World Deserts Map


Desert Map Of World

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World Desert Map
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*The World Desert Map with current country boundaries.

Disclaimer: All efforts have been made to make this image accurate. However Mapping Digiworld Pvt Ltd and its directors do not own any responsibility for the correctness or authenticity of the same.

A desert is a region that obtains incredibly less amount of precipitation or it can be also defined as an area where more water is lost by evaporation than water received by precipitation. Most deserts receive an average precipitation of less than 400 mm annually.

The deserts in the world are divided into three types.

  • Subtropical deserts - they are the hottest deserts with dry terrain and rapid evaporation rate.
  • Cool coastal deserts - the average temperature in these deserts is much cooler because of cold offshore oceanic currents.
  • Cold winter deserts - they are striking with harsh temperature differences ranging from 38°C in summers to -12°C in winters.
Apart from these the Polar Regions are also measured as deserts because virtually all the moisture in these parts is accumulated in the form of ice.
DESERT SIZE LOCATION FACTS
SUBTROPICAL DESRTS
Sahara9,400,000 km2Egypt, Algeria, Eritrea, Chad, Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Morocco, Sudan, Niger, Tunisia, Djibouti and Western SaharaThe world's largest hot desert. The desert climate is very extreme with scorching days and frigid nights.
Kalahari930,000 km2Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.It's a huge semi-arid sandy savannah.
Libyan1,100,000 km2Eastern Libya, northwestern Sudan and southwestern Egypt. This desert is mostly sandy or stony plain.
Nubian400,000 km2northeastern SudanIt's an arid region with virtually no rainfall and oases.
Danakil150,000 km2northeast Ethiopia, south Eritrea and DjiboutiIt's known as the "Cruelest Place on Earth" the desert is known for its extreme heat and in-hospitability atmosphere.
Rub al Khali650,000 km2Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.The largest sand desert in the world. The desert is the most oil-rich site in the world.
Syrian500,000 km2Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia.It's also known as the Syro-Arabian. The desert is very rocky and flat.
An Nafud103,600 km2Saudi ArabiaIt's known as the great arc of reddish sand desert in central Saudi Arabia.
Ad Dahna650,000 km2Saudi ArabiaWith frequent sandstorms the desert is known for its sudden violent winds.
Thar200,000 km2India, PakistanIt is largely a barren region of shifting sand dunes, scrub flora and a rural economy.
Great Victoria424,400 km2AustraliaIt's the largest desert in Australia.
Great Sandy284,993 km2AustraliaIt's the second largest desert in Australia
Simpson176,500 km2AustraliaIt's a large area of dry, red sandy plain and dunes
Gibson155,000 km2AustraliaIt is the home of Aboriginal Indigenous Australians, Red Kangaroos and Emu.
Sonoran311,000 km2United States, MexicoThe desert has basins, plains, mountain ridges & is home to the Saguaro cactus.
Mojave124,000 km2United StatesAlthough the desert is sparsely populated, several cities can be found here, including the largest 'Las Vegas'.
Sechura188,735 km2PeruThe desert is composed of equatorial dry forests.
COLD WINTER DESERTS
Great Basin492,000 km2United StatesIt's the largest United States desert.
Patagonian670,000 km2Argentina and ChileIt is the largest desert in Argentina and is the 7th largest desert in the world.
Karakum / Garagum350,000 km2TurkmenistanAs the name says 'black sand', the area has significant oil and natural gas deposits.
Kyzyl Kum / Qizilqum298,000 km2Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.Important natural-gas deposits are found in this red sand desert.
Taklamakan337,000 km2People's Republic of ChinaThe desert has very little water making it is hazardous to cross.
Gobi1,300,000 km2People's Republic of China and MongoliaIt is the largest cold winter desert and is made up of diverse geographic regions based on difference in climate and topography.
Leh / Ladakh86,904 km2IndiaScant rainfall makes Leh/Ladakh a high-altitude desert with extremely scarce vegetation.
COOL COASTAL DESERTS
Atacama140,000 km2Chile, Peru, Bolivia, ArgentinaIt is the driest desert in the world. The land is often compared with the land on the planet Mars.
Namib81,000 km2Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Most of the precipitation is from fog from the Atlantic Ocean. Unusual species of plants and animals are found only in this desert.


Last Updated on : February 15, 2019