Deserts Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth’s surface and occur where rainfall is less than 50 cm per year. Most deserts, like the Sahara of North Africa and the deserts of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Australia are at low latitudes. There are other kinds of deserts like the cold deserts, which occur in The Great Basin and area of Utah and Nevada and in parts of Asia. Most deserts have some …showed first 75 words of 381 total…

…showed last 75 words of 381 total…rain starts falling and evaporates before reaching the ground. Rainfall is lowest on the Atacama Desert of Chile, where it averages less than 1.5 cm. Some years are even rainless. Inland Sahara also receives less than 1.5 cm a year. Rainfall in American deserts is higher—almost 28 cm a year. Plants are mainly ground-hugging shrubs and short woody trees. Leaves are supported with nutrients with water-conserving characteristics. They are small and covered with a thick outer layer.