A vast cold desert of bare rock and gravel, kept dry by the rain shadow of the Himalayas.
Area
1,300,000 km²
Continent
Asia
Location
Southern Mongolia & northern China
Temperature
−40°C to +45°C
Rainfall
Under 200 mm a year
Climate
Cold desert
About the Gobi Desert
The Gobi spreads across southern Mongolia and northern China, a cold desert of bare rock, gravel plains and some dunes. The Himalayas block rain-bearing clouds, leaving it dry and subject to huge temperature swings — scorching summers and bitter, snowy winters. Its rocks are a treasure trove of dinosaur fossils.
Did you know?
The first dinosaur eggs known to science were discovered in the Gobi in the 1920s.
Highlights
- Kept dry by the Himalayan rain shadow
- Famous dinosaur fossil beds
- Huge summer-to-winter temperature swings
Photo gallery
Life in the Gobi Desert
Animals, birds and plants that have adapted to survive this landscape.
Animals
Bactrian camel
The two-humped camel of Central Asia, built for freezing cold-desert winters.
Snow leopard
The elusive “ghost of the mountains”, prowling cold-desert ranges.
Jerboa
A tiny hopping rodent with long hind legs, bounding like a mini-kangaroo.
Birds
Houbara bustard
A well-camouflaged desert bird of Arabia and Central Asia.
Golden eagle
A mighty raptor that patrols open desert mountains and plains.
Trees & plants
Saxaul
A gnarled Central-Asian tree that anchors shifting cold-desert sands.
Day & night in the Gobi Desert
Deserts are famous for their extreme temperature swings. Flip between day and night to feel the difference — these are typical figures for a cold desert.
Midday sun
+32°C
typical daytime high
Hot or mild summer days swing to bitterly cold nights, and winters can stay far below freezing — these deserts see some of the biggest temperature ranges on Earth.
Recorded range for the Gobi Desert: −40°C to +45°C