Desert Plains Trivia Quiz

Answer: Red Sea

Also known as the Afar Triangle because of its shape, the Afar Depression is part of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. With a surface area of 136,956 kmē (52,879 sq mi) that touches northeast Ethiopia, southern Eritrea, and northwestern Djibouti, the Danakil Desert is characterized by volcanoes (such as the constantly active Erta Ale) and associated phenomena, as well as extremely hot temperatures. This very harsh environment contains Africa's lowest point, the saline Lake Assal (153 m/502 ft below sea level), as well as the slightly higher Danakil Depression. The latter is believed to be the "cradle of humanity", where the famous Australopithecus fossil named "Lucy" was found in 1974; many other hominid fossils have also been found there.

The locality of Dallol in northern Ethiopia (shown in the photo) holds the record for highest average temperature in an inhabited area - a staggering 35°C (95°F) recorded between 1960 and 1966, before the village was abandoned. In spite of its inhospitable nature, the Danakil Desert is home to the Afar people, whose traditional occupation was extracting and trading salt from the desert's numerous salt deposits.

The Eritrean portion of the desert stretches along the coast of the Red Sea, the world's warmest body of seawater. Of the three incorrect answers, only the Mozambique Channel borders the coast of East Africa, but it is located much further south, between Mozambique and Madagascar.

Answer: Arabian

Part of the huge Arabian Desert, the Rub' al-Khali, or Empty Quarter, lies in the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. With an area of 650,000 kmē (250,000 sq mi), it covers parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. The world's largest sand desert, the Rub' al-Khali is an uninterrupted expanse of windswept, reddish sand dunes that can reach heights of 250 m (820 ft); the dunes are interspersed with salt flats. In summer, the daily maximum temperature can easily exceed 45 ℃ (113 ℉), while nights can get rather chilly; as can be expected in such an environment, annual rainfall is negligible.

Very little vegetation grows in this inhospitable environment; various plant and animal species occur in the outer areas of the desert, while the central part is extremely barren and almost devoid of life - justifying the desert's name. However, large reserves of oil and natural gas lie beneath the sands of the Empty Quarter; based on geological and archaeological evidence, in the past the desert had a climate that was much more favourable to human settlement.

The Arabian Peninsula is the world's largest. Of the remaining three options, the Deccan and Anatolian peninsulas are also in Asia, while the Iberian Peninsula is in Europe.

Answer: toasted wheat

Like the Danakil Desert, the Lut Desert, or Dasht-e Lut ("Empty Plain") is notorious for record-high temperatures. This Iranian desert's specific record is for highest surface temperature - a whopping 70 ℃ (159 ℉), recorded in 2005. Part of the Afro-Asian desert belt, Dasht-e Lut lies in a basin surrounded by mountains (which accounts for its extreme aridity), near the historic city of Kerman, in southeastern Iran - covering an area of 51,800 kmē (20,000 sq mi). Its varied geography includes dramatic, wind-sculpted sand and rock formations (such as the ones shown in the photo, known as yardangs or kaluts), salt flats, sinkholes, and sand dunes. Often described as a lifeless place, Dasht-e Lut hosts a few animal species adapted to such harsh living conditions - especially insects, but also a few reptiles, and small mammals such as the desert fox.

The hottest part of the desert, a plateau covered in black basalt, bears the name of Gandom Beryan, which in the Farsi language means "toasted wheat". According to a legend, a load of wheat was left on this plateau, and found a few days later scorched by the heat. In such an environment, it would not be surprising if people were also able to fry eggs or bacon on the ground.

In 2016, Dasht-e Lut was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List for its unique natural landscape.

Answer: India and Pakistan

Mostly located in the state of Rajasthan, in northwestern India, the Thar, or Great Indian Desert, covers an area of about 200,000 kmē (77,000 sq mi); about 15% of the desert's territory lies in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Unlike the deserts mentioned in the previous questions, this large desert hosts a wide variety of life, both plant, animal and human: it is, in fact, the world's most widely populated desert, and about 40% of Rajasthan's population resides there. Some major Indian cities are located within its borders: in particular, the "Golden City" of Jaisalmer, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2013), and the city of Bikaner (known, among other things, for its International Camel Festival) both lie in the middle of the Thar Desert. The various ethnic groups that live in this challenging environment, depending on agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihood, have a rich historical and cultural heritage.

The khejri tree (Prosopis cineraria), a plant of the pea family, is the symbol of the Thar Desert, and the state tree of Rajasthan. Wildlife species include the Indian wild ass, various birds of prey and reptiles, and the Indian peacock, India's national bird. Quarries and mines also abound in the Thar Desert: the white marble with which the celebrated Taj Mahal was built came from the city of Makrana. Tourism is another important industry in the region, with camel safaris being especially popular.

Answer: Xinjiang

Xinjiang (formerly spelled Sinkiang) is China's largest division, though less than 10% of its vast territory is considered fit for human habitation. In fact, most of the region is covered by deserts or dry grasslands. The Taklamakan Desert lies in the Tarim Basin, south of the Tian Shan mountain range that splits the region in half. Its name has been interpreted in various ways, such as "abandoned place", "place of ruins", or "place of no return" - all of which aptly describe its inhospitable nature. This desert covers a large area (337,000 kmē/130,000 sq mi), most of which consists of shifting sand dunes. The wheat straw mats pictured in the photo are placed on the sand to prevent it from spreading.

Because of the rain shadow produced by the Himalayas, the Taklamakan has a cold desert climate like the neighbouring Gobi, recording frigid, sub-zero temperatures in winter, and highs reaching up to 40 °C (104 °F) in summer. In spite of this extreme environment, the desert was regularly crossed by caravans on the Silk Road, which found water and other commodities in the oasis towns. The remains of many ancient civilizations have been found in the area. The Taklamakan Desert is also home to the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel.

The Uyghur people are native to Xinjiang, though the Chinese government does not recognize them as an indigenous group; they speak a Turkic language, and the vast majority of them still live in the oases scattered around the Taklamakan Desert. Most modern Uyghurs practice Sunni Islam.

Tibet, also one of China's four autonomous regions, and Sichuan, known for its spicy food, are both part of Southwest China. Hubei, whose capital, Wuhan, has often been in the news in 2020, is part of Central China.

Answer: it is located in the states of Victoria and South Australia

With an area of ‎422,466 kmē (163,115 sq mi), the Great Victoria Desert is by far Australia's largest desert, and one of the world's top 15. Surrounded by other arid or semi-arid regions, it stretches for over 700 km (430 mi) between the states of Western Australia and South Australia. The desert was named after Queen Victoria by British explorer Edward Giles, who was the first European to cross it in 1875; the state of Victoria, which is not touched by the desert at all, was named over 20 years earlier, in 1851.

Sparsely populated, mostly by Aboriginal groups, the Great Victoria Desert consists of small sand hills, desert pavement (surfaces covered by closely packed pebbles), grassland plains and salt lakes, such as the Serpentine Lakes. Summer daytime temperatures can easily exceed 40 °C (104 °F), and rainfall is generally low. Because of these harsh conditions, vegetation is scarce, though the desert is home to various animal species - non only reptiles and arthropods, but also small mammals and birds.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the United Kingdom conducted nuclear weapons tests at Maralinga (shown in the photo) and Emu Fields, leaving extensive radioactive contamination that has not yet been completely eliminated. The town of Coober Pedy, the opal capital of the world, famous for its underground "dugouts", is located on the southeastern edge of the desert.

Answer: Montana

Located in the region between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Range (the western edge of the Rocky Mountains), the Great Basin Desert covers an area of about 492,000 kmē (190,000 sq mi). Compared with most of the other deserts mentioned in this quiz, it has a much more varied climate. While during the summer daily high temperatures can reach 32 ℃ (90 ℉) and above, with little or no precipitation, nights can get quite chilly; in winter snow is not uncommon, especially at higher elevations. In any case, differences between the various areas of the desert tend to be rather dramatic, mostly because of the region's rugged topography.

The Great Basin Desert's flora and fauna have adapted to these challenging circumstances, meaning that a wide range of plant and animal species can be found within the region - some of them unique to it. Habitats found in the desert include shrubland, grassland and woodland; the forests that grow on mountain slopes include bristlecone pines, some of the longest-living organisms on Earth.

The Great Basin Desert covers most of the state of Nevada, north of the Mojave Desert, extending into western Utah, southeastern Idaho and eastern California; a very small portion lies within the territory of Oregon. Montana lies northeast of Idaho, and is not touched by the desert at all.

Answer: steppe

With its 572,883 kmē (221,191 sq mi), located for the most part in Argentina, the Patagonian Desert - also known as the Patagonian Steppe - is among the world's ten largest deserts. The Andes that form its western boundary are the main reason for this huge territory's aridity, as they create a rain shadow preventing the moisture from the Pacific Ocean from reaching inland. On the other hand, the part of the desert that borders the Atlantic Ocean is affected by the cold Falkland Current. Although generally characterized by very low precipitation and strong winds, the climate of this vast wilderness is rather varied; winters can be very cold, with temperatures of -30 ℃ (-22 ℉) recorded in some areas, and summers that range from warm to decidedly hot.

Most of the Patagonian Desert is treeless, covered by the tuft grasses and shrubs typical of the steppe biome. The central part of the desert, in which the famous Sarmiento Petrified Forest (shown in the photo) is found, is a particularly barren, hostile environment, while its outskirts host a wider variety of habitats. A number of animal species make their home there, including armadillos, pumas, various ungulates, and the lesser rhea, a large flightless bird. Though rich in natural resources such as oil, coal and gas, the region is sparsely populated, and the few people who live there survive by raising livestock, especially sheep.

The world's largest steppe region, often referred to as the Eurasian Steppe, extends for thousands of miles from the delta of the Danube almost to the Pacific coast of Russia.

Answer: fog

Meaning "place where there is nothing" in the indigenous Nama language, the Namib Desert covers an area of 81,000 kmē (31,000 sq mi), a narrow strip of land that extends for over 2,000 km (1,200 mi) along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean; it touches Angola, Namibia (previously known as South-West Africa, and named after the desert itself) and South Africa. The barren, lunar landscape is characterized by huge sand dunes, which in some areas can reach heights of 300 m (980 ft). One of the world's driest places, with its most arid regions receiving no more than 2 mm (0.079 in) of rain annually, the Namib Desert has a relatively mild climate along the coast, while inland temperatures can go from scorching during the day to freezing at night. The coastal regions also experience thick fog for more than half the year, caused by the collision between the cold Benguela Current and warm air above the sea surface. This weather phenomenon has been responsible for numerous shipwrecks, whose remains litter the famous Skeleton Coast, in the northern half of the desert.

In spite of its aridity, the Namib Desert is home to a number of plant and animal species, some of them endemic, adapted to this challenging environment. With so little precipitation, the moisture provided by the sea fogs is essential to sustain life. On the other hand, human presence is extremely sparse, though there are settlements related to fishing and mining. The Namib-Naukluft National Park, one of Africa's largest game parks, encompasses a portion of the desert, and includes the Sossusvlei clay and salt pan, known for its ancient red sand dunes.

Answer: Spain

With an area of only 280 kmē (110 sq mi), the Tabernas Desert is considerably smaller than all the other deserts featured in this quiz, and not as inhospitable. However, it is the closest the European continent gets to a true desert, because of its high summer temperatures and low overall rainfall. Located in Andalusia, Spain's southernmost region, the desert is very close to the Mediterranean coast; however, it lies between two mountain ranges that isolate it from the humid winds blowing from the sea. Though infrequent, rainfall tends to be torrential, which causes erosion of the mostly barren soil. In terms of fauna, besides the reptiles and arthropods typical of desert regions, the Tabernas is home to a number of bird species and a few small mammals.

Owing to the similarity of its landscape with that of larger deserts, the Tabernas Desert has been used as a set for many films, such as Sergio Leone's renowned "spaghetti westerns", and parts of David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia". In more recent times, various episodes of the TV show "Game of Thrones" were filmed there.