Saudi Arabia
Sand Origin
Desert outside Yanbu
Random Sand Fact
In Saudi Arabia, researchers have created sand that repels water, and it helps crops grow.
The world’s largest continuous sand desert lies mostly in Saudi Arabia. Water is precious there, and now sand has become part of the solution.
Each grain gets a coat of wax several thousand times thinner than a human hair. Pour water on the sand and it beads up and rolls off, like on a freshly waxed car.
The sand is spread in a thin layer over damp soil, where it works like a lid, so the water in the soil does not evaporate as easily. In field trials in the country, evaporation fell by more than half, and tomatoes, barley and wheat gave much larger harvests.
