arid zone
Parched land belt
An arid zone is a region receiving very little rainfall—typically less than ten inches annually—where evaporation exceeds precipitation.
Deserts and semi-deserts qualify.
The term appears in geography, ecology, and climate science: Much of the American Southwest falls within the arid zone.
Agriculture in arid zones depends on irrigation.
- cactusSpiny desert plant
- desertTo leave behind completely
- dry heatHigh temperature, low humidity
- droughtProlonged water scarcity
- rain shadowPrecipitation-starved leeward region
flash flood · desertification · xerophyte · scrub brush · salinization · wadi · nomadism · camel caravan · ephemeral stream · bone dry · climate migration · evaporation · Sahel · sand dune · irrigation · water scarcity · water table · badlands
- harsh landscapesdesert, tundra, arctic, wasteland, badlands
- Outbackoutback, station, red sand, cattle station, dust storm
- African ClimateSahara, Sahel, Kalahari, Namib, tropical
- climate zonestropics, arctic, desert, tundra, subtropics
- earth zonespolar region, arctic, Antarctic, tropics, subtropics
- ecoregionsecoregion, boreal forest, bioregion, biome, ecotone
arid zonerainforest
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
tropical rainforest · temperate rainforest · wetlands · swamp · marshland
arid zonerainforest
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
agricultural heartland · breadbasket · jungle · temperate forest · tropical zone