Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes

Map

Exploring the Badain Jaran Desert: A Unique Landscape of Sand Towers and Interdunal Lakes

The Badain Jaran Desert, located in the Alashan Plateau of northwestern China, is a remarkable example of a hyper-arid desert landscape that showcases a unique combination of towering sand dunes, interdunal lakes, and diverse habitats. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2024, this vast desert spanning over 49,000 square kilometers across the provinces of Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia, is the third largest desert in China.

More to come…

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Located in the Alashan Plateau in the hyper-arid and temperate desert region of northwestern China, the Badain Jaran Desert is a meeting point for three sandy regions of China and is the country’s third largest desert and second largest drifting desert. The property stands out with its high density of mega-dunes, intersected with inter-dunal lakes. It displays spectacular ongoing geological and geomorphic features of desert landscapes and landforms which may well be unparalleled. Noteworthy features, among others, include the world’s tallest, stabilized sand mega-dune (relative relief of 460 m); the highest concentration of inter-dunal lakes; and the largest expanse of so-called singing sands (describing the resonance caused for example by wind moving dry and loose sand) and wind-eroded landforms. The varied landscape also results in a high level of habitat diversity, and hence of biodiversity.

Encyclopedia Record: Badain Jaran Desert

The Badain Jaran Desert is a desert in China which spans the provinces of Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. It covers an area of 49,000 square kilometers. By size it is the third largest desert in China.

Read more on Wikipedia