Deserts cover nearly half the world and are classified as dry, semi-arid, arid, and hyper-arid. These include the hot deserts, such as the Sahara, the cold continental deserts such as the Gobi, the coastal deserts such as the Namib and Atacama, and the North American deserts. Providing an in-depth look at the history, geography, peoples, various surfaces, plants, and animals, ""Deserts, Revised Edition"" is an expanded update that will be useful to high school students interested in this fascinating ecosystem.The revised edition is substantially different from the first edition, with updated facts and figures, rewritten text, and new scientific research, including information on the climatic conditions that produce deserts and the climate cycles that make them expand and contract. ""Deserts, Revised Edition"" also explores the locations and general types of deserts, and provides detailed accounts of the most important deserts. It discusses the development and impact of the oil industry in Africa and the Middle East as well as the opportunities for tourism. It also explains the ways in which local weather can sometimes be manipulated. Diagrams, full-color photographs and illustrations, and informative sidebars enhance this accessible book.

 

This book is aimed at children in secondary school.

There are 272 pages in this book. This book was published 2008 by Facts On File Inc .

Michael Allaby has written numerous books on nature, the environment, and weather, including Facts On File's highly successful Dangerous Weather set, two of the four volumes in the Ecosystem set, and the recently published two-volume Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate. He resides in Tighnabruaich, Scotland.