Gobi Desert
This attraction is related to the countries:ChinaChina , MongoliaThe Gobi Desert is one of the largest deserts in the world and the largest desert in Asia. A huge arc of a long chain of deserts and semi-deserts stretches for more than 1,600 kilometers in the southern third of Mongolia and the northern provinces of China. Geographers divide this Asian desert into the Trans-Altaic and Mongolian Gobi, Alashan, Gashun Gobi and Dzungaria.
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The total area of the desert lands covers an area of 1.295 million km². They are surrounded by the peaks of Altai and Tien Shan to the west, by spurs of the North China Plateau to the east, pass into the long Mongolian steppes in the northern part, and are bounded by the foothills of the Nyanshan and Altyntag mountains and the Huanghe River valley to the south. The Gobi occupies the central part of the Asian mainland and is the natural boundary separating South and North Asia.
Video: Gobi Desert
” title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowfullscreen> Contents- Climate
- Landscapes
- Animal life
- Vegetation
Gobi Reserve - History of development
- Where to visit and what to see
Climate
Landscapes
Vegetation
In the more humid areas of the Gobi, one can see thickets of white and black saxaul and groves of low-growing elm trees, which provide excellent shelter for birds of prey. Ilms have a thick, short trunk and a broad, flat crown, and look like umbrellas. Some trees of this species in the Gobi reach an age of 400-500 years.
.In the semi-desert parts there are many shrubs of caragana and fragrant wormwood, almond, ephedra, juniper and baglure, which have adapted to survive on dehydrated and salt-saturated lands. And on the leeward side of the rock formations grow colorful scale lichens. Farther south, the vegetation becomes scarcer. But even here one can find shoots of astragalus, goby rhubarb, vaida, bilberry, Mongolian thermopsis, iris, onion, molochai and saltwort.
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Gobi Reserve
Although the desert is a place where human survival is not easy, the impact of humans on the desert landscape, vegetation and animal life of the Gobi, has not been positive everywhere. Therefore, in 1975, Mongolian authorities decided to create a large protected area in the west of the country, near the Chinese border.
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The protected lands in the Zaltai Gobi and Dzungaria extend over 5,300,000 hectares. The established nature reserve is considered one of the largest in Asia, and UNESCO has included it in the international network of biosphere reserves. On the allocated lands the landscapes of semi-deserts and mountain steppes are protected.
History of exploration
The Mongols have long used the word “Gobi” to refer to unpopulated, waterless and barren wastelands. Because of its inaccessibility, the Gobi has long been endowed with mystical properties, and people tried to avoid the wilderness. The ancient inhabitants of these places called the dry lands the Shamo Desert.
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Most, the people living in the desert today are nomads. The rare settlements are small migratory camps. Modern desert dwellers graze their camels, goats, and sheep on the arid lands as they did centuries ago.
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Camels are considered here the most valuable type of domestic animals, the most adapted to survive in the difficult desert conditions. Their wool is highly prized and used to make warm blankets and clothing. When shearing a camel, owners leave wool on its humps and head. This is done so that the animal does not overheat in extreme heat, so Gobi camels are easily recognized by their characteristic appearance – shaggy humps and “bangs”.
.Where to visit and what to see
Due to its wildness and beauty, as well as the presence of traces of ancient civilizations here, the Gobi is the most important natural attraction of Mongolia and China and is of great scientific interest. Difficult accessibility and extreme climate do not frighten travelers, and many motorcycle, jeep, bicycle, horse and camel tours flock to the Gobi every year.
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Car and motorcycle owners in the Gobi Desert are attracted to the Gobi Desert by the ability to drive fast across the long open plateaus. Population density in the desert expanse is very low. This means that you can ride for hundreds of kilometers and meet no one on your way. On such almost completely dehydrated lands you need to move, having sufficient supplies of fresh water and fuel, because on difficult sandy areas fuel consumption can reach up to 25 liters per 100 km.
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Nevertheless, there are still areas of desert land where no man has ever set foot. Only rare, specially equipped expeditions and the most courageous travelers reach the south of the Nemegeti Depression, where the terrain is practically uninhabited.
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What is it that attracts people to the Gobi? For a person who has never been to a large desert, it is hard to imagine how beautiful its open, windswept expanses can be. The night sky here is always especially bright, and the naked eye can observe a huge number of luminous objects.
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Sunsets in the Gobi are very picturesque, and they acquire special shades in the fall. The desert also presents a magnificent spectacle during the spring blossom. At this time of year Gobi is dressed in a carpet of bright colors and as if transformed. What are the most visited sights in the Gobi?
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The “singing” sands of Khongoryn Els are interesting for their soft, barchan shapes. It is the largest cluster of sand dunes in Mongolia, stretching for more than 120 kilometers. The light red dunes are 300 meters high and 3 to 15 kilometers wide. The sand dunes look especially colorful at dawn and during sunset. At this time of day they acquire a pronounced relief and are illuminated by a bright golden light.
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Bayanzag or Hot Rocks are famous for the fact that it was here that the famous American researcher Roy Chapman Andrews managed to find fossilized eggs of ancient dinosaurs in 1920. The rocky ridge has a characteristic red hue and looks especially picturesque during sunset.
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Tsagaan-Aguy Cave is located in the spurs of the Mongolian ridge Ikh-Bogd Uul, 40 km from Bayanlig. It consists of three halls, the walls of which are covered with shining druses of crystalline calcite. However, the cave is known not only for its natural beauty. Many years of research by archaeologists have allowed them to find 13 cultural layers here, from the most ancient times to the late Middle Ages. The Paleolithic site found here is more than 33 thousand years old. In addition, scientists found in the cave more than 9 thousand artifacts – stone scrapers, bronze products and inscriptions in the ancient Mongolian language, made on birch bark, animal bones and paper.
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Everyone who has been to the Gobi, note the extraordinary beauty of its landscapes, in some places similar to the boundless “Martian landscapes”. Amazing rock forms, long soft dunes, rare animals and unusual plants – all this fascinates and gives rise to the desire to return to the largest desert in Asia again and again!
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