Interesting Facts about the White Sands National Monument You Must Know

How many of you know that the White Sand National Monument has been renamed White Sand National Park and it is one of the world’s largest gypsum dune fields. Do you know how White Sands were formed? To know more interesting facts about the White Sand National Monuments read our White Sand Monuments facts and don’t forget to play our quiz. We have got you everything covered related to White Sand National Monument history. 

9 Interesting Facts about the White Sands National Monument

• The White Sand is the National Monument located in New Mexico, United States.  This Park is completely surrounded by the White Sand missile range which covers about 145,762 acres  (227.8 sq mi or 589.9 km²) in the Chihuahuan desert. 
• You might be wondering why are White Sands white? The reason is they are not made up of sand and are actually known as gypsum which is easily soluble like sugar and salt, a clear substance that makes the dune appear like snow. 
• The White Sand is often referred to as surreal because of the African Oryx, an antelope species from east Africa. There are a total of 93 African Oryx that were imported from the Kalahari desert and today there are more than 3000 animals that roam around the dunes.
• The dunes drive is an eight-mile scenic roadway that runs through White Sands from the visitor center into the heart of the dune field. Where you can enjoy moonlight hiking, sunset tours, sand play, and other recreational activities.  
• This White Sand Monument has been completely surrounded by military installations, so they were closed for a few hours while they were being checked. The very first Euro-American exploration in the White Sand Monument was led by the US army officers in the year 1849. 
• Research shows that the ground sloth has lived in the White Sand and they were also hunted by humans 11,000 years ago and now over 300 plants, 250 birds, 50 mammals, 30 reptiles, 7 amphibians, and 1 fish species are there in the White Sand National Monument.  
• More than 5,00,000 people visit the White Sand Monument each year and the weather in the White Sand is clear with sunny skies that approximately last for 330 days of the year and most rainfall occurs during the monsoon season. 
• Most importantly, there is confusion about whether White Sand is a National Monument or a National Park. Trump signed an agreement with the National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal year 2020 and redesigned the White Sand National Monument as a White Sand National Park. 
• From four faces west (1948) to the opening scene of lady gaga’s music album and wye oak’s album’s title track the White Sand National Monument served as a filming location for many films.