Kumtag

The Kumtag Desert stretches southeast of Lop Nur, where great dunes occupy the dry eastern edge of the Tarim Basin. Winds shape the sand into long ridges and distinctive feather-like forms, while bare mountains rise beyond the desert. The region belongs to an inland drainage system: rivers reaching Lop Nur lose their waters to the arid basin rather than flowing to the sea. Sand and salt flats give this country its stark appearance.