What are the four major deserts in the world? What is there in the desert?

Previously, we introduced and traveled about the formation and climate of deserts. Today, let’s take a look at the four major deserts in the world and what species live in them. Let’s start today’s desert tour and learn more about desert common sense! I hope this will be meaningful to you.

Contents of this article

1. What are the four major deserts in the world?

2. What is in the desert?

3. Why do people wear watches when crossing the desert?

What are the four major deserts in the world?

1. The largest desert: Sahara Desert

Formed about 2.5 million years ago, it is the second largest desert in the world after Antarctica and the largest sandy desert in the world. The climate conditions in the area are very harsh and it is one of the least suitable places for life on Earth. Its total area is roughly the size of the entire continental United States.

2. The second largest desert: Arabian Desert

Located in the east of Egypt, between the Nile Valley, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, it is also known as the Eastern Desert. Most of it is gravel desert and exposed rock hills at an altitude of 300 to 1,000 meters. It is cut by the intermittent rivers Tarfa River and Hudayin River and their tributaries running from east to west and the seasonal river Qena River running from north to south.

3. The third largest desert: Libya Desert

Located in the northeast of the Sahara Desert, the desert is a plateau that slopes from south to north, with an altitude of 350 to 500 meters in the south, 100 to 250 meters in the middle and north, and the highest terrain in the southwest, up to 1,800 meters above sea level.

4. The fourth largest desert: Australian Desert

Located in the southwest of Australia, it covers an area of ​​about 1.55 million square kilometers. Rainfall is scarce and drought is abnormal. The highest temperature in summer can reach 50 degrees Celsius. Because there are no tall trees to block it, strong winds roar over this desert all day long. The wind is the only sound here.

What's in the desert?

Camel, gerbil, lizard, scorpion, rattlesnake, ant, sesame snake, ostrich, elephant, lion, wolf.

1. Camel: Camels are mammals known as the "ships of the desert". They have small heads and thick, long necks that are curved like goose necks. They are tall and have brown fur. They are extremely tolerant of hunger and thirst. Camels can survive for 2 weeks without water and for a month without food.

2. Gerbils: Gerbils are a subfamily that includes 15 genera and about 110 species. They are widely distributed in deserts, grasslands, foothill deserts, Gobi and deserts in Africa, India, other parts of Asia and Europe.

3. Lizard: Lizard, commonly known as "four-legged snake" or "snake aunt", is distributed all over the world. It belongs to the cold-blooded reptiles, with a wide variety of species. There are about 3,000 species distributed on the earth, and more than 150 species are known in my country. Most of them are distributed in tropical and subtropical areas. Their living environment is diverse, mainly terrestrial, but also arboreal, semi-aquatic and soil burrowing.

4. Scorpions: Scorpions are a general term for species of the order Scorpio in the class Arachnida of the animal kingdom Arthropoda. Spiders also belong to the class Arachnida. Their typical features include a slender body, claws, and a curved, segmented tail with a stinger.

5. Rattlesnake: Rattlesnake is a vertebrate, reptile, Viperidae (Crotalus family). It is a venomous snake with tube teeth. Its venom is blood-circulating. It is generally about 1.5 to 2 meters long. It is yellow-green in color, with diamond-shaped black-brown spots on its back.

Why do people wear watches when crossing the desert?

Reasons to wear a watch when crossing the desert:

1. Can accurately grasp the time;

2. You can use a watch to determine the direction based on the position of the sun.

How to use a watch to locate in the desert:

Method 1: Divide the current time by 2 and point the quotient towards the sun. The direction that 12 on the dial is facing is the north. For example, if the time is 8 a.m., divide 8 by 2 and the quotient is 4. Point the 4 on the dial towards the sun. The direction that 12 is facing is the north. If it is afternoon, calculate using the 24-hour timekeeping method. For example, if the time is 4 p.m., calculate it based on 16:00.

Method 2: In the northern hemisphere, place the watch horizontally with the hour hand pointing to the sun. The midline of the angle between the hour hand and the 12 o'clock mark points to due south. In the southern hemisphere, place the watch horizontally with the 12 o'clock mark pointing to the direction of the sun. The midline of the angle between the hour hand and the 12 o'clock mark points to due south.

Note: To determine the direction using the above method, you must use the exact local time. For example, the local time in Urumqi is Beijing time minus 2 hours and 9 minutes. In addition, the above method cannot be used south of the Tropic of Cancer because it is close to the equator and the sunlight is almost direct, making it difficult to use a watch to determine the direction.