Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World
Among the many wonders that mother nature has bestowed upon us, the desert is undoubtedly among the most amazing phenomena on our planet. The desert landscape is defined by areas of extremely low rainfall year-round. This extreme lack of rain makes life almost impossible, for both animals and plants, but also very difficult for humans (although modern technology helps us somewhat in the problem). there). Only a few plants and species can survive naturally in these extreme conditions.
If you thought these extremely arid land surfaces were rare on our planet, think again. About 33% or pretty much exactly 1/3 of the Earth's area can be classified as desert land. Indeed, each continent consists of a certain amount of desert area.
When most people think of deserts, they think of hot regions with nothing but sand visible to the naked eye. It is true that most deserts are actually hot deserts. However, there are also cold deserts or "polar deserts" as they are known.
These deserts are located around the two polar circles at the North Pole and the South Pole. In fact, cold deserts are even less life-friendly and less habitable than hot deserts. The entire surface can be covered with nothing but ice and snow (forming from a few rare snowfalls in these areas and then just lying on the ground with very slow melting). However, cold (non-polar) deserts can also include dunes and are optically similar to hot deserts.
Top 10 largest deserts in the world
Area size: ~14.2 million square kilometers / ~5.5 million square miles
Area size: ~13.9 million square kilometers / ~5.4 million square miles
Area size: ~9.2 million square kilometers / ~3.6 million square miles
Area size: ~2.3 million square kilometers / ~890,000 square miles
Area size: ~1.3 million square kilometers / ~500,000 square miles
Area size: ~900,000 square kilometers / ~350,000 square miles
Area size: ~670,000 square kilometers / ~260,000 square miles
Area size: ~520,000 square kilometers / ~ 200,000 square miles
Area size: ~490,000 square kilometers / ~190,000 square miles
Area size: ~360,000 square kilometers / ~140,000 square miles
Whether it's a hot desert or a cold desert, the desert area can be quite as large as you can imagine. The 10 largest deserts in the world are in fact larger than most countries on the planet. The following chart presents you with the 10 largest deserts in the world and will, therefore, tell you how large these extreme regions are. Just a note: The 4 largest deserts in the world are also often recognized as the harshest deserts in the world….
Top 10 largest deserts in the world
1. Antarctic Desert
Area: ~14.2 million square kilometers / ~5.5 million square miles
Location: Antarctica
Desert type: Extremely cold desert
2. Arctic Desert
Area: ~13.9 million square kilometers / ~5.4 million square miles
Location: Arctic Circle (parts of Greenland/Denmark, Russia, Canada, USA, Finland, Sweden, Norway & Iceland)
Desert type: Extremely cold desert
3. Sahara Desert
Area: ~9.1 million square kilometers / ~3.5 million square miles
Location: North Africa (parts of Algeria, Libya, Chad, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Western Sahara/Morocco, Sudan & Tunisia)
Desert type: Arid desert
4. Arabian Desert
Area: ~2.3 million square kilometers / ~890,000 square miles
Location: Middle East/West Asia (parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Iraq, UAE, Jordan, Bahrain & Qatar)
Desert type: Arid desert
5. Gobi Desert
Diện tích: ~ 1,3 triệu km vuông / ~ 500.000 dặm vuông
Location: East Asia (parts of China and Mongolia)
Desert Type: Cold Desert
6. Kalahari Desert
Diện tích: ~ 930.000 km vuông / ~ 360.000 dặm vuông
Location: South Africa (parts of Botswana, Namibia & South Africa)
Desert type: Hot semi-arid desert
7. Patagonian Desert
Area: ~670,000 square kilometers / ~260,000 square miles
Location: South America (parts of Argentina & Chile)
Desert Type: Cold Desert
8. Syria Desert
Area: ~520,000 square kilometers / ~ 200,000 square miles
Location: Middle East (parts of Syria, Jordan & Iraq)
Desert type: Hot semi-arid desert
9. Great Basin Desert
Area: ~490,000 square kilometers / ~190,000 square miles
Location: United States (part of the US states of Nevada & Utah)
Desert Type: Cold Desert
10. Chihuahuan Desert
Area: ~360,000 square kilometers / ~140,000 square miles
Location: North America (parts of Mexico & USA)
Desert type: Hot semi-arid desert
Top 10 largest deserts in the world
1. Antarctic Desert
Area size: ~14.2 million square kilometers / ~5.5 million square miles
2. Arctic Desert
Area size: ~13.9 million square kilometers / ~5.4 million square miles
3. Sahara Desert
Area size: ~9.2 million square kilometers / ~3.6 million square miles
4. Arabian Desert
Area size: ~2.3 million square kilometers / ~890,000 square miles
5. Gobi Desert
Area size: ~1.3 million square kilometers / ~500,000 square miles
6. Kalahari Desert
Area size: ~900,000 square kilometers / ~350,000 square miles
7. Patagonian Desert
Area size: ~670,000 square kilometers / ~260,000 square miles
8. Syrian Desert
Area size: ~520,000 square kilometers / ~ 200,000 square miles
9. Great Basin Desert
Area size: ~490,000 square kilometers / ~190,000 square miles
10. Chihuahuan Desert
Area size: ~360,000 square kilometers / ~140,000 square miles
Ranking of the 10 largest deserts on Earth based on desert size by area in square kilometers and miles. Only earth deserts are counted here, Mars deserts are therefore not classified for this ranking.