About one-third of the world’s land surface is covered by desert. Not all these deserts are hot and arid.
Antarctica is the biggest cold desert in the world. The blanket of two-km-thick ice covering the Tundra, howling winds and freezing temperatures stop plants and land-living animals from surviving. But the ocean around this frozen desert is full of fish and krill, so the coasts are home to millions of birds. Once the Antarctic winter sun sets, it is dark for more than two months.
The Gobi desert in Mongolia and western China is also very cold in the winter, when temperatures drop below freezing. However, the temperature in the summer is hot.
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Fact File: One of the animals that has survived the Arctic conditions is the polar bear. In very cold climates, animals need excellent insulation to stop their body heat from escaping. This can be in the form of dense hair, fur or feathers, or on the inside, in the form of a thick layer of fat or blubber. |
Picture Credit : Google
