Europe is a continent with some of the most beautiful countries, cities and towns in the world. It is famous for green meadows, sweeping hills, snow clad peaks, luxurious beaches and bustling metropolitans. However, when the speculation arises of whether there are any deserts in Europe, the common perception is that this continent has no desert.
This assumption is quite wrong, as there are a number of semi-arid spots in Europe that qualify as a desert. Especially in some parts of Spain, Italy and Serbia, these deserts are present and due to their unusual positioning, they are quite popular among the travellers of Europe.
There are certain arid and semi-arid spots, which are quite a spectacle to watch and worth visiting at least once in a lifetime. After thorough research on the subject and a trip around the continent, we came up with the following deserts, which can be very exciting to travel while exploring Europe.
Accona Desert, Italy:
Accona Desert lies in the heart of Italy, in the city of Tuscany. This desert has an unusually beautiful landscape. The rare formations of white and light color dunes make this desert a stunning place to visit. It lies in the semi-arid region and the annual rainfall is recorded less than 600 mm.
Therefore, you can occasionally encounter rain in this part of Italy. The human inhabitants are also found here in a good number and there are a lot of desert plants and animals in the area. The population focuses on agriculture and thus irrigation facilities are established here to help the farmers in cultivation.
Tabernas Desert, Spain:
These are the badlands in the southeastern part of Spain and are sometimes categorized as the only legitimate desert in the mainland Europe. Tabernas Desert or Desierto de Tabernas lies in the province of Almeria on the Andalusia Coast and is stretched over an area of 280 km sq.
The desert is quite hot and during the summers, the temperature sometimes exceeds 40 degrees centigrade, highest in Europe. Due to high temperature and less rainfall, the winters are not so cold, and the temperature remains above the freezing point. The land is mostly barren due to shortage of rainfall and the land is not prone to absorbing moisture, which is why there are very less number of plants.
Moreover, animal and human life is also scarce in Tabernas due to the weather conditions although reptiles like snakes, lizards and cacti plants are common. The best part of this desert is that it is quite famous among the movie crews. Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns was screened here, moreover, other classic movies portraying Old West are also filmed here.
Deliblato Sands, Serbia:
Deliblatska Peščara or also known as Deliblato Sands are located in Vojvodina in Serbia and is stretched over an area of 300 km sq. It is located in the southeast of the Pannonia Plains and is considered as Europe’s largest sandy terrain. The desert has an elliptical shape and was formed during the Ice age.
It was formed due to withdrawal of Pannonia Sea and thus due to immense moisture in its land it has a fair amount of forestation and animal life. The desert is an important core of biodiversity in Serbia and there are almost 900 diverse plant species found here, some of them endemic to anywhere else in the world.
The Monegros Desert, Spain:
The Monegros Region lies in between the Huesca and Zaragoza regions. It is not entirely formed of sand but also from huge stones. This arid desert has three rivers running through it, which resulted in lagoons and salt marshes. The Monegros Desert has mostly dry weather due to less rainfall and is home to numerous species of animals and plants.
Due to its specific condition, the plateaus are conducive to rare flora and fauna. Apart from having a rare landscape, this desert is also famous for Las Fuentes Charterhouse and Sigena Monastery. Moreover, the annual Monegros Desert Electronic Music Fest is also a great draw of attraction for the travellers. You can buy cheap flights to Spain and get a chance to encounter the amazing part of this luscious country.
Oltenia Sahara, Romania:
The Oltenia Sahara Desert is located in the Romanian province of Oltenia. This desert is famed for being the largest in Europe and is spread on an area of 80,000 hectares. The desert was not naturally present but was later formed because of excessive deforestation after the 1960’s.
Therefore, we can say that it is the latest addition in the landscape of Europe. Due to its large size, it has given the name of “Sahara”. However, unlike Sahara it is quite uninhabited by animals and humans.
The scarcity of natural resources like water and plants led to a dissertation of this desert, nevertheless, the government is taking several steps in this regard and due to plantation and expansion projects of the forest, now the animal life is starting to dwindle in this desert.
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