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• The largest desert in Asia and the fourth largest in the world, the Gobi Desert spreads out across northern China and Mongolia. The desert stays so noticeably dry because rain clouds are blocked from the nearby Himalayan mountain range.

• Fast Facts

  1. Countries: Mongolia, People's Republic of China
  2. Range: Govi-Altai Mountains
  3. Landmark: Nemegt Basin
  4. Length: 1,500 km (932 mi), SE/NW
  5. Width: 800 km (497 mi). N/S
  6. Area: 1,295,000 km² (500,002 sq mi)
  7. Covers 500,000 square miles
  8. Northwestern region is known for dinosaur fossils
  9. One of the world's great deserts, covers much of the southern part of MongoliaBlue Peak: Gobi Desert
  10. Temperatures can range from -40 degrees to 112 degrees FahrenheitBlue Peak: Gobi Desert
  11. Deforestation and over grazing are causing expansion
  12. Climate: ExtremeBlue Peak: Gobi Desert

• Extreme Climates

  Though it does get hot in the summer, like all deserts, the Gobi is notable for being unusually cold at times throughout the year. The desert averages over half a mile above sea level snow and frost are common appearances on the higher dunes. The average temperature in the Gobi is around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, though in the summer that number gets up to around 65 degrees.

• Gobi Treasures

  An abundance of fossilized discoveries were made in the 20th century in the Gobi desert. The 1960s alone provided a giant collection of dinosaur bones as well as the oldest surviving mammal skulls. Paleontologists have discovered fossils of many now-extinct rodent breeds that lived over 100 million years ago.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Antarctic Desert | Sahara | Arabian Desert | Great Victoria Desert | Great Basin Desert | Kalahari Desert | Syrian Desert | Mojave Desert | Mongolia | Russia | China | Chihuahuan Desert | Bactrian Camel

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