Arxan, Xijiang, China Photograph by WWF/Ronald PETOCZ   Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, in central Asia. Deserts and Xeric Shrublands   286,400 square miles (741,900 square kilometers) -- about the size of Texas and West Virginia Critical/Endangered

· Desolate and Wild
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern

Desolate and Wild

Anyone who visits the Taklimakan Desert has to be prepared for some severe climatic conditions. This is the driest and warmest desert in all of China. On a clear day, an observer might see eight or ten tornadoes from a single viewpoint, and sandstorms in April and May can darken the midday sky until it looks like night. But because this ecoregion is so inhospitable to humans, it's also a biological oasis--the last refuge of wild bactrian camels, and one of the last homes of Asiatic wild asses.

Special Features

The Taklimakan Desert fills the expansive Tarim Basin between the Kunlun Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau to the south and the Tian Shan (Celestial Mountains) to the north. This desert is located farther from the ocean than almost any other place on Earth! As a result, some parts of the region receive less than 10 millimeters (1/2 in.) of precipitation a year. The Taklimakan is known as one of the worldâs largest shifting sand deserts. Eighty-five percent of the area consists of shifting, crescent-shaped sand dunes that may be as high as 330 to 660 feet (100 to 200 m) and have almost no vegetation. Temperatures vary by as much as 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) from day to night and about 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) from summer to winter.

	Camels live in very dry areas and can withstand extremes of heat and cold. To keep out sand and dust, camels are able to seal their slit-like nostrils closed.

Wild Side

Small populations of wild bactrian camels still make their home in the Taklimakan, most in the area east of the now-dry Lop Nor Lake. Although this area contains a camel nature reserve, the wild camels are still thought to be declining. The only other large mammal that's well suited to this region is the Asiatic wild ass, which has also disappeared from most other parts of China. And the endemic Biddulphâs ground jay energetically digs for food in the sand and takes short flights across the plains.

Cause for Concern

One concern people have about this region is the effects of nuclear testing in Lop Nor. Another concern is the decline in air quality as winds blow dust from lakes that have been dried through irrigation. Also, as people settle in the area, they divert water from oases to expand their crop irrigation. This threatens the existing oases and the creatures that depend on them. Finally, the gene pool of wild camels could be threatened by inter-breeding with the abundant domestic camels.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.