A2 Physical Crib Sheets :
A2 Arid and Semi-Arid Environments
10.1 Hot arid and semi-arid climates
Global distribution and climatic characteristics of hot arid and semi-arid environments.
• Distribution :
Include: Great Basin (SW USA), Great Plains (USA), Sonoran, Mojave, Chihuahuan, Atacama, Patagonia,
Sahara, Sahel, Kalahari, Namib, Syrian desert, Rub al Khali, Great Indian desert (Thar), Takla Makan, Gobi, Great
Sandy, Gibson desert, Great Victoria desert.
• Climatic Characteristics :
- ( 1) Low latitude continental interior desert
• Example: In Salah, Algeria, central Sahara
- (2) Low latitude coastal desert
• Example: Walvis Bay, Namibia
- (3) Mid-latitude continental interior desert
• Example: Kashi (or Kashgar), China, western Takla Makan
- (4) Semi-desert climate
• Example Ndjamena, Chad, western Sahel
Characteristics of vegetation