Deserts are areas that get less than 10 inches or rain each year. Browse through the natural world from Rainforests to Deserts. Find out facts about animals from Komodo dragons to butterflies, from graceful dolphins to huge dinosaurs. All text and graphics are copyrighted by REMedia, or by third parties who are acknowledged within this web site.
Deserts are the driest places on earth.
They are found in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. These deserts and their margins cover over 30 percent of the earth's surface, and the majority of these dry lands are found along two imaginary lines called the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn which lie north and south of the equator respectively. Although often thought of as enormous empty expanses of sand or vast areas of barren wasteland, the reality is that desert ecosystems are surprisingly rich in their variety of plant and animal life. The harsh and often hostile climatic conditions has meant that many plants and animals have had to adapt their bodies and behaviours in order to survive. Many people have also made deserts their home.