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FACTS ABOUT: Nomads nomad

Definition: nomad  Play nomadpronunciation  A nomad is a member of a group or tribe that has no fixed home and moves from place to place. OR a
person or animal that moves from place to place without a fixed home.
Pictured here are a group of gypsies, modern-day nomads.

Fun Facts


1. What is a Nomad: Nomads are people who don't live in one permanent place, instead moving from place to place with their families, pets, and belongings to find fresh grass for their animals or better weather: they are always on the move.


2. Homes That Move: Many nomadic groups live in special homes that can be packed up and moved easily, such as the yurt used by nomads in Central Asia, which is a circular tent made of felt and wooden poles that can be put together or taken apart in just a few hours: their houses are completely portable.


3. Animal Best Friends: Animals are a huge part of a nomad's life because they might herd camels, horses, sheep, goats, or yaks depending on where they live to provide themselves with milk, wool, and transportation: livestock is essential to their survival.


4. Following the Seasons: Nomads are experts at reading nature and usually move twice a year by going up into cooler mountain valleys during the hot summer and coming back down to warmer lowlands for the winter: they follow the weather patterns.


5. Masters of the Desert: Some of the most famous nomads are the Bedouin people who live in the deserts of the Middle East and travel across hot, sandy lands using camels, which can go days without water: they have mastered harsh environments.


6. Delicious Dairy Diets: Because they raise so many animals, a nomad's diet is rich in milk, yogurt, and cheese, and in Mongolia nomads even make a special, fizzy drink out of fermented horse milk called airag: their food comes straight from their herds.


7. Staying Connected: Even though they are always moving, nomadic families love to visit each other and catch up on news, share stories, and celebrate with music and dancing when different groups meet up at watering holes or trading posts: community is extremely important to them.