Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A sign along 136th Street designates the Scottsdale border in Rio Verde on Feb. 12, 2022. In just 16 days, a tony desert community ...

THE WEEK: Desert wellness in Scottsdale: the best of Arizona's Old West

A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or semi-arid.

Desert, any large, extremely dry area of land with sparse vegetation. It is one of Earth’s major types of ecosystems, supporting a community of plants and animals specially adapted to the harsh environment.

Deserts cover more than one-fifth of Earth's land area, and they are found on every continent. A place that receives less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of rain per year is considered a desert. Deserts are part of a wider class of regions called drylands.

Approximately one-third of the Earth's land surface is desert, arid land with meager rainfall that supports only sparse vegetation and a limited population of people and animals.

The meaning of DESERT is arid land with usually sparse vegetation; especially : such land having a very warm climate and receiving less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of sporadic rainfall annually.

Explore the world’s greatest deserts, their history, geography, wildlife, and breathtaking landscapes across the globe.

Desert plants and animals have special adaptations that help them survive in this extreme environment. Most people think of deserts as being hot and dry, but some deserts are actually cold.