Basics Easier - A desert is a dry, often sandy place. Few plants grow in deserts because there is so little rainfall. Harder - A desert is a region that supports little plant life because of insufficient moisture and dry soil. Deserts, also called arid regions, characteristically receive less than 10 inches of rainfall per year.
Deserts cover about one-fifth of the earth's surface.
Deserts have varied landscapes created by water and wind erosion and by deposits of silt, sand, and other sediments. And though rain is scarce in all desert regions, deserts are not total wastelands. Deserts usually have at least one permanent drainage system of dry stream beds. Complete a Desert WebQuest. Take part in one of these interactive webQuest missions about the desert environment and its inhabitants.