Deserts make up over 40 percent of Australia's land area, but they are all inland. The exception is the Great Sandy Desert, which reaches the coast of the Indian Ocean at a point known as Eighty Mile Beach (it is now about 140 miles long). 1)
The Kalb ar-Rishat structure in Mauritania, also known as the Eye of the Sahara, was long thought to be the result of a meteorite impact. However, a careful study showed no signs of impact metamorphism. It is now considered to be the remains of a would-be volcano. The structure is perfectly visible from satellites. 2)
The Gibson Desert was so named by Ernest Giles, a traveler whose expedition first crossed Australia. Little is known about Alfred Gibson himself, who separated from the expedition and disappeared — only a brief description of his appearance remains. 3)
White Sands is 275 square miles of gypsum dunes. It represents the largest surface gypsum deposit in the world. Unlike other desert sands, the sand from White Sands is cool to the touch. This is the result of moisture evaporating from the surface and the white gypsum reflecting sunlight. 4)
Fata Morgana, or mirage, is a physical phenomenon, not an illusion of visual perception or optical illusion. The decisive factor for its formation is the strong heating of a large surface of the ground, e.g. sand in the desert. The light rays are then bent upwards towards cooler and therefore denser air. The curved rays reach the eye of the observer seemingly from a different direction, which causes the formation of a mirror image. 5)
The Sahara is home to scarabs, dung beetles, which were considered sacred symbol by the ancient Egyptians. 6)
Most of the Saharan people are nomads. They move from one place to another. 7)
The Sahara is only third in terms of area. It is overtaken by the two great polar deserts. The one in the northern hemisphere was estimated at 13.9 million square kilometers, the one in the southern hemisphere at 14.2 million. The largest sand desert, the Sahara, is 9.1 million square kilometers. 8)
In Arabic, “Sahara” means desert. So saying “The Sahara Desert” is a bit pointless. 9)
Dust from the African desert travels with the wind to the Amazon, fertilizing the soil there - which is washed out of minerals by regular heavy rainfall - and feeding the forests. 10)
The Liwa oasis on the southern border of the United Arab Emirates was photographed by Google with the help of a camel. A distinctive rig was mounted on the animal's back and then set out on the road. 11)
Progressive environmental degradation and climate warming are contributing to the desertification of a growing area of the Earth. It is estimated that nearly 6 million hectares of the desert are added each year in 60 countries. 12)
The Mojave Desert, where Las Vegas is located, is not a particularly friendly place to live, except for a few cities. Which doesn't mean it's completely unforgiving. It has, for example… a public swimming pool, which can be easily used by anyone who is able to find it. “Social Pool” is the work of artist Alfredo Barsuglia, who “wanted to reflect the immensity of the effort people put into achieving luxury goods.” Either way, most visitors to the pool do so for fun - and adventure. 13)
The living beacon, the loneliest tree on earth - until 1973, this title was held by an acacia in Niger. This centuries-old tree from Ténéré was for a long time the only one within a radius of 400 kilometers, living in extremely harsh conditions with roots reaching as deep as 40 (!) meters into the ground. Unfortunately, in 1973 the loneliest acacia ceased to be an acacia when it was hit by a drunken Libyan in a truck. On the place of the killed (and moved to the museum in Niamey) tree, a tin monument was set up. 14)
The Marathon des Sables is the Marathon of the Sands, held annually since 1986. Participants bring their own equipment, clothes, and food, while organizers provide them with daily water rations and access to tents. Although the 6-stage race is a breakneck challenge, there is no shortage of volunteers. The oldest participant was 78 years old, and the youngest was 16. And yes, yes - there are fatal accidents. 15)