Posted by Vaitas Kopos LT

The Gobi is the largest desert region in Asia and the fifth largest desert in the world. It occupies an arc of land 1,000 mi (1,609 km) long and 300600 mi (5001,000 km) wide, with an estimated area of 500,000 sq mi (1,300,000 sq km). The Gobi stretches across huge portions of both Mongolia and China. Much of the Gobi is not sandy but is covered with bare rock. The Gobi is most notable in history as part of the great Mongol Empire, and as the location of several important cities along the Silk Road. The Gobi is a cold desert, and it is not uncommon to see frost and occasionally snow on its dunes. Besides being quite far north, it is also located on a plateau roughly 9101,520 meters (3,0005,000 ft) above sea level, which further contributes to its low temperatures. An average of approximately 194 millimeters (7.6 in) of rain falls per year in the Gobi. Additional moisture reaches parts of the Gobi in winter as snow is blown by the wind from the Siberian Steppes. These winds cause the Gobi to reach extremes of temperature ranging from 40°C (-42°F) in winter to +50°C (122°F) in summer. The Gobi is supposed to be the most harshest place on Earth. --- The population density is small, fewer than three persons per square mile (one per square km), mostly Mongols with Han Chinese in Inner Mongolia. The main occupation of the inhabitants is nomadic cattle raising, though agriculture is predominant in regions where the Chinese are concentrated. The traditional living quarters of the Mongol nomads are felt yurts and orgers (types of tent). --- The Gobis plains consist of chalk and other sedimentary rocks that are chiefly Cenozoic in age (i.e., up to about 65 million years old), though some of the low, isolated hills are older. In the central Gobi the remains of dinosaurs from the Mesozoic Era (about 250 to 65 million years ago) and fossils of Cenozoic mammals have been found. The desert also contains Paleolithic and Neolithic sites occupied by ancient peoples. --- Great Gobi National Park is one of the largest World Biospheres, with an area larger than Switzerland. It contains the last remaining wild Bacterian (two-humped) camels, wild ass, and a small population of Gobi bears, the only desert-inhabiting bear.