Even though we grow a lot of produce in the Imperial Valley, we actually live in a desert. In the desert we have low humidity because it hardly ever rains. We live in a dry heat. In the Imperial Valley, it is very hot during the day and very cold at night.

Despite the hot weather and very little rain, there are a lot of plants that can thrive in the desert. For example, in our desert you can see a lot of cacti and different bushes. You can also find many different lizards, insects and spiders. Coyotes, foxes and various birds also live in the desert.

Did you know that some deserts are covered with ice? Not all desserts are hot. In fact, only 20% of the Earth’s deserts are covered with sand. The others are all cold deserts, covered with ice or snow.

The highest temperature recorded on Earth was 134 degrees in Death Valley, California. The Antarctic ice sheet is the coldest desert in the world and makes up almost the entire continent of Antarctica.

Fun facts about the desert:

• In the Mario Kart 64 video game, there is a racing track named “Kalamari Desert”, which takes its name from the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa.

• The Sahara Desert is located in North Africa. It crosses 12 different countries.

• The original meaning of the word desert is “an abandoned place”.

• Deserts can be great places to grow solar energy.