Oasis facts for kids
Oasis in the Libyan part of the Sahara
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The Huacachina oasis in Ica, Peru
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In geography, an oasis is an isolated place in the desert where there is vegetation. Most often, this occurs around a source of water. Oases provide a habitat for animals and are used as a source of water for humans.
The knowledge of the location of oases has been important for trade and transportation routes in desert areas. Caravans must travel via oases so that supplies of water and food can be refilled. Thus, political or military control of an oasis has in many cases meant control of trade on a particular route. For example, the oases of Awjila, Ghadames and Kufra, in modern-day Libya, have at various times been vital to both North-South and East-West trade in the Sahara desert. The word oasis came into English via Greek ὄασις , which was borrowed from Egyptian wḥ3t or Demotic wḥỉ. It was not borrowed from Coptic ouaḥe (*/waħe/), as is sometimes suggested; the Greek word is attested several centuries before Coptic existed as a written language.
Images for kids
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Date palm trees in Liwa Oasis
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Al-Ahsa Oasis, also known as Al-Hasa Oasis, in Saudi Arabia is the largest oasis in the world
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Al Ain Oasis in the city of Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates
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Ein Gedi in Israel, Middle East
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Rubaksa in a dry limestone environment in north Ethiopia is an oasis thanks to the existence of karstic springs
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Twentynine Palms sign
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Creosote (Larrea tridentata) on alluvium at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, southern Nevada. United States
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Crescent Lake (Yueyaquan) in the Gobi Desert
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Liwa Oasis in Rub' al Khali desert
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Huacachina in southwestern Peru
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See also
In Spanish: Oasis para niños
