Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert, commonly known as the Gobi Desert, is a vast desert and semi-desert region in Central Asia. The Gobi (from Mongolian gobi, which means “waterless land”) spans vast swaths of Mongolia and China. Much of the Gobi is not sandy desert, but bare rock, contrary to the romantic picture long associated with what was, at least to the European perspective, a lonely and undiscovered territory. Long distances can be travelled by car on this surface in either direction: north toward the Altai and Hangayn mountain ranges, east toward the Da Hinggan (Greater Khingan) Range, or south toward the Bei Mountains and Huang He (Yellow River) valley. To the west, beyond the Gobi’s southwestern edge, the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang’s

Location:

The Gobi stretches about 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) from southwest to northeast and 800 kilometres (500 miles) north to south. The desert stretches the longest in the west, between Lake Bosten and the Lop Nor (87°–89° east). In 2007, it covered a large arc of territory.

The Gobi Desert stretches from the foot of the Pamir Mountains (77° east) to the Greater Khingan Mountains, 116–118° east, on the Manchurian border; and from the foothills of the Altay, Sayan, and Yablonoi mountain ranges on the north to the Kunlun, Altyn-Tagh, and Qilian mountain ranges on the south, forming the northern edges of the Tibetan Plateau.

Climate and Weather:

The climate is harshly continental and dry, with a harsh winter, a dry and frigid spring, and a mild summer. The yearly temperature variation is significant, with average lows of 40 °F (40 °C) in January and average highs of 113 °F (45 °C) in July; daily temperature differences can also be fairly wide. In the west, annual total precipitation is less than 2 inches (50 mm), while in the northeast, it is more than 8 inches (200 mm). The eastern regions, which receive the most of their precipitation in the summer, have monsoon-like conditions. Autumn, winter, and spring bring northerly and north-westerly winds to the Gobi.

Flora and Fauna:

Plants:

Small bushlike vegetation grows on the plateau and on the plains beneath the mountains, including Echinochloa (a succulent grass found in warm climates), yellowwood bean caper, and winter fat (a shrub with densely matted hairs), nitre bush, and bushlike halophytic flora. Potash bush, Siberian nitre bush, tamarisk, and annual halophytes flourish in the salt marshes, as do saxaul, sandy wormwood, and sparse perennial and annual herbs including the annual Gobi kumarchik (Agriophylum gobicum) and perennial timuriya (Timouria villosa). Gobi feather grass, Gobi kumarchik, timuriya, snakeweed (Cleistogenes species; another perennial), and cold wormwood are among the herbaceous and wormwood species found in semi desert areas.

Animals:

The Gobi wildlife is diverse, including wild camels, kulans (Equus hemionus), dzheiran gazelles, and dzeren gazelles (an antelope). The Przewalski’s horse, which previously roamed the western desert, is most likely extinct in the wild. There are marmots and gophers among the rodents, as well as reptiles.

There are many bird species to see, but just a few are permanent inhabitants. Vultures, buzzards, falcons, swallows, and doves are among them.

Interesting facts about the Gobi Desert:

1. The majority of the Gobi desert’s ground surface is bare rock rather than sand. The Himalayan Mountains generate a rain shadow desert in the Gobi, preventing rain-causing monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean from reaching the region. Sand covers only 5% of the desert, with the rest being covered by sedimentary rocks or dry grasses.
2. The Gobi Desert can be as frigid as -40°C in the winter, with summer temperatures reaching 45°C.
3. In contrast to our mental idea of a desert, the Gobi Desert contains mountains, grasslands, rivers, tiny lakes, and, most importantly, an oasis, which is vital to the region’s species and vegetation.
4. Copper, gold, and coal are abundant in the desert. Since the late 2000s, massive mining deposits in the Gobi have been functioning, including Oyu Tolgoi, the world’s third-biggest copper and gold mine, and Tavan Tolgoi, one of the world’s top ten largest undeveloped coking coal deposits.
5. The Gobi Desert is actually a collection of 33 individual deserts, each with its own unique landscapes and features.
6. Nomadic livestock raising is the main source of income for the locals. Camels, horses, sheep, and goats are kept in small herds that are moved on a regular basis. Bactrian camels with two hump are still utilised for transportation.

Conclusion:

The Gobi Desert is a huge desert that stretches across parts of Mongolia and China. In Mongolian, the word “Gobi” literally means “extremely vast and dry.” The Gobi Desert’s terrain is made up of rocky outcrops and bleak gravel plains. Summer temperatures in the desert can reach 40°C, and winter temperatures can drop to -40°C (-40°F). The Gobi Desert was formerly home to dinosaurs, and palaeontologists can today visit multiple dinosaur fossil sites.