The territory of Australia is covered by deserts by about 40%. The rest of the continent is also arid. This is due to its climatic and geographical features.
Deserts of Australia are divided into several types: mountain, plain, clay and others. Stony deserts account for about 13%, and sand deserts - 32%. There are several world-famous wastelands on the continent: Gibson, Victoria, Bolshaya Peschanaya and others.
general information
Where is the Gibson Desert? It is located in the state of Western Australia and partially in the Northern Territory off the Sweden Plateau (eastern and central parts), on the western side it is limited by the Hamersley Ridge. In this area there are several natural reservoirs - mainly salt marshes. In the south-west there is a system of shallow reservoirs (lakes); the Canning and Officer River also flow. The desert itself is located between the salt lake Disappointment, which is a landmark of the whole continent, and Lake McDonald.
Gibson Desert (photo below) is surrounded by two others: Big and Victoria. It is believed that this territory appeared against the backdrop of the destruction of the glandular shell, which occurred in ancient times.
There are very few roads in the desert and one main settlement is Warburton. The territory has a wavy flat structure with the presence of island ranges. In addition to crushed stone, there are sandy areas, places with red dunes and plains. On the territory of most Precambrian breed.
Information in numbers
What area does the Gibson Desert have? It is about 1,555,530 square meters. km The territory is located at an altitude of 200 to 500 meters above sea level.
The climate in the wasteland is quite hot, the January temperature reaches +36 ° C, and in winter does not drop below +16 ° C. The average annual rainfall does not exceed 200 mm.
First researchers
Discovered this territory in 1874. They called it then "a huge hilly wasteland of gravel." And indeed, almost the entire territory of the desert is covered with rubble and unsuitable for agriculture.
Later it was named in honor of one of the members of the first expedition - Alfred Gibson. The leader of the trip was Ernest Giles. Alfred died during the expedition (1873-1874), when he was looking for water and separated from the main group. No information was left about this person except a brief description of his appearance.
In 1897, Frank Hann decided to find water in the desert. Indeed, he found her, and it was Disappointment Lake. But the water was completely unusable, which was a huge disappointment for the researcher. After all, he sincerely believed that there was fresh water in the desert, because the territory has many streams.
Flora
Despite the harsh conditions, vegetation can still be found in the Gibson Desert, although not as much as in other parts of the continent. There is very little rainfall, so the condition of the soil allows a very small number of plants to survive, which include: quinoa, veinless acacia, spinifex (cereal). There are hodgepodge and wormwood.
To preserve scarce vegetation and rare inhabitants on the territory of the wasteland, a reserve was created back in 1977.
Fauna
Some species of animals were able to accept the harsh living conditions in the Gibson Desert. Australian avdotki, red kangaroos, molochov lizards, striped wrens, emu ostriches, marsupial badgers, and mice live in this area. In the desert you can find rabbits and camels, which were brought by Europeans.
Around the salt marshes, large numbers of birds gather, especially after rain. These are honey-suckers, wedge-tailed eagles, budgies , Australian great bustards and some other species of birds.
However, many of them are on the verge of extinction, and not only because of the arid climate, but because of uncontrolled shooting by poachers. Even marsupial badgers, which once populated about 70% of the entire continent, fell into the category of endangered species. They suffered the most due to their beautiful fur. The problem is that a pair of animals leaves behind only one or two cubs.
Population
For many, it will be a revelation that in such harsh conditions that are present in the Gibson desert in Australia, people also live. These are the last indigenous people of the continent - the Australian natives of the Pintubi tribe. Until the end of the last century, they didn’t even make contact with Europeans; they completely preserved their way of life, which their ancestors lived on. It is also surprising that the natives use these lands for pasture.
Since 1984, the tribe has been under special protection and close attention of researchers.
Interesting facts about the representatives of the animal world
In the Gibson Desert, unique animals live. For example, red kangaroos are the largest representatives of the species. Animals can reach speeds of up to 70 km / h, with an average speed of the remaining representatives of the kangaroo genus up to 20 km / h.
Another unique desert animal is the moloch lizard. This is a small reptile, reaching no more than 22 centimeters in length, and his whole body is covered with sharp spikes. The lizard changes body color depending on the time of day, darkens at night, and brightens during the day. She retains moisture thanks to unique folds on her skin. Eats ants.
Interesting facts about people
The most interesting and mystical story related to the Gibson Desert occurred in the 70s of the last century. At a time when a severe drought began, explorer William Pesln equipped an expedition and went with water to the Manjiljara tribe, which did not want to contact the outside world. After a long journey, the people of the tribe were discovered, and people even managed to be persuaded to go closer to residential settlements. As a result, representatives of the Manjilljar tribe moved to the outskirts of the city of Wiluna, where they still live.
On the way, representatives of the tribe told the story of a couple in love who was expelled. According to the traditions of this people, marriages can only be concluded between representatives of different clans, but Varry and Yatungke violated it, for which they were expelled. Naturally, it is almost impossible to survive together in a desert territory, but everything once happens for the first time. And the couple wandered through the desert for about 30 years.
Pesln, after what he heard, equipped a new expedition and, together with one of the representatives of the tribe named Mujon, set off in search of. As a result, they still managed to find a couple. They were brought to the suburb of Wilun, where Varry and Yatungke teamed up with their people again.