Geo Quiz

Desert marathon

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'Sea of Death' (Photo: courtesy of Racing the Planet)

We’re looking for China’s largest desert this time. It’s located in the Uyghur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang in China. This desert is sometimes called the “sea of death.” Its name roughly translates as: “you can get in, but you can never get out.”

That may be because this is one of the largest shifting-sand deserts on earth, the landscape changes constantly, and you can get swallowed up in sand storms. But it’s also said to be a magnificent place, with towering sand dunes, and villages cradled in green oases.

On August 20th, it will be the site of an ultra-marathon. People from around the world will run about 60 miles in the desert. So where can you find this grueling 48-hour race?


Geo Answer:

Taklaman desert (Photo courtesy of Racing the Planet)

…. and China’s largest desert is the Taklamakan where an endurance race is about to begin. Jeb Sharp talks with Eric Lahaie who is one of the runners.

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