Gobi Desert
Asian arid wasteland
The Gobi Desert is a vast arid region spanning northern China and southern Mongolia, one of the largest deserts in the world.
Unlike sandy Saharan landscapes, the Gobi is mostly bare rock and gravel.
Its name comes from a Mongolian word meaning waterless place.
The Silk Road crossed the Gobi Desert.
Treeless Eurasian grassland
- sand dunesWind-sculpted sediment formations
- basinConcave water receptacle
- plateauFlat highland area
- badlandsArid, heavily eroded terrain
dry lakes · oasis · ravines · rocky outcrops · salt flats · windswept plains · rain shadow · Central Asia
Chinese autonomous region
- XinjiangChinese autonomous region
- Hexi CorridorNorthwest China trade passage
- desertificationLand becoming barren, infertile
- afforestationIntroducing woods to treeless land
Portable nomadic tent
- yurtFelt-covered nomad tent
- herdersLivestock guardians and guides
- pastoralismMobile livestock husbandry
- MongolCentral Asian pastoral people
Kazakh · livestock · goat herding · cashmere · felt · horse culture · seasonal migration · traditional lifestyle
Devoid of water
- droughtProlonged water scarcity
- parchedExtremely dry or thirsty
- extreme temperaturesSevere heat or cold conditions
- dust stormsWindblown particulate weather events
sandstorms · evaporation · dehydration · aridity · desiccation · temperature extremes · harsh winters
Traveling group with goods
- caravanseraiTraveler's courtyard lodge
- trade routesPaths for exchanging goods
- merchantsThose who conduct commerce
- Marco PoloMedieval Venetian who reached China
oasis towns · commerce · cultural exchange · spices · silk · travelers · ancient routes · waystation
Mongol Empire's founder
- national parkProtected land for conservation
- singing sandsSound-producing sand formations
Undomesticated equid species
- snow leopardSpotted highland feline
- jerboaBipedal desert rodent
- ibexWild mountain caprine
- gazelleSwift, slender antelope
Przewalski's horse · lammergeier · endangered species · adaptation
Fast predatory dinosaur genus
- ProtoceratopsCeratopsian dinosaur, Cretaceous Mongolia
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
- excavationAct of unearthing
- CretaceousFinal Mesozoic period
Minimal plant life present
- scrublandArea of low shrubs
- drought-resistantAble to withstand aridity
- tamariskDrought-resistant flowering shrub
- wild onionUncultivated edible allium
steppe
Treeless Eurasian grassland
- sand dunesWind-sculpted sediment formations
- basinConcave water receptacle
- plateauFlat highland area
badlands · dry lakes · oasis · ravines · rocky outcrops · salt flats · windswept plains · rain shadow · Central Asia
Inner Mongolia
Chinese autonomous region
- XinjiangChinese autonomous region
- Hexi CorridorNorthwest China trade passage
- desertificationLand becoming barren, infertile
ger
Portable nomadic tent
- yurtFelt-covered nomad tent
- herdersLivestock guardians and guides
- pastoralismMobile livestock husbandry
Mongol · Kazakh · livestock · goat herding · cashmere · felt · horse culture · seasonal migration · traditional lifestyle · nomadism
arid
Devoid of water
- droughtProlonged water scarcity
- parchedExtremely dry or thirsty
- extreme temperaturesSevere heat or cold conditions
dust storms · sandstorms · evaporation · dehydration · aridity · desiccation · temperature extremes · harsh winters
caravan
Traveling group with goods
- caravanseraiTraveler's courtyard lodge
- trade routesPaths for exchanging goods
- merchantsThose who conduct commerce
Marco Polo · oasis towns · commerce · cultural exchange · spices · silk · travelers · ancient routes · waystation
Genghis Khan
Mongol Empire's founder
- national parkProtected land for conservation
- singing sandsSound-producing sand formations
wild ass
Undomesticated equid species
- snow leopardSpotted highland feline
- jerboaBipedal desert rodent
- ibexWild mountain caprine
gazelle · Przewalski's horse · lammergeier · endangered species · adaptation
Velociraptor
Fast predatory dinosaur genus
- ProtoceratopsCeratopsian dinosaur, Cretaceous Mongolia
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
- excavationAct of unearthing
sparse vegetation
Minimal plant life present
- scrublandArea of low shrubs
- drought-resistantAble to withstand aridity
- tamariskDrought-resistant flowering shrub
wild onion · sagebrush · saltwort · xerophyte
- Eurasian GeographyHimalayas, Tibetan Plateau, Ganges River, Yangtze River, Caspian Sea
- China PlacesBeijing, Shanghai, Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square
- MongoliaInner Mongolia, steppe, Mongols, nomads, Outer Mongolia
- Asian LandformsHimalayas, Yangtze River, Yellow River, Tibetan Plateau, Mount Everest
- AsiaChina, India, Japan, Thailand, Korea
- desertsand, sand dunes, sand dune, dune, dunes
Gobi DesertAmazon rainforest
Largest tropical forest ecosystem
Congo rainforest · tropical rainforest · Borneo · Pacific Northwest · wetlands
Gobi Desertrainforest
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
jungle · tropical forest · old-growth forest · Amazonia · fertile valley
Gobi DesertAntarctica
Southernmost continental landmass
Arctic · Siberia · tundra · polar ice cap · glacier