Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert is Asia’s largest desert area and it also covers some parts of Southern Mongolia and northwestern China. The desert areas here are surrounded by Altai Mountains to the north, North China Plain on the south east and Hexi corridor to the southwest.

The Gobi Desert is the world’s fifth largest desert and it is a combination of different geographic regions. The Gobi Desert covers an area of about 1,295,000 square kilometers and the major part of the desert is covered with bare rock. The desert has an elevation of 1520 meters above the sea level.

The Gobi Desert is famous for the explorations the first traveler to explore this desert was Jean-Francois Gerbillon in the year 1688. Most Nomads and early europeans explored the major areas which include

The Eastern Gobi Desert Steppe
It is the easternmost eco region that covers an area of about 281,800 square kilometers. It features the Yin Mountains and a number of low lying areas that includes ponds and salt pans.

The Alashan Plateau Semi-Desert
It lies to the southeast of the eastern Gobi Desert. It features low lying mountains and desert basins.

The Gobi Lakes Valley Desert Steppe
It lies to the north of Alashan Plateau and in between the Khangai mountains on the north.

The Tian Shan Range
It divides the Junggar Basin from Taklamakan Desert. The area here is low and it is bounded by high mountains.