Gobi Desert

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.

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.

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.

• Enchanted Learning: Desert Animal Printouts