What you learned in school
Geography textbooks typically defined deserts by their hot, sandy characteristics like the Sahara. Students learned about camels, cacti, and scorching heat as the defining features of all deserts. The focus was almost entirely on hot, arid environments with sand dunes and extreme temperatures. Cold environments like Antarctica or the winter conditions of the Gobi Desert were not classified as deserts, leading students to associate deserts exclusively with hot climates and sandy landscapes.
What we know now
Geography textbooks typically defined deserts by their hot, sandy characteristics. Students learned about camels, cacti, and scorching heat as defining desert features. The focus was almost entirely on hot deserts like the Sahara. Cold deserts like Antarctica, the Gobi Desert's winter conditions, and high-altitude deserts were often overlooked or misclassified. A desert is actually defined by low precipitation, not temperature. Antarctica is technically Earth's largest desert, receiving less precipitation than the Sahara despite being covered in ice.