Deserts (synonyms: arid lands; example toponyms: the Shalahari Desert, the Great Sand Seas) are areas of extremely limited rainfall. While deserts can be badland areas, polar areas, or other regions that experience low rainfall, fictional deserts are most often ergs (areas of vast stretches of sand that form into dunes). Fictional deserts may have desert towns, oases, mesas, underground cavern systems, ancient temples, and buried ruins. There may be trade routes that cross their expanses. Deserts may be sand seas.

Deserts may be created by rain shadows, and may be located adjacent to mountain ranges.

Oases

Mesas

Caves

Canyons

Mountains

Sandfalls

Deserts often feature expansive sky regions and perhaps fictional constellations.

Fictional deserts are often areas where sands and time have worn down structures from a long past age. Ancient temples or ancient tombs may be waiting to be explored. In addition, towns and cities that exist within deserts or on different sides may require trade routes to exist or to generate great wealth.

Ruins

Ancient Tombs

Mesa Towns

Cliffside Cities

Archeological Sites

Trade Routes

Deserts can be inhospitable places due to the lack of water. Because of this they may be located on borders, as conquering these lands can be difficult. It also may mean that towns, cities, and other inhabited regions may be clustered around whatever rivers, oases, subterranean aquifers or underground lakes that do exist in the area.

Aqueducts

Wells

Cisterns

In desert regions aqueducts may be used to transport water long distances and cisterns used to store it.

The people and cultures of the desert may adopt clothing fashions that use fabric to cover themselves from the sun while remaining light enough to avoid overheating. The architecture of the region may be sand or stone-based. Desert vehicles may feature filtration systems capable of removing sand and dust from critical systems. Fictional desert animals may have evolved attributes and behaviors to help keep them cool, such as ways of dissipating heat or being active at night when it is cooler.