Dasht-e Kavir

Dasht-e Kavir
Kavir by NASA World Wind
Dasht-e Kavir desert: satellite photograph centered on 34°44'15.20"N, 54°49'37.56"E
Iran’s largely uninhabited Dasht-e Kavir, or Great Salt Desert. Courtesy of NASA/USGS[1]

Dasht-e Kavir (دشت كوير in Persian), also known as Kavir-e Namak or Great Salt Desert is a large desert lying in the middle of the Iranian plateau. It is about 800 kilometers (497 mi) long and 320 kilometers (198 mi) wide with a total surface area of about 77,600 square kilometers (~30,000 mi²), making it the Earth's 23rd largest desert[2]. The area of this desert stretches from the Alborz mountain range in the north-west to the Dasht-e Lut ("Emptiness Desert") in the south-east and is partitioned between the Iranian provinces of Khorasan, Semnan, Tehran, Isfahan and Yazd. It is named after the salt marshes (kavirs) located there.

Contents

Climate and structure

The Dasht-e Kavir's climate is almost rainless and the area is very arid. Temperatures can reach 50 °C in summer, and the average temperature in January is 22 °C. Day and night temperatures during a year can differ up to 70 °C. Rain usually falls in winter.

The desert soil is covered with sand and pebbles; there are marshes, lakes and wadis. The hot temperatures cause extreme vaporization, which leaves the marshes and mud grounds with large crusts of salt. Heavy storms frequently occur and they can cause sand hills reaching up to 40 m in height. Some parts of Dasht- e Kavir have a more steppe-like appearance.

Wildlife

Vegetation in the Dasht-e Kavir is adapted to the hot and arid climate as well as to the saline soil in which it is rooted. Common plant species like shrubs and grasses can only be found in some valleys and on mountain tops. The most widespread plant is mugwort.

The Persian ground jay is a bird species living in some parts of the desert plateaus, along with Houbara bustards, larks and sandgrouses.

Persian gazelles live in parts of steppe and desert areas of the central plateau. Wild sheep, goats and leopards are common in mountainous areas. Night life brings on wild cats, wolves, foxes, and other carnivores. In some parts of the desert, the Persian onager ("gur" in Persian) and sometimes even the Asiatic Cheetah can be seen. Lizards and snakes live in different places in the central plateau.

Cultivation

The extreme heat and many storms in Dasht-e Kavir cause extensive erosion, which makes it almost impossible to cultivate the lands. The desert is almost uninhabited and knows little exploitation. Camel and sheep breeding and agriculture are the sources of living to the few people living on its soil. Human settling is restricted to some oases, where wind-blocking housing constructions are raised to deal with the harsh weather conditions. For irrigation, Iranians developed a sophisticated system of water-wells known as "Qanats." These are still in use, and modern globally used water-revenue systems are based on their techniques.

Features

Central in the desert lies the Kavir Buzurg (Great Kavir), which is about 320 km long and 160 km wide. In the west, a salt lake called Darya-ye Namak (1800 km²) can be found. It contains some large salt plates in a mosaic-like shape. It is part of a 4,000 km² protected ecological zone, the Kavir National Park. One of the most desolate places of Dasht-e Kavir is the Rig-e Jenn.

See also

References

  1. ^ "NASA - Dasht-e Kavir, Iran". www.nasa.gov. http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_522.html. Retrieved 2009-10-09. 
  2. ^ Wright, John W. (ed.); Editors and reporters of The New York Times (2006). The New York Times Almanac (2007 ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books. p. 456. ISBN 0-14-303820-6. 

Coordinates: 34°44′15.2″N 54°49′37.56″E / 34.737556°N 54.8271°E / 34.737556; 54.8271


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dasht-e-Kavir — Pays  Iran Superficie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Dasht-e Kavir — Localisation Pays  Iran …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Dasht-e-Kavir — [däsh΄tē kə vir′] large salt desert plateau in NC Iran: c. 18,000 sq mi (46,620 sq km) * * * Dasht e Ka·vir (dăshtʹē kə vîrʹ, däshtʹē kä vîrʹ) A salt desert of north central Iran southeast of the Elburz Mountains. * * * …   Universalium

  • Dasht-e-Kavir — [däsh΄tē kə vir′] large salt desert plateau in NC Iran: c. 18,000 sq mi (46,620 sq km) …   English World dictionary

  • Dasht-i-Kavir — Dasht i Ka•vir [[t]ˌdɑʃt i kəˈvɪər[/t]] n. geg a salt desert in N central Iran. ab. 18,000 sq. mi. (46,620 sq. km) Also called Kavir Desert,Great Salt Desert …   From formal English to slang

  • Dasht-e-Kavir — Irans Topografie mit Dascht e Lut und Dascht e Kavir Im Iranischen Hochland liegen die Wüsten Afghanistans und Irans. Sie sind durch die Wendekreislage unter dem Einfluss der Passatzirkulation und somit Wendekreiswüsten. Neben diesen Folgen wird… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dasht-e-Kavir — /dæʃt i ˈkævɪə/ (say dasht ee kavear) noun a desert wasteland on the central plateau of Iran. Also, Kavir Desert …  

  • Dasht-i-Kavir — /dahsht ee kah veerdd /; Eng. /dahsht ee keuh vear /, n. a salt desert in N central Iran. 200 mi. (320 km) wide. ab. 18,000 sq. mi. (46,620 sq. km). Also called Kavir Desert, Great Salt Desert. * * * …   Universalium

  • Dasht-e-Kavir — noun a salt desert in north central Iran • Syn: ↑Kavir Desert, ↑Great Salt Desert • Instance Hypernyms: ↑desert • Part Holonyms: ↑Iran, ↑Islamic Republic of Iran, ↑Persia …   Useful english dictionary

  • Dasht-i-Kavir — /dahsht ee kah veerdd /; Eng. /dahsht ee keuh vear /, n. a salt desert in N central Iran. 200 mi. (320 km) wide. ab. 18,000 sq. mi. (46,620 sq. km). Also called Kavir Desert, Great Salt Desert …   Useful english dictionary

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