Consider the following pairs of famous deserts and their geographic locations: 1. Gobi Desert: Cold winter desert located across northern China and southern Mongolia. 2. Kalahari Desert: Semi-arid sandy basin located in southwestern Africa spanning Botswana and Namibia. 3. Patagonian Desert: Rain-shadow desert located in southern South America east of the Andes. Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

💡 Solution & Explanation

All three desert pairs are correctly matched. The Gobi is a rain-shadow and continental interior cold desert. The Kalahari is an inland basin situated in southern Africa with semi-arid grasslands. The Patagonian Desert is bounded by the Andes mountains, creating a pronounced rain shadow that limits Atlantic moisture penetration. Desert formation is governed by continentality, atmospheric subsidence, and orographic barriers.