creep across the frozen landscape. Icy rocks sparkle like silver in the weak light. A bitter wind howls. T e wind carries with it a curtain of snow. Hundreds of penguins huddle on a rocky point. T ere are no other signs of life here. T is is just the start of another day in the world’s largest desert. T at’s right. Antarctica is a desert. T at


T


might surprise you. You won’t fi nd any sand dunes here. T e sun doesn’t feel hot. Not all deserts are sandy and hot. T ey can


also be cold and icy. Or they can be foggy and rocky. All deserts share one thing in common. T ey are dry. Each year, deserts get less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of rain or snow. If you traveled the world, you would


fi nd deserts at the cold Poles and near the warm Equator. You would fi nd one in cold mountains. You would fi nd them near oceans, too. T ese deserts are all dry, but all diff erent.


he sun slowly rises over Antarctica. Its rays


10 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24