Think Deserts Are Boring? These 10 Gorgeous Ones Will Change Your Mind
By Joe Batruny
While the planet’s most impressive mountains, forests, lakes, and tourist attractions are showcased on every corner of the world wide web, one of Earth’s most inspiring natural art forms is to a great extent neglected — the desert.
A desert is an arid, barren land with little vegetation. Essentially uninhabited in comparison to most other biomes (due to the hostile environment), deserts make up roughly one-third of the planet’s land area. While the desert archetype may come to mind as sandy and sweltering, some of Earth’s deserts extend to the planet’s frozen poles.
Though deserts are no less inhospitable today than in the past, our modern methods of transportation allow us a close-up look at these regions that were previously considered extremely difficult — or impossible — to reach.
More from Matador:
51 natural wonders so amazing it’s hard to believe they exist
30 of the world’s most impressive ancient ruins
14 legendary natural wonders of South America
