Whats the difference between a desert and a swamp?

Answer 1

One has an overabundance of water. The other has a deficit of it.

Answer 2

Water

Answer 3

In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation. Generally deserts are defined as areas that receive an average annual precipitation of less than 250 mm (10 inches).

Deserts have a reputation for supporting very little life. Compared to wetter regions this may be true, although deserts often have high biodiversity, including animals that remain hidden (especially during the daylight) to preserve moisture. About one-fifth of Earth's land surface is desert.

Desert landscapes have certain features. Deserts are often composed of sand and rocky surfaces. Sand dunes called ergs and stony surfaces called Reg or hamada surfaces compose a minority of desert surfaces. Exposures of rocky terrain are typical, and reflect minimal soil development and sparseness of vegetation. Bottom lands may be salt-covered flats. Eolian (wind-driven) processes are major factors in shaping desert landscapes. Cold deserts have similar features but the main form of precipation is snow rather than rain. The largest cold desert is Antarctica (composed of about 98 percent thick continental ice sheet and 2 percent barren rock). The largest hot desert is the Sahara.

Deserts sometimes contain valuable mineral deposits that were formed in the arid environment or that were exposed by erosion. Because deserts are dry, they are ideal places for human artifacts and fossils to be preserved.

Deserts usually have an extreme temperature range. Most deserts have a low temperature at night. This is because the air is very dry (contains little moisture) and therefore holds little heat so as soon as the sun sets, the desert cools quickly. Also, cloudless skies increase the release of heat at night.

A swamp is a wetland that features permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water, generally with a substantial number of hummocks, or dry-land protrusions. Swamps are usually regarded as including a large amount of woody vegetation. When a wetland area does not include such vegetation, it is usually termed a marsh. A mire (or quagmire) is a low-lying wetland of deep, soft soil or mud that sinks underfoot.

Swamps are generally characterized by very slow-moving waters, often rich in tannins from decaying vegetation. They are usually associated with adjacent rivers or lakes. In some cases, rivers become swamps for a distance. Swamps are features of areas with very low topographic relief, although they may be surrounded by mountains.


Swamps are characterized by rich biodiversity and specialized organisms. For instance, southeastern U.S. swamps, such as those mentioned above, feature trees such as the Bald cypress and Water tupelo, which are adapted to growing in standing water, and animals such as the American alligator.

Answer 4

A desert is a very dry place but swamp is a wet place but muddy too.
Desert soil is sandy.Swamp is dangerous as one can get drowned in it.

Answer 5

a swamp has water and trees , a desert has neither !

Answer 6

A lot of water.

Answer 7

Too hard for me that one, give us a clue!

Answer 8

Don't know, it's a hard q.........