Which is the largest desert in the world and what are the minerals that are mined there ?
Desert A desert is a landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. Deserts are defined as areas with an average annual precipitation of less than 50cm/yr (10 in),[1][2] or as areas where more water is lost by evapotranspiration than falls as precipitation.[3] In the Köppen climate classification system, deserts are classed as BWh (hot desert) or BWk (temperate desert). In the Thornthwaite climate classification system, deserts would be classified as arid megathermal climates. Terminology Deserts are part of a wider classification of regions that, on an average annual basis, have a moisture deficit (i.e. they can potentially lose more than is received). Deserts are located where vegetation cover is sparse to almost nonexistent.[6][1] [edit]Geography The snow surface at Dome C Station in Antarctica is representative of the majority of the continent’s surface. Many deserts are formed by rain shadows; mountains blocking the path of precipitation to the desert (on the lee sid
The Sahara (Arabic: الصحراء الكبرى , aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, “The Greatest Desert”) is the world’s largest hot desert. At over 9,000,000 square kilometers (3,500,000 sq mi), it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as the United States or the continent of Europe. The desert stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean. To the south, it is delimited by the Sahel: a belt of semi-arid tropical savanna that comprises the northern region of central and western Sub-Saharan Africa. The Sahara has an intermittent history that may go back as much as 3 million years.[1] Some of the sand dunes can reach 180 meters (600 ft) in height.[2] The name comes from the Arabic word for desert: Overview The top image shows the Safsaf Oasis on the surface of the Sahara. The bottom (using radar) is the rock layer underneath, revealing black channels cut by the meandering of an ancient river that once fed the oasis. The Sahara’s