Gobi Desert Facts

Gobi desert is the largest desert in Asia, while the fifth largest desert in the world, in terms of the total area. The region came into limelight when the American Museum of Natural History found the first fossil eggs of a dinosaur in this region in 1922-25. Further expeditions revealed many other Gobi desert facts, each better than the previous one. However, that hasn't stopped people from asking questions like is the Gobi desert in Mongolia? Or, is it scorching hot out there?

Gobi Desert: Facts about Gobi Desert

Did you know that the Gobi desert derives its name from a Mongolian word meaning 'very large and dry'? Were you aware of the fact that the mean temperature in Gobi desert can drop to as low as 25°F? Well if your answers to both these questions were no, you would be more than fascinated to go through some of the most amazing Gobi desert facts given below.

Gobi Desert Size
Gobi desert spans over the vast expanses of northern and northwestern China and southern Mongolia. Overall, the Gobi deserts covers an area of 500,002 sq mi, which ranks it fifth in the list of the largest deserts of the world. When measured from southwest to northeast, this deserts runs for a distance of 932 miles, and the same is 497 miles, when measured from north to south.

Subdivision of the Gobi Desert
One of the lesser known facts about Gobi desert is its division in five distinct ecoregions:

• The Eastern Gobi desert steppe.
• The Alashan Plateau semi-desert.
• The Gobi Lakes Valley desert steppe.
• The Junggar Basin semi-desert.
• The Tian Shan range.

Gobi Desert Climate
Gobi desert is a cold desert, which is typically characterized by low temperatures, ranging between 25°F - 30°F, and rapid fluctuations in temperature levels. Other than its far north location, the cold climate in the Gobi desert can also be attributed to its altitude, which ranges between 3,000-5,000 ft above sea level, and wind blowing from Siberia. The minimum temperature can drop down to as low as -40°F in winter, and rise to as high as 122°F in summer. Though snowfall is witnessed rarely in this region, frost is quite common.

Gobi Desert Animals
Even though the environment in the Gobi desert is quite harsh, a number of animals subsist in this environment owing to their superb adaptation skills. Some of the most popular Gobi desert animals include jerboa, Gobi bear, Golden eagles, Plate-tailed gecko, Asiatic wild ass, wild camel, Asiatic ibex, emu, black-tailed gazelle, Bactrian camels, snow leopard etc.

Gobi Desert Plants
In the Gobi desert, vegetation is quite sparse as the wind is the major source of pollination in this dry region. While blowing over these vast open stretches of land the wind transfers the seeds of the plants that grow here over a dramatic distance. Saxaul trees are the most common plant species found in Gobi desert region. Other species found here include convolvulus, tamarix, saltwort, wild onion etc.

Gobi Desert Desertification
Another fascinating piece of information about the Gobi desert is its desertification. This desert is expanding at an alarming rate, with an encroachment of approximately 1,390 sq miles over the grasslands in southern China being measured every year. Most of this desertification is attributed to human activities, such as deforestation and depletion of water resources.

These were some of the most prominent Gobi desert facts, which make this desert one of the most amazing creations of nature. Though it is an important attribute of the biodiversity of the planet, environmentalists fear that the desertification of the Gobi will have a devastating impact on the economy, especially in terms of agriculture, and hence should be curbed at the earliest.