Vote up the details about the Si Wong Desert sure to quench your thirst.
As a setting in both Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, the Si Wong Desert brought viewers both highs and lows. On one hand, fans saw Sokka hilariously succumb to the quenchy powers of cacti juice; on the other hand, the Si Wong Desert was also the place where Appa was kidnapped in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the entire series. Beyond its role as a theater for major plot points, the Si Wong Desert is an interesting geographical location, overflowing with more than just lots and lots of sand.
While Aang remembers a Misty Palms Oasis buzzing with life, activity, and a natural wonder (a massive chunk of ice), the oasis viewers see in Avatar: The Last Airbender is less grand. The small town turned into more of a trading center, complete with several taverns, an inn, and a cantina. In addition to the Misty Palms Oasis, the Si Wong Desert also at one time housed Date Grove and Fort Bosco (an Earth Kingdom military outpost named after Earth King Kuei's pet bear).
Years after Wan Shi Tong's Library returned to its original place in the Spirit World, the Si Wong Desert itself became home to spirits. Following the Harmonic Convergence of 171 AG, spirits began to roam the world freely, primarily in the Si Wong Desert.
With three superlatives under its sands — largest, hottest, and driest — the Si Wong Desert is not an easy place for people to live or travel. As a result, this has earned the Si Wong Desert the nickname of the "Desert of the Dead." In Chinese, "Si Wong" means "to die" or "death," giving the Si Wong Desert the same vibe as North America's Death Valley.
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The Si Wong Desert Features The Quenchiest Ecosystem
The Si Wong Desert and its unique ecosystem are what first inspired Sokka to add the word "quenchiest" to the Avatar universe lexicon — all thanks to the hallucinogenic cacti native to the barren region.
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The Si Wong Desert's Most Formiddable Predator Is the Sand Shark
In addition to thirst-quenching, mind-bending cacti, the Si Wong Desert's ecosystem also boasts a few memorable creatures, like buzzard wasps, scavenger species like gilacorn (lizard-like creatures that don't eat beetles), and sand sharks. The latter is arguably one of the most terrifying creatures in the Avatar universe, as it weighs in as larger than a Ba Sing Se airship and features eight rows of tooth whorls.
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The Si Wong Desert Is Also Inhabited By Beetle-Headed Merchants
In addition to sandbenders, beetle-headed merchants also reside throughout the Si Wong Desert, where they are believed to have lived since ancient times. This people group has been dubbed beetle-headed merchants not just because of their beetle-like headpieces, but also because their ancestors once lived underground and survived the attacks of giant gilacorns by imitating the appearance of sour beetles.
