Shortlisted
The Gobi Desert
The ISF Academy, Secondary Division, Isaac Hon, 13
H
ave you ever wondered why the Gobi Desert is such an attraction to the world? Have you
ever actually deeply investigated the deserts of the world instead of being like: “Deserts
are just a big pile of sand and is very hot”? Well, the Gobi Desert might surprise you as
it is not just a big pile of sand nor is it very hot, (well it could be at times) in fact most
of the Gobi’s surface is bare rock and is known to be the frozen desert. With that being said, let me
take you on a little tour and give you a background on the Gobi.
The Gobi desert is in between Mongolia and China, it is a pretty vast desert. Unlike any other,
this desert is mostly flat and easy to travel around as only 5 percent of the desert are dunes.
Weather and temperature there is also pretty extreme, the temperature in Ulaanbaatar could
range from -47º celsius to 38.6º celsius, which in my opinion is, pretty crazy. During the stages of
research I have found something of my liking, dinosaurs. A large proportion of dinosaur fossils
were found in this desert, somewhere in a region called the flaming cliffs. There are also other
things that might tingle your interest, desertification by the gobi desert is happening at a rapid
rate, expanding into China’s grasslands and ruining the agriculture.
Something that comes to mind when the word ‘desert’ is heard is a harsh environment,
well it is true. People from a long time ago until now have not been able to develop much of a
difference in the way they do things as the climate and resources are a huge constraint. The
desert provides little water and little amount of grassy fields for livestock to sustain themselves,
once the resources run out in the current location, people tend to move out into a different area
to live. Therefore being a nomad is a good idea, and thats why the shelters that the locals set up
(yurts) are maneuverable. People also have to live close to animal herds for food. The majority
of the people who live in a such a place are the Mongols. Being a nomad is a tradition of the
Mongols and having visitors are their pride, the traditions says that: “Happy is the one who has
guests, merry is the home boasting a tethering rail full of visitor’s horses.” So when ever there are
travelers, they show full hospitality.
Hmm, you may think is that it? Judging from the photos in google, it is only a place with
sand everywhere. Well no, aside from sand there are actually plants that inhabit the Gobi and that
there are so many plants, the Gobi could be enough to feed a camel for the rest of its life (well of
course not only one camel). There are two main plants that live in the Gobi Desert, one called The
wild onion and another called Sauxal. There are other species of plants like the goyo plant, but
the Sauxal and the Wild Onion are the most common. Lets talk about the Wild onion first, these
onions are commonly known as the stone onions as well, this a perennial plant. These onions
prefer to grow on dry rocky areas therefore making the Gobi a perfect place for growth. Between
June and July the wild onion plant blossoms, corresponding to with something called the fruiting
period which is in between July and August. This is a pretty big source of food because the plant
itself lasts long and is flexible within such a harsh environment.
The Sauxal is a tree that can have a height between 3 and 16 feet, this is when the tree is
fully grown. In the Gobi, this tree plays an extremely important role in the ecosystem as animals
trespassing graze on the trees. The tree also provides water for animals who collect water in the
bark of the tree. These barks can be used as fuel and a source of water for travelers or nomads.
