When one thinks of the Gobi desert in Mongolia, they might well picture an endless landscape of sand dunes in their mind. Yet less than five percent of the Gobi is comprised of actual dunes. In other words, it’s not the Sahara or the Kalahari. It is, however, a unique desert in its own right. It’s big—about 1,000 miles east to west and 500 miles north to south.

Mongolia has stood apart from Russia, the Soviet Union, Stalin, Mao and Mainland China to remain culturally significant and enduring. In the Nemegt Basin, fossil remains and ancient tools go back over 100,000 years. Over the millennia, the Gobi has captured the imagination of Westerners—think of Marco Polo trekking across in the company of Medieval caravans.

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