, birds and some mam-
mals.
Most animals stay in the shade during the daytime and look for food at night
when it gets cooler. They get water
from the food they eat or from the
water holes in the desert. Some ani-
mals sleep during the summer .
Camels are animals that are fit to
live in the desert. They can go on for
days without drinking water and need
only little to eat. They carry their
food in their humps. They also give
nomads wool and tents are made out
of their skin.
WORDS
blossom = to produce flowers
dryness =the situation of being
dry, without any water
fit =good enough; the right
ones
get used to =here: to be in a
new place so long that you can
live there without any problems
heat =high temperatures
hump = the high part of a
camel
in search of = to look for
mammal = an animal that
drinks milk from its mother’s
body when it is young
mud = wet earth that is soft
and sticky
needle =special kind of leaf
that is very sharp
nomad = a person who travels
from place to place to find
grass and water for animals
protect =defend , guard
reptile = an animal that
changes its body temperature,
like a snake
root = the part of a plant or a
tree that grows under the
ground and gets water there
seed = a small hard object of a
plant. A new plant can grow
from this
shade = out of the sunlight
stem = the long, thin part of a
plant
store = to put away until you
need it
surface =the top layer of an
object
tent =a shelter you put up
when you go camping; it is cov-
ered with cloth and you hang it
to the ground with ropes and
poles
water holes = a small place
where animals drink
wool = the soft thick hair of
some animals
Deserts
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The Sahara
The Sahara is the biggest desert in the world . The landscape is made up of
mountain ranges, rocky plateaus and sandy plains called ergs. The Nile is the
only river that carries water all year long. It flows through the Sahara in Sudan
and Egypt.
The desert reaches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the
east –over 3,500 km. The highest peaks are in the Tibesti mountains . They
reach a height of about 3,500 metres.
There are about 90 bigger oases in the Sahara, where water comes up from un-
derground rivers or wells. People here live in small villages and grow crops.
The Sahara also has important raw materials. Oil and gas lie under the Alge-
rian and Libyan desert. There are also other minerals ,like copper and iron
ore.
About 2 million people live in the desert. Most of them are Arabs or Berbers.
The Tuareg are a tribe that live in the mountainous areas of the central Sahara.
Most of them are nomads who raise sheep , goats or camels and travel around
all year.
In oases people can live the whole year. They grow dates, wheat and other
crops. But, they must also fight against sand storms and wandering dunes that
threaten to cover the oases with sand.
The Sahara was not always a desert. During the Ice Age , when many parts of
the world were covered with snow and ice, northern Africa had a much wetter
climate. The Sahara had many lakes and rivers and elephants and giraffes lived
in the grasslands and forests. At about 5000 BC the climate started to become
drier and the Sahara turned into a desert. Many people moved south .
Today the desert is growing because people destroy fertile land. They raise too
many animals that eat all the grass or they cut down trees that still exist.
WORDSl
BC = Before Christ
Berber = people who live in
Northern Africa
carry = to take with it
copper = a metal that shines
yellow and brown
cover =to spread over
crops =a plant like wheat or corn
that farmers grow for food
date = a sweet, sticky brown fruit
with a long hard stone inside
destroy =damage completely,
ruin
fertile =good, productive
height =how high something is
iron ore =rock from which you
can make iron
landscape =an area or country-
side of a special type
mountain range = a group of
mountains
nomad = a person who travels
from place to place to find grass
and water for animals
oasis = a place with water and
trees in a desert
peak = the sharp top of a moun-
tain
plains = a large area of flat land
plateau = a large area of flat
land that is higher than the land
around it
raise = to look after animals
raw material =things that exist in
nature and which we use every
day, like coal, oil, water
threaten =endanger, put at risk
tribe = a group of people who
have the same skin colour, lan-
guage and religion. They live in a
small area
wandering dunes = mountains of
sand that move from one place to
another
well = a deep hole in the ground
that has water in it
wheat =a plant that you make
white bread from
Deserts
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Mohave
Desert
Great Basin
Atacama
Patagonian
Desert
Sahara
Namib Kalahari
Arabian
Desert Gobi
Australian
Desert
The most important deserts
of the world
Deserts
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Overhead Transparency—
Desert Landscapes
Deserts
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Overhead Transparency—
Plants in the Desert
Deserts
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Answer the following questions !
What is the climate like in a desert ? Describe! _____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Hot and wet air rises over the ______________________ and sinks over __________________________ and
______________________________.
What are trade winds ? _________________________________________________________________________
Why are there deserts near the coast of South America and Africa ? ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
What material are most deserts made up of ? ______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
What kind of life goes on in an oasis ? _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
How do people who live in the desert protect themselves ? ___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Where do desert plants keep their water ? _________________________________________________________
At which time of day are most desert animals active ? _______________________________________________
Why are camels fit to live in the desert ? __________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
What are ergs ? _______________________________________________________________________________
Where do the Tuareg live and what do they do ? ____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
What was the climate of the Sahara like during the Ice Age ? _________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Why is the Sahara desert still growing today ? ______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Deserts
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The Sahara—Put the lines in the correct order
Sea in the east. About 2 million people live in the
sandstorms and wandering dunes. During the Ice
1 The Sahara desert is the biggest in the world. It
thousand years ago it started to dry out. Today
or other animals. Other people live in oases all
reaches from the Atlantic in the west to the Red
the desert grows because fertile land is destroyed.
desert. Most of them are nomads who raise sheep
Age the Sahara had a lot more rain, but a few
year long, but they must protect themselves from
The Sahara—Explain these words in English !
Tuareg _____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
date ________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
wandering dunes _____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
well ________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
copper ______________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
tribe _______________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Deserts
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Across
3. an animal that drinks milk from its mother's
body when it is young
5. line around the middle of the earth
8. when water change into gas
10. small stones and sand that rivers carry with
them
11. cloudy air near the ground. It is difficult to
see through it
12. a very small river
14. tropical wind that blows to the equator from
the northeast and southeast ( 2 words)
Down
1. an animal that is fit to live in the desert and
can go on for days without food and water
2. a person who travels from place to place to
find grass and water for animals
4. a group of people who have the same skin
colour and language and live in a small area
6. small parts of water that exist in the air or
on the ground
7. a place with water and trees in the desert
9. the part of a plan or a tree that grows under
the ground and gets water there
10. small stones and sand that rivers carry with
them
13. a hill made of sand
Crossword
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Created with EclipseCrossword — www.eclipsecrossword.com
Deserts
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U T O X P P J X Y D
B E R B E R B C U D
Y V C A M E L N M W
H S E D I M E N T J
R K G R O N F O G M
T I D Z A D F M S C
J R D M S A H A R A
W Y I B I T H D L E
D B E B S E N Z R L
U C O Z E U Q C I X
Look for 10 words about deserts
( ) and mark them.
Deserts
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Put the names of the deserts into
the blanks below !
1
2
3
4
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8
9
10
1 ________________________________________
2 ________________________________________
3 ________________________________________
4 ________________________________________
5 ________________________________________
6 _______________________________________
7 _______________________________________
8 _______________________________________
9 _______________________________________
10 ______________________________________
Deserts
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Explain how deserts are created
near the equator !
1 _____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
2 _____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
3 _____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
4 _____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Equator
Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn
Deserts
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Answer keys
Deserts
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Crossword—Key
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Created with EclipseCrossword — www.eclipsecrossword.com
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Deserts
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Word Search —Key
U T O X P P J X Y D
B E R B E R B C U D
Y V C A M E L N M W
H S E D I M E N T J
R K G R O N F O G M
T I D Z A D F M S C
J R D M S A H A R A
W Y I B I T H D L E
D B E B S E N Z R L
U C O Z E U Q C I X
Deserts
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The Sahara—Put the lines in the correct order
3 Sea in the east. About 2 million people live in the
7 sandstorms and wandering dunes. During the Ice
1 The Sahara desert is the biggest in the world. It
9 thousand years ago it started to dry out. Today
5 or other animals. Other people live in oases all
2 reaches from the Atlantic in the west to the Red
10 the desert grows because fertile land is destroyed.
4 desert. Most of them are nomads who raise sheep
8 Age the Sahara had a lot more rain, but a few
6 year long, but they must protect themselves from