Ecosystems
Karakum Desert
Desert
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The Karakum Desert covers roughly 350,000 square kilometers of Central Asia, occupying about 70 percent of Turkmenistan and ranking as the twelfth largest desert in the world. Rainfall is scarce, averaging only 70 to 150 millimeters a year, and the desert supports an average of just one person per 6.5 square kilometers. The Karakum Canal, the second largest irrigation canal in the world, cuts across the desert, which is also home to the Darvaza gas crater, a collapsed natural gas field that has burned continuously since 1971 and become known as the Door to Hell.
Facts
Area (sq km) Cross-Tradition Connections
Demonstrates
Shifting sands and sparse vegetation across the Karakum make it a frequent source of large dust storms over Central Asia.
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