Kavīr Desert, Persian Dasht-e Kavīr, also spelled Dasht-i Kavīr, great salt desert of north-central Iran. Located in a basin southeast of the Elburz Mountains, it is approximately 240 miles (390 km) wide. The desert is distinguished by its salt crust, caused by the almost rainless climate and intense surface evaporation, lying over treacherous quicksandlike salt marshes that are almost uninhabited. Settlements are found only in the surrounding mountain ranges.
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