Top 10 deserts facts

Two. Welwitschia is endemic to the Namib desert. The age of individual plants is difficult to assess, but many plants may be over 1000 (or even 2000) years old. Because Welwitschia only produces a single pair of foliage leaves, the plant was thought by some to be neotenic, consisting essentially of a "giant seedling." However, research showed that its anatomy is not consistent with the giant seedling idea. Instead, the plant is more accurately thought of as achieving its unusual morphology as a result of having "lost its head" (apical meristem) at an early stage.

Sahara. The Richat Structure in Mauritania, also known as the Eye of the Sahara, was interpreted as an asteroid impact structure, but no evidence of shock metamorphism has been found. Today, scientists believe that it is a huge (40 km in diameter) and deeply eroded geologic dome.

It is gypsum. White Sands, having 442 total square kilometers of dune fields, is the world's largest surface deposit of gypsum. Unlike other desert sands, it is cool to the touch, due to the high rate of evaporation of surface moisture and the fact that the sands reflect, rather than absorb, the sun's rays.

Atacama. The Atacama is the driest of all deserts, with some places having recorded no rain in living memory. It extends along the Pacific coast, forming a huge strip of arid, hostile beach. The average rainfall in the Antofagasta region is 1 millimeter (0.04 in) per year.

Arabian Desert. The Arabian Desert is twice as large as the Gobi, and four times larger than Great Victoria and Kalahari. It occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula.

It is rocky. Most of the Sahara consists of rocky hamada; ergs (large areas covered with sand dunes) form only about 20% of the total area.

In deserts. Desert rose is the colloquial name given to rosette formations of crystal clusters of gypsum or baryte which contain abundant sand grains. Desert roses occur when the crystals form in arid sandy conditions, such as the evaporation of a shallow salt basin.

Namib Desert. The Namib is the oldest desert in the world. It is estimated to be up to 80 million years old. It stretches some 2,000 kms (1,200 mi) along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa.

Rub' al Khali. The Rub' al Khali desert is the largest continuous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 km² (250,000 sq mi) including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Gobi. The initial research works and discoveries of dinosaur fossil sites and their tracks in Mongolia started in the 1920s. Throughout this time, there have been many national and international field expeditions conducted in the country, and more than 80 genera of dinosaurs have been found in the Mongolian Gobi Desert.