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INTRODUCTION

What are the types of DESERT?
Where is the DESERT found?
What is it like to live in  the DESERT?

EXPLORE DESERT

Climate
Plant Life
Animal Life
 
 

EXPANSION ACTIVITIES

Desertification
Challenge

 
DESERT
ENVIRONMENT & ISSUES

   
 
::: STUDY Stuff :::

DESERTIFICATION is the process by which arable land becomes increasingly dry until it is no longer fertile and no vegetation can grow so it turns into a desert.

Very little water moves through the desert lands, but it doesn't matter because the soil has the necessary nutrients for desert vegetation to grow. But when humans come and turn the deserts into farmlands, they must provide additional water to grow the crops. They provide for their plants with irrigation from rivers or wells. Such changes are becoming a problem.

When the water evaporates, the salt gathers on the soil's surface making it useless for farming. Also, when humans dig for water and use it, it eventually runs out, and once the water is gone it is irreplaceable.

In some areas near the deserts, land is still fertile. Burning and overgrazing of these fields is damaging the plants that help the soil keep its moisture.

The desert is growing, and once land becomes a desert it is very difficult to turn it back into fertile soil.

 

Could this be the end of fertile lands around the world?

GIVE US YOUR OPINION!! -->
 
::: SEE Stuff :::

Las Vegas, Nevada

The Anasazi, a Native American group, settled in the desert valley surrounded by mountains. Many years later, a railway was placed and Las Vegas became an important stop between New Mexico and California.

In 1945, the government legalized gambling to create more jobs and promote the population growth of the city. The Flamingo Casino was the first casino to be built. it was made by a gangster named Bugsy Seigel. It was a hit! Soon, other casinos began to open, all owned by other gangsters and criminals.

Hotel and motel construction boomed after the war, with showy new casinos being built. A trend began toward huge resorts and family-oriented theme parks. Las Vegas now has several huge hotels, including the MGM Grand Hotel and Theme Park, which opened in 1993 as the largest hotel in the world. These hotels and resorts play a vital role in attracting more than 32 million guests to the city each year. Today, Las Vegas is the fasted growing city in the USA and the greatest example of how humans have changed the environment.

 
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