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E-newsletters  Product Center   Desert Biome - Introduction
All deserts have two things in common: they are dry, and they
support little plant and animal life. If a region receives an
average of less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain each
year, scientists classify it as a desert. Contrary to what most
people believe, all deserts are not hot. Some ice deserts near
the North and South Poles are so cold that all moisture is
frozen. This chapter will discuss deserts in tropical and
temperate areas. (Tropical areas are those near the equator.
Temperate areas are between the equator and the North and South
Poles).  True deserts cover about 14 percent of the world's land
area, or about 8,000,000 square miles (20,800,000 square
kilometers). Another 15 percent of the Earth's land surface
possesses some desertlike characteristics. Most deserts lie near
the tropic of Cancer and the tropi