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.
DESERT | SIZE | LOCATION | FACTS |
SUBTROPICAL DESRTS | |||
Sahara | 9,400,000 km2 | Egypt, Algeria, Eritrea, Chad, Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Morocco, Sudan, Niger, Tunisia, Djibouti and Western Sahara | The world's largest hot desert. The desert climate is very extreme with scorching days and frigid nights. |
Kalahari | 930,000 km2 | Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. | It's a huge semi-arid sandy savannah. |
Libyan | 1,100,000 km2 | Eastern Libya, northwestern Sudan and southwestern Egypt. | This desert is mostly sandy or stony plain. |
Nubian | 400,000 km2 | northeastern Sudan | It's an arid region with virtually no rainfall and oases. |
Danakil | 150,000 km2 | northeast Ethiopia, south Eritrea and Djibouti | It's known as the "Cruelest Place on Earth" the desert is known for its extreme heat and in-hospitability atmosphere. |
Rub al Khali | 650,000 km2 | Saudi 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. |
Syrian | 500,000 km2 | Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia. | It's also known as the Syro-Arabian. The desert is very rocky and flat. |
An Nafud | 103,600 km2 | Saudi Arabia | It's known as the great arc of reddish sand desert in central Saudi Arabia. |
Ad Dahna | 650,000 km2 | Saudi Arabia | With frequent sandstorms the desert is known for its sudden violent winds. |
Thar | 200,000 km2 | India, Pakistan | It is largely a barren region of shifting sand dunes, scrub flora and a rural economy. |
Great Victoria | 424,400 km2 | Australia | It's the largest desert in Australia. |
Great Sandy | 284,993 km2 | Australia | It's the second largest desert in Australia |
Simpson | 176,500 km2 | Australia | It's a large area of dry, red sandy plain and dunes |
Gibson | 155,000 km2 | Australia | It is the home of Aboriginal Indigenous Australians, Red Kangaroos and Emu. |
Sonoran | 311,000 km2 | United States, Mexico | The desert has basins, plains, mountain ridges & is home to the Saguaro cactus. |
Mojave | 124,000 km2 | United States | Although the desert is sparsely populated, several cities can be found here, including the largest 'Las Vegas'. |
Sechura | 188,735 km2 | Peru | The desert is composed of equatorial dry forests. |
COLD WINTER DESERTS | |||
Great Basin | 492,000 km2 | United States | It's the largest United States desert. |
Patagonian | 670,000 km2 | Argentina and Chile | It is the largest desert in Argentina and is the 7th largest desert in the world. |
Karakum / Garagum | 350,000 km2 | Turkmenistan | As the name says 'black sand', the area has significant oil and natural gas deposits. |
Kyzyl Kum / Qizilqum | 298,000 km2 | Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. | Important natural-gas deposits are found in this red sand desert. |
Taklamakan | 337,000 km2 | People's Republic of China | The desert has very little water making it is hazardous to cross. |
Gobi | 1,300,000 km2 | People's Republic of China and Mongolia | It is the largest cold winter desert and is made up of diverse geographic regions based on difference in climate and topography. |
Leh / Ladakh | 86,904 km2 | India | Scant rainfall makes Leh/Ladakh a high-altitude desert with extremely scarce vegetation. |
COOL COASTAL DESERTS | |||
Atacama | 140,000 km2 | Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina | It is the driest desert in the world. The land is often compared with the land on the planet Mars. |
Namib | 81,000 km2 | Angola, 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