A desert primarily refers to an area completely covered in sand, with scarce vegetation, minimal rainfall, and dry air. Often termed "desert-scape," it represents arid regions with minimal plant life, mostly sand beaches, dunes, and sometimes rocky terrain.

Some deserts, such as salt flats, lack any vegetation. Typically wind-shaped, deserts often contain valuable mineral deposits and substantial oil reserves. With sparse inhabitants, these regions facilitate easier resource extraction and are intriguing sites for archaeologists, offering human artifacts and ancient fossils.

Deserts exist across all continents, formed by climatic and geographic influences. Most desert regions are located on either side of the equator. Air at around 10 kilometers in height descends, increasing air pressure and temperature in previously arid, hot areas, intensifying dryness.

Reduced cloud cover and increased sunlight, along with limited precipitation, favor desert formation. Rain shadow regions created on the leeward side of mountains, where rainfall is limited, can also result in desert formation.

An exemplary case is the Patagonian Desert in South America. Moist Pacific air blows toward the continent, rising due to mountain ranges, resulting in rainfall. As the air moves over the mountains and descends, it becomes dry with minimal moisture.

Areas receiving annual precipitation below 250 millimeters are classified as deserts. Prolonged low rainfall leads to vegetation loss, exposing and desiccating soil, eventually eroding it into sand, and ultimately causing land desertification.

Desert climates are extremely arid, often with no rainfall throughout the year, accompanied by significant day-night temperature fluctuations of up to 25-30°C, frequent high winds, and sandstorms.

Various desert plants uniquely adapt to these conditions: xerophytic plants have developed extensive root systems and reduced leaves to absorb and retain water; succulents possess numerous water-storing cells, closing stomata during the day to reduce transpiration, only performing photosynthesis using absorbed light energy, and opening at night to absorb carbon dioxide;

Short-lived plants rapidly complete growth cycles during brief rainy periods using seeds or underground organs; salt-tolerant plants directly utilize higher saline water, storing or excreting salt to survive. Moreover, some desert plants possess epidermal layers and fibrous sheath structures in stem bases and roots, protecting against scorching sand particles.

Reptiles and rodents in deserts dwell underground and exhibit acute hearing, some species survive solely on the moisture from their food, while others hibernate through extreme dry spells.

According to the United Nations, roughly 70,000 square kilometers of land worldwide transform into deserts annually, partly due to natural climate changes and partly due to human-induced global warming and soil erosion. In the Sahel region (separating the northern Sahara Desert from humid southern Africa), people prevent desertification by planting green shrubs, trees, and vegetation.