Taklamakan Desert

Definition

The Taklamakan Desert is located in northwest China. It is one of the world's largest sandy deserts, noted for its moving sand dunes and xerophytic shrubs.

Analogy

The Taklamakan Desert is like a giant sea of sand. But instead of water waves, you have towering sand dunes that shift with the wind.

Related terms

Xerophyte: A species of plant that has adapted to survive in an environment with little liquid water, such as a desert or an ice- or snow-covered region in the Alps.

Silk Road: An ancient network of trade routes that connected the East and West, and was central to cultural interaction between them for centuries.

Tarim Basin: An endorheic basin in northwest China occupying an area of about 1,020,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi). Its northern boundary is the Tian Shan mountain range and its southern boundary is the Kunlun Mountains on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau.