Difference between revisions of "Desert (range)"

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* [[Arabian Desert|Arabian]] - the Arabian Peninsula & Empty Quarter
 
* [[Arabian Desert|Arabian]] - the Arabian Peninsula & Empty Quarter
 
* [[Atacama Desert & Loma Coast|Atacama & Loma Coast]] - along the west coast of South America
 
* [[Atacama Desert & Loma Coast|Atacama & Loma Coast]] - along the west coast of South America
* [[Gobi Desert|Gobi]] - north central China
 
 
* [[Great Sandy Desert|Great Sandy]] - undiscovered Australia
 
* [[Great Sandy Desert|Great Sandy]] - undiscovered Australia
 
* [[Kalahari Desert|Kalahari]] - southern Africa
 
* [[Kalahari Desert|Kalahari]] - southern Africa
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* [[Taldy Kurgan|Taldy Kurgan]] - northern Turkestan
 
* [[Taldy Kurgan|Taldy Kurgan]] - northern Turkestan
 
* [[Thar Desert|Thar]] - west Indian subcontinent
 
* [[Thar Desert|Thar]] - west Indian subcontinent
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* [[The Gobi Desert|Gobi]] - north central China
 
* [[Ust-Urt & The Kara Kum|Ust-Urt & Kara Kum]] - vicinity of the Aral and Caspian seas
 
* [[Ust-Urt & The Kara Kum|Ust-Urt & Kara Kum]] - vicinity of the Aral and Caspian seas
 
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Revision as of 02:13, 24 March 2021

Desert (range).jpg

Deserts are regions where little precipitation produces hostile living conditions for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface, intensifying weathering processes through wind and temperature changes from day to night. Resulting fragments are scattered, collecting into dust storms, level sheets of sand or piled high in billowing sand dunes. In other parts, small particles are blown away, leavking shattered mosaics of smooth or sharp stones, forming pavements a hundred miles wide.

Plants and animals living in the desert need special adaptations to survive. Many of the monsters that dwell in the desert are the sort that have no need of food, or which may travel hundreds of miles in a day, in order to obtain it. Humanoids surviving in the desert cluster around areas where water can be drawn up from below ground or collects on the surface. Dehydration is an important concern. Desert water is often harsh to taste and smell, but will nevertheless sustain life.

The desert is productive in some degree, as the exposed rock reveals places where valuable minerals such as ores, salt, rare minerals and gems can be obtained. Additionally, plants growing in the desert provide rare materials such as incense and natural resins, both of which cannot be found anywhere else. These goods are exported out of the desert by caravans of camels. As deserts are large geographic obstructions between civilizations, tenuous trade routes are forged, enabling goods from one climate or culture can be exchanged with another.

Some arid lands that are thought of deserts are more properly thought of as barrens, as these regions possess short grasses and extensive areas of scrub brush.

Major Deserts

Below is a list of the most extensive deserts in the world:


Common Features

Below is a list of elements and features that are common to desert ranges:


Desert Creatures

The following monsters are common to desert ranges.


See List of Ranges