A desert is a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the processes of denudation. Deserts can happen anywhere on the planet where these conditions exist, for example, the entire continent of Antarctica is by definition a desert. As little as 2 inches of precipitation (primarily in the form of snow) falls in Antarctica annually. The Sahara Desert actually has more annual precipitation every year. There are also deserts in Alaska, Washington state and other northern portions of the US.
