Living rough
Deserts are places where there is very little rain. These areas cover about 20 per cent of the Earth. Deserts can be hot or cold, sandy or rocky.
The Sahara in north Africa is the world's biggest hot desert. On a hot day, it can be 77 degrees Celsius.
The Sahara is a sandy desert. When it's windy, sand flies everywhere. There are little whirlwinds called waltzing jinns. Big sandstorms can cover a truck in just a few seconds.
The Antarctic is the world's largest and coldest desert. The temperature can fall to minus 89.2 degrees Celsius. Mountains and the freezing cold make this desert very dangerous.
The Gobi desert in Central Asia is very cold in winter, and very hot in summer. This desert has lots of mountains as well as rocky plains. As it's famous for its dinosaur fossils, many scientists now visit this barren place.
Although deserts are tough places to live, animals and plants do grow there. Some can live without water for a long time. Others are very good at finding underwater rivers deep under the surface.