Gerudo Desert

The Gerudo Desert is a desert in Hyrule that was first introduced in Ocarina of Time and reappears in Twilight Princess. The Gerudo Desert features some parts of the story line since both games each contain a dungeon: in Ocarina of Time, the Spirit Temple is situated deep within the desert in a location known as the Desert Colossus,  while in Twilight Princess, the Arbiter's Grounds can be found up north.

Ocarina of Time


In Ocarina of Time, the Gerudo Desert is made up by the Gerudo Valley, Haunted Wasteland, and the Desert Colossus. It features a large, vast desert that is not occupied by any of the races living in Hyrule except for the Gerudo tribe, who have a fortress there called the Gerudo's Fortress. After obtaining the Gerudo's Membership Card from Nabooru's Second-in-Command, the path to the desert will be opened. The desert is called the Haunted Wasteland, and it is not inhabited by any of the Gerudo, only monsters. This desert has a constant sandstorm that can only be overcome by an instruction given by the Gerudo to reach the final destination of the desert: the Desert Colossus, a massive statue carved into stone to believed to represent the Gerudo's goddess. Inside the Colossus lies the eighth dungeon of the game, the Spirit Temple, which is where Link defeats Twinrova and receives the Spirit Medallion.

Twilight Princess
The Gerudo Desert reappears in Twilight Princess in the Desert Province, located in the southeast corner of Hyrule. Strangely, the Gerudo Desert is completely cut off from the rest of Hyrule. It can first only be reached by being shot out of Fyer's cannon, and can only be left by warping out of it. Even though the game takes place after Ocarina of Time, the Gerudo tribe is nowhere to be seen in this desert. According to Auru, the desert once held a "prison to hold the worst criminals" of Hyrule. This time, Gerudo Desert is uninhabited by people, unlike in Ocarina of Time. It covers a vast territory, but most of its surface is a barren wasteland with no signs of life other than some monsters like Moldorms, Shadow Beasts, Bulblins and Leevers. It also has long endless holes within its surface which makes it harder to move faster through the desert. The Gerudo Desert has only three significant locations: Gerudo Mesa and Arbiter's Grounds, the latter which holds the first shard of the Mirror of Twilight. On the top of Arbiter's Grounds lies the Mirror Chamber, it being the only way to access the Twilight Realm. The mirror can create a portal inside a gigantic rock to the Palace of Twilight. The mirror was shattered into 4 pieces by Zant but later was recovered by Link and Midna. After the defeat of Ganondorf, Midna in her real form departs to the Twilight Palace and destroys the mirror, which is impossible to repair. Aside from the Arbiter's Grounds, the Gerudo Mesa is the only other important location there. Also located in the area is the Cave of Ordeals, a large optional dungeon where the Great Fairy's Tears can be obtained by reaching its floor.

It should be noted, however, that a mesa can be seen far to the south of the "playable" desert area. This mesa resembles the the Spirit Temple as seen from the Gerudo Fortress in Ocarina of Time. However, there is also a strong possibility that the Arbiter's Grounds and the Spirit Temple are the one and same due to their identical locations, the presence of the Gerudo Goddess of the Sand, and the presence of a large round mirror in Ocarina of Time that greatly resembles the Mirror of Twilight (the main mirror that reflects the light Link needs to shatter the statue's face and enter Twinrova's chamber). The presence of this mirror, along with the Spirit Temple's general theme of mirrors seems to indicate a possible connection since the Arbiter's Grounds was most famous for the Mirror of Twilight.

Link's Crossbow Training
The Gerudo Desert serves as the backdrop for two fixed stance, enemy slaughtering scenarios (defender mode) in Link's Crossbow Training. Bonus point items are much less common in this barren setting. The first appearance, during Stage 1, Link faces a constant onslaught of Stalfos rising from the sand. The skeletal warriors approach slowly and several Automatic Crossbow upgrades can be obtained by killing enemies glowing green.

The second appearance in Stage 5, seems exactly the same with different enemies. Moldorms will circle Link, mostly underground, jumping occasionally, which is the opportunity to shoot them. Between swarms of Moldorms, a group of Leevers will encircle Link before attacking.

Trivia
In Four Swords Adventures, the Gerudo tribe makes another appearance, but instead of being in the Gerudo Desert, they appear in the Desert of Doubt.