List of deserts by area
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This is the list of the largest deserts in the world by area. It includes all deserts with an area greater than 52,000 square kilometres (20,100 sq mi).
Some of Earth's biggest deserts
| Rank | Name | Type | Image | Area (km²) |
Area (sq mi) |
Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antarctica | Cold Winter |  |
14,000,000 | 5,400,000 | Antarctica |
| 2 | Sahara | Subtropical |  |
9,000,000+ | 3,300,000+ | North Africa (Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia and Western Sahara) |
| 3 | Arabian Desert | Subtropical |  |
2,330,000[1] | 900,000 | Western Asia (Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen) |
| 4 | Gobi Desert | Cold Winter |  |
1,000,000 | 500,000 | Central Asia (Mongolia) |
| 5 | Kalahari Desert | Subtropical |  |
900,000[2] | 360,000 | Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa) |
| 6 | Great Victoria Desert | Subtropical |  |
647,000[3] | 220,000 | Australia |
| 7 | Patagonian Desert | Cold Winter |  |
620,000 | 200,000 | South America (Argentina and Chile) |
| 8 | Syrian Desert | Subtropical |  |
520,000[3] | 200,000 | Western Asia (Iraq, Jordan, and Syria) |
| 9 | Great Basin Desert | Cold Winter |  |
492,000[3] | 190,000 | United States |
| 10 | Chihuahuan Desert | Subtropical |  |
450,000[3] | 175,000 | North America (Mexico and United States) |
| 11 | Great Sandy Desert | Subtropical |  |
400,000[3] | 150,000 | Australia |
| 12 | Karakum Desert | Cold Winter |  |
350,000[3] | 135,000 | Turkmenistan |
| 13 | Colorado Plateau | Cold Winter |  |
337,000[3] | 130,000 | United States |
| 14 | Sonoran Desert | Subtropical |  |
310,000[3] | 120,000 | North America (Mexico and United States) |
| 15 | Kyzylkum Desert | Cold Winter |  |
300,000[3] | 115,000 | Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) |
| 16 | Taklamakan Desert | Cold Winter |  |
270,000 | 105,000 | China |
| 17 | Thar Desert | Subtropical |  |
200,000[4] | 77,000 | South Asia (India, Pakistan) |
| 18 | Gibson Desert | Subtropical |  |
156,000[5] | 60,000 | Australia |
| 19 | Dasht-e Margo | Subtropical |  |
150,000 | 58,000 | Afghanistan |
| 20 | Registan Desert | Subtropical | |
146,000 | 56,400 | Afghanistan |
| 21 | Simpson Desert | Subtropical |  |
145,000[3] | 56,000 | Australia |
| 22 | Atacama Desert | Cool Coastal |  |
140,000[3] | 54,000 | South America (Chile and Peru) |
| 23 | Mojave Desert | Subtropical | |
124,000[6][7] | 48,000 | United States |
| 24 | Namib Desert | Cool Coastal |  |
81,000[3] | 31,000 | Southern Africa (Angola and Namibia) |
| 25 | Dasht-e Kavir | Subtropical | |
77,000[8] | 30,000 | Iran |
| 26 | Dasht-e Loot | Subtropical |  |
52,000[8] | 20,100 | Iran |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Arabian Desert". Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ Bass, Karen (2009-02-01). "Nature's Great Events:The Okavango Delta, Kalahari Desert" (PDF). press.uchicago.edu. University of Chicago Press. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Largest Desert in the World". Retrieved 2011-12-27.
- ^ Thar Desert - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ^ "Interesting facts about Western Australia". landgate.wa.gov.au. Western Australian Land Information Authority. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
- ^ "Mapping Perennial Vegetation Cover in the Mojave Desert" (PDF). pubs.usgs.gov. USGS Western Geographic Science Center. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
- ^ "Recoverability and Vulnerability of Desert Ecosystems". mojave.usgs.gov. USGS. 2006-03-03. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
- ^ a b Wright, John W., ed. (2006). The New York Times Almanac (2007 ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books. p. 456. ISBN 0-14-303820-6.
