Great Sandy Desert

About Great Sandy Desert:

• It is an arid wasteland of northern Western Australia.
• It is Australia’s second largest desert, after the Great Victoria Desert, and encompasses an area of 284,993 sq.km.
• It extends from Eighty Mile Beach on the Indian Ocean eastward into the Northern Territory and from Kimberley Downs southward to the Tropic of Capricorn and the Gibson Desert. 
• It is typified by longitudinal sand ridges, chains of large salt lakes, and occasional low rocky hills interlaced with Triodia (Spinifex) grass.
• The Gibson Desertlies to the south, and the Tanami Desertlies to the east of the Great Sandy Desert.
• Climate: It experiences exceptionally high daytime temperatures and overnight temperatures, along with far below average humidity levels. 
• The region is not very populated. The main population is made up of Indigenous Australians. There are two main tribes; Martu in the west and Pintupi to the east. 

Q1: What are Salt Lakes?

Salt lakes are widespread and are found under a range of conditions, including cold and hot temperatures. They are, however, mostly confined to semiarid to arid regions where evaporation exceeds precipitation. They are generally permanent or temporary bodies of water with salinities greater than 3 g L−1 and lacking any recent connection to the marine environment. 

Source: ‘Equivalent of Tasmanian tiger for bird watchers’ discovered in Western Australia desert

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