The Gobi desert
Gobi Desert, Sevrey Soum, OmnGob Aimag
The Gobi desert, one of the world's great deserts, covers much of the southern part of Mongolia. Unlike the Sahara there are few sand dunes in the Gobi; rather you'll find large barren expenses of gravel plains and rocky outcrops. The climate here is extreme. Temperatures reach +40° C. in summer, and -40 in winter. Precipitation averages less than 100 mm per year, while some areas only get rain once every two or three years. Strong winds up to 140 km/h make travel dangerous in spring and fall. Great Gobi National Park is one of the largest World Biospheres, with an area larger than Switzerland. It contains the last remaining wild Bacterian (two-humped) camels, wild ass, and a small population of Gobi bears, the only desert-inhabiting bear.
Khongoryn Els (Singing Dunes) Omngobi Aimag
This is one of the few areas of sand dune formations. Up to 200m tall
and many km long, the Khongoryn Els are a popular tourist destination.
One Hundred Trees Oasis, Gobi desert, Bayankhongor Aimag
This small oasis on the northern edge of the Gobi desert provides food
and drinking water for herders and their livestock. The saxaul "forest"
in the background is characteristic of the Gobi.
Ekhiingol, southern Gobi, Bayankhongor Aimag
Ekhiingol is a small, isolated oasis in the Southern Gobi, surrounded by barren desert. In communist times this used to be an important agricultural research station, but now only about 20 families remain. Here grow tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, peppers and some fruit, which are sold locally. Getting the produce to other markets is nearly impossible, as there are no flights, and the provincial capital is 400 km away along a rough dirt track.
| Gobi photo gallery | Next: Forests |
