semi-desert
Sparse, dry terrain
Semi-desert describes land that receives slightly more rainfall than true desert but remains too dry for most agriculture—typically supporting scattered shrubs, grasses, and drought-adapted plants rather than the barren expanses of full desert.
These transitional zones often border deserts proper: The semi-desert regions of the American Southwest support sagebrush and juniper.
Devoid of water
- drylandArid agricultural zone
- steppeTreeless Eurasian grassland
- scrublandArea of low shrubs
- evaporationLiquid turning to gas
Aromatic arid-land shrub
- saltbushSalt-tolerant desert shrub
- bunchgrassGrass growing in clumps
- acaciaThorny warm-climate shrub
- mesquiteThorny desert legume
creosote · tumbleweed · yucca · juniper · spinifex · succulent · drought-resistant · xerophyte
Semi-arid African transition zone
Feeding on pasture
- overgrazingExcessive pasture consumption
- erosionGradual wearing away
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- reptilesCold-blooded scaly vertebrates
rodents · raptors · ungulates · adaptation · water-hole · rangeland · ecosystem
Mobile livestock husbandry
- nomadicWithout fixed residence
- herdingManaging animal groups
- irrigationArtificial water supply for agriculture
- settlementResolved dispute or colony
livestock · subsistence · ranching · land-use
arid
Devoid of water
evaporation · drought-prone · continental · aridity · transitional
sagebrush
Aromatic arid-land shrub
- saltbushSalt-tolerant desert shrub
- bunchgrassGrass growing in clumps
- acaciaThorny warm-climate shrub
mesquite · creosote · tumbleweed · yucca · juniper · spinifex · succulent · drought-resistant · xerophyte
Sahel
Semi-arid African transition zone
grazing
Feeding on pasture
- overgrazingExcessive pasture consumption
- erosionGradual wearing away
- biodiversityRange of life forms
reptiles · rodents · raptors · ungulates · adaptation · water-hole · rangeland · ecosystem
pastoralism
Mobile livestock husbandry
- nomadicWithout fixed residence
- herdingManaging animal groups
- irrigationArtificial water supply for agriculture
settlement · livestock · subsistence · ranching · land-use
- MongoliaInner Mongolia, steppe, Mongols, nomads, Outer Mongolia
- biomesforest, grassland, jungle, tundra, taiga
- Central AsiaKazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
- Northern CapeKimberley, Sutherland, Kalahari, Douglas, Williston
semi-desertrainforest
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
tropical rainforest · wetland · swamp · marsh · jungle
semi-desertdense forest
Closely packed woodland
jungle · old-growth forest · woodland · temperate forest · boreal forest