The desert is a mostly dry and sandy region that has very low precipitation that is barely enough to support plant life. The evaporation in that area is so high that more water is lost than the water received from precipitation.  Often, the desert has little or no vegetation.

Fact 1:  One-third of the land surface of the Earth is made up of deserts.

Fact 2: Due to the desert’s hot and dry climate, this place is ideally used for the preservation of fossils and human artifacts.

Fact 3: Although the desert is normally dry, it does not mean that there is no water present in the area. Water exists either on the surface or below the surface in the desert.

Fact 4: The Baja Desert in California and the Sonora Desert in Mexico are the two places where the largest cactus in the world is predominantly found. This cactus is known as Cardon, and grows as high as 20 meters and lives up to 200 years.

Fact 5: In the world, bees are very likely to be abundant in deserts for their species than any place else. There are about 1,000 to 1,200 types of bees in the deserts.

Fact 6: Fungi could not exist in the desert due to its extremely hot temperature. To maintain the balance in the ecosystem in the desert, termites take the place of fungi. Termites eat, break down, and recycle cellulose.

Fact 7: Cacti are primarily the only plant forms that could survive in the desert. There are about 25,000 kinds of cactus all over the world.

Fact 8: Although humans do not prefer to settle in deserts or drylands due to the extreme temperatures, these places have been inhabited and used by humans for over 10,000 years now.

Fact 9: The Sonoran Desert is considered the hottest desert yet is the most biodiverse desert. There are 60 types of mammals, 350 types of birds, 100 types of reptiles ,and around 2,000 types of plants that live there. These animals and plants are able to survive in the Sonoran Desert due to the rainy season that they experience twice a year.

Fact 10: Plants in the desert, although appearing dead on the surface, still survive underneath the ground.