58 Unbelievable Things People Stumbled Upon In The Desert That Nobody Can Quite Explain

Deserts occupy approximately 14% of the planet’s land area, and frankly, this area is only increasing over time. Deserts exist on every continent, from the gigantic Sahara in Africa and the Gobi Desert in Asia to the relatively small Mojave and Atacama Deserts in North and South America. And, well, human activity over the past centuries has directly contributed to the increase in desert areas.

Deserts existed long before humans, and they will continue to exist long after us. Generally speaking, two factors contribute to the emergence of deserts: high mountains nearby or a cold current near the coast. Indeed, if you look at a map, you will see that deserts are always found near mountains.

The point is that high mountains (or old mountains that were once high) block rain and winds, and so on one side, facing the ocean, there’s almost always excess precipitation and moisture, while on the other, a lifeless desert begins.

A classic example is the Himalayas and Tibet in Asia, which block the moist winds blowing from the Indian Ocean. Therefore, northeastern India, Bangladesh, and other neighboring countries are covered in rainforests, while to the north of the mountains stretches a broad belt of hot, almost lifeless deserts.

The same applies to the largest desert on our planet, the Sahara. The Atlas Mountains in northern Africa are very old and were once significantly higher, blocking the sea winds. Where cold ocean currents approach the coast, such as the Namib Desert in Africa or the Atacama Desert in Chile, precipitation is virtually nonexistent.

However, the Sahara wasn’t always a vast expanse of sand. Just five million years ago, almost the entire territory of North Africa was a fertile savanna, with rivers flowing, lush vegetation, and a multitude of animals. But time passed, and all this green splendor was swallowed by the merciless sands…

Yes, many deserts once harbored life, and where there’s life, there are people. That’s why deserts around the world conceal thousands and millions of different relics of human activity. Be it a coin dropped by a merchant crossing the desert with a camel caravan or an entire town abandoned and buried by sand.

Yes, it does happen, and some examples are quite modern. The story of Kolmanskop, a once-thriving small town in Namibia, Southwest Africa, is quite telling. At the beginning of the last century, diamond deposits were discovered here, and within just a few years, the diamond rush that followed made Kolmanskop a thriving place.

But all good things must come to an end. First, World War I broke out, and Kolmanskop, founded by the Germans, was left without any supplies. Then, after the war, a much more significant diamond deposit was discovered a few dozen miles away, and the entire community gradually moved to neighboring Oranjemund.

Today, all the houses in Kolmanskop are partially covered in sand, which simultaneously protects the buildings from destruction. About half a century ago, the De Beers company, the world's largest diamond company, restored some of the houses, creating a kind of open-air museum.

Today, Kolmanskop is a frequent tourist destination, and documentaries and feature films are shot there, but life, real life, actually disappeared almost a century ago.

Incidentally, economics often leads to the emergence of such abandoned places in the most unexpected desert locations. For example, in the Western US, during the height of the gold rush or oil boom, thriving towns with all the trappings of luxury life would sometimes spring up from nothing in a matter of years.

And then the money left them, and with it, their life. As a result, driving along the highways of California, Nevada, or Arizona, you can find abandoned gas pumps, supermarkets, or even entire children’s theme parks with peeling cartoon hero figures staring forlornly into the void right in the middle of the desert…