What are desert climate zones?

A desert climate zone is a geographic area with extreme heat and dryness during the daytime and cooler overnight temperatures. Deserts commonly feature sandy terrain. Ten inches of rain annually is the maximum received by any desert.

KnowledgeBears indicates that approximately 20 percent of the world consists of desert climates. South Africa's Sahara Desert is the largest such climate in the world at 3,500,000 square miles. Camels are common desert inhabitants because of their ability to store water in their humps. Some snake species and scorpions also thrive because they hide from the hot sun and come out to hunt at night.