15 FACTS ABOUT MONGOLIAN GOBI DESERT

2023-03-21
Posted by Amicus Travel

15 Facts about Mongolian Gobi Desert

Mongolia Gobi Desert, the habitat of the rarest animals and a unique natural landscape. The area is often imagined as a lifeless desert like in many other parts of the world. In reality, most part of the Gobi Desert is a land of steppes, sands, mountains, rich with wildlife and also, it is a home of two humped camels. The Mongolian Gobi Desert is the largest dinosaur fossil reservoir in the world. The region is especially important as regards dinosaur fossils from the late Cretaceous period, which is the last of main three periods of the dinosaur age, representing the final phase of dinosaur evolution.

15 Interesting facts about Mongolian Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert is the largest desert in Asia and fifth largest in the world. The desert stretches in two countries territory. It extends out to Mongolia’s south and on the other side it reaches out to northern and northwestern parts of China. A Mongolian vast zone of desert and desert steppe covers almost 30 percent of the Mongolian territory.
People always imagine Gobi as a lifeless sandy desert. In reality, only 5% of the total area are sand dunes. The most of part of the Gobi is a land of steppes, sands, mountains and it is the home for camel breeders, rich with wildlife and vegetation.
Gobi has one of the world’s most extreme weather conditions with rapid temperature changes within a day and season.
Gobi holds the most important archaeological place where first discovered that Dinosaurs laid eggs. Gobi, which hid the dinosaur footprints until this time, came into the world’ attention this way.
You may think the desert does not have snowfall. It snows well enough to support its livestock and wild animals. Dunes of this area are covered with snow in winter. It’s rare to desert.
The Gobi is still growing as a result of climate change and desertification. Gobi camel herders are losing its grassland.
The Desert has one of the most hospitable residents. Nomads always lack of visitors. Therefore, always welcome visitors pleasantly and give you food and lodging if you need it.
The animals living in the Desert are various. You can see bears, camels, golden eagles, gazelles, Kulan (Equus hemionus) and even snow leopards. Also, rodents include marmot and reptiles.

The Gobi is not one thing. But it comprises of 33 Gobi with different features and climate. Gobi has canyon, flowery steppe, beautiful crags, wide hollows with few oases, saline and green saxaul thickets.
Mongolian Gobi has one of the biggest and beautiful sand dunes called Khongoryn sand dune. Its 6–12 kilometers wide, 180 kilometers long and rising to a height of 80 meters (260 ft) maximum height to the apex can be 300 meters (980 ft).
Ancient sub-species of the brown bear and only desert dwelling bear specie Mazaalai lives in the Mongolian Gobi. With less than thirty living individuals, the Gobi bear is on the brink of extinction. Mazaalai is the last preserved bear specie that does not live in the zoo in other places
The Desert is one of the few areas, conserving the Bactrian camel gene pool or Bactrian camel is native in the Gobi. According to the survey, almost 70% of the camel population live in the Gobi and semi desert regions.
The desert holds a very important historical place. The largest contiguous land empire of the world – the Great Mongolian Empire was flourishing in the Gobi along the Silk Road.
The Gobi is not only famous for dinosaur species discovery, but also well known for its rich natural resources. The desert is rich in copper, gold and coal deposits. One of them is called Oyu Tolgoi which is world’s third largest copper and gold mine.
Some geologists considered that Mongolian Gobi was once a bottom of sea in ancient time and found fossilized coral heads, ‘sea lilies’ and various shells in the Gobi Altai province.