Taklamakan Desert

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/taklamakan-desert

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Where is the Taklamakan Desert?Tarim Basin, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China
2. How many people live in the Taklamakan Desert?Estimated 2.5 million inhabitants, primarily in oasis settlements
3. What language do people speak in the Taklamakan Desert?Mandarin Chinese (national), Uyghur (regional)
4. What money is used in the Taklamakan Desert?Renminbi (Yuan) (CNY)
5. Which continent is the Taklamakan Desert in?Asia
6. Why is it called the "sea of death"?It is called the "sea of death" because the desert can get hotter than 40°C in summer and colder than –20°C in winter, and it has almost no rain.

Erg: A vast, sandy desert characterized by extensive areas of shifting sand dunes.
Tarim Basin: A large endorheic basin in northwest China, surrounded by mountain ranges, containing the Taklamakan Desert.
Bactrian Camel: A large, two-humped camel species native to the steppes of Central Asia, well-adapted to desert environments.
Desertification: The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.