List of deserts by area

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

References

  1. "Arabian Desert". Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  2. 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.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Largest Desert in the World". Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  4. Thar Desert - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
  5. "Interesting facts about Western Australia". landgate.wa.gov.au. Western Australian Land Information Authority. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
  6. "Mapping Perennial Vegetation Cover in the Mojave Desert" (PDF). pubs.usgs.gov. USGS Western Geographic Science Center. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  7. "Recoverability and Vulnerability of Desert Ecosystems". mojave.usgs.gov. USGS. 2006-03-03. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  8. 1 2 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.
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