Earth:List of deserts by area
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Short description: List of the largest deserts in the world by area
This is a list of the largest deserts in the world by area. It includes all deserts above 50,000 km2 (19,300 sq mi).

| Rank | Name | Type | Image | Area (km2) | Area (sq mi) | Location[note 1] | Nation(s) | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antarctic Desert | Polar ice and tundra |  | 14,200,000[1] | 5,482,651 | Antarctica | N/A | 
| 2 | Arctic Desert | Polar ice and tundra |  | 13,900,000[1] | 5,366,820 | Eastern Europe Northern America Northern Asia Northern Europe | Canada , Finland , Greenland, Iceland, Jan Mayen, Norway , Russia , Svalbard, Sweden, and the United States | 
| 3 | Sahara Desert | Subtropical |  | 9,200,000[1] | 3,552,140 | Eastern Africa Middle Africa Northern Africa Western Africa | Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, the Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara | 
| 4 | Great Australian | Subtropical |  | 2,700,000 | 1,042,476 | Australia | Australia | 
| 5 | Arabian Desert | Subtropical |  | 2,330,000[2] | 899,618 | Western Asia | Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen | 
| 6 | Gobi Desert | Cold winter |  | 1,295,000[1] | 500,002 | Eastern Asia | China and Mongolia | 
| 7 | Kalahari Desert | Subtropical |  | 900,000[3] | 347,492 | Southern Africa | Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa | 
| 8 | Patagonian Desert | Cold winter |  | 673,000[1] | 259,847 | South America | Argentina | 
| 9 | Syrian Desert | Subtropical |  | 500,000[4] | 193,051 | Western Asia | Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria | 
| 10 | Great Basin | Cold winter |  | 492,098[4] | 190,000 | Northern America | United States | 
| 11 | Chihuahuan Desert | Subtropical |  | 453,248[4] | 175,000 | Northern America | Mexico and the United States | 
| 12 | Karakum Desert | Cold winter |  | 350,000[4] | 135,136 | Central Asia | Turkmenistan | 
| – | Great Victoria[note 2] | Subtropical |  | 348,750[1] | 134,653 | Western Australia, South Australia | Australia | 
| 13 | Colorado Plateau | Cold winter |  | 337,000[4] | 130,116 | Northern America | United States | 
| 14 | Sonoran Desert | Subtropical |  | 310,000[4] | 119,692 | Central America Northern America | Mexico and the United States | 
| 15 | Kyzylkum Desert | Cold winter |  | 300,000[4] | 115,831 | Central Asia | Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan | 
| 16 | Taklamakan Desert | Cold winter |  | 270,000 | 104,248 | Eastern Asia | China | 
| 17 | Ogaden Desert | Subtropical |  | 256,000 | 98,842 | Eastern Africa | Ethiopia, Somalia, and Somaliland | 
| 18 | Thar Desert | Subtropical |  | 238,254 [5] | 77,220 | Southern Asia | India and Pakistan | 
| 20 | Puntland Desert | Subtropical |  | 200,000 | 77,220 | Eastern Africa | Somalia | 
| 20 | Ustyurt Plateau | Temperate |  | 200,000 | 77,220 | Central Asia | Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan | 
| 21 | Guban Desert | Subtropical |  | 175,000 | 67,568 | Eastern Africa | Somalia/Somaliland | 
| 22 | Namib Desert | Cool coastal |  | 160,000 | 61,776 | Middle Africa Southern Africa | Angola, Namibia, and South Africa | 
| 23 | Dasht-e Margo | Subtropical |   | 150,000 | 57,915 | Southern Asia | Afghanistan | 
| 24 | Registan Desert | Subtropical |   | 146,000 | 56,371 | Southern Asia | Afghanistan | 
| 25 | Atacama Desert | Mild coastal |  | 140,000[4] | 54,054 | South America | Chile and Peru | 
| 26 | Danakil Desert | Subtropical |  | 137,000 | 52,896 | Eastern Africa | Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia | 
| 27 | Mojave Desert | Subtropical |  | 124,000[6][7] | 47,877 | Northern America | United States | 
| 28 | Chalbi Desert | Subtropical |  | 100,000 | 38,610 | Eastern Africa | Kenya | 
| 29 | Columbia Basin | Cold winter |  | 83,139[4] | 32,100 | Northern America | Canada and the United States | 
| 30 | Dasht-e Kavir | Subtropical |  | 77,000[8] | 29,730 | Southern Asia | Iran | 
| 31 | Ferlo Desert | Subtropical |  | 70,000 | 27,027 | Western Africa | Senegal | 
| 32 | Ladakh Desert[9] | Cold winter |  | 59,146 | 22,836 | Southern Asia | India | 
| 33 | Dasht-e Lut | Subtropical |  | 52,000[8] | 20,077 | Southern Asia | Iran | 
Notes
See also
- Desert
- Desertification
- List of deserts by continent
- Polar desert
- Tundra
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Top ten largest (non-polar) deserts". https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/world/.
- ↑ "Arabian Desert". http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110527/Arabian-Desert.
- ↑ Bass, Karen (2009-02-01). "Nature's Great Events:The Okavango Delta, Kalahari Desert". press.uchicago.edu. University of Chicago Press. http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/9780226471549_blad.pdf.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 "Largest Desert in the World". http://geology.com/records/largest-desert.shtml.
- ↑ "Thar Desert | Map, Climate, Vegetation, & Facts". 24 May 2023. https://www.britannica.com/place/Thar-Desert.
- ↑ "Mapping Perennial Vegetation Cover in the Mojave Desert". pubs.usgs.gov. USGS Western Geographic Science Center. 2011-06-01. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011/3077/fs2011-3077.pdf.
- ↑ "Recoverability and Vulnerability of Desert Ecosystems". USGS. 2006-03-03. http://mojave.usgs.gov/rvde/.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 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. https://archive.org/details/newyorktimes200600wrig.
- ↑ The Cold Desert – Ladakh
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