Largest Deserts in the World

Approximately one-third of our planet’s land surface is covered with deserts. Deserts define one of the significant geographical phenomena. Before we look into the list of the major deserts of the world, let’s have a short brief on what exactly a dessert is!

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A desert is a dry, barren land on Earth that receives yearly 300mm of rainfall or even less. There are four different types of deserts. These are:

• Semiarid

• Hot and Dry

• Coastal deserts, and

• Cold Deserts

Most of the deserts that we have on our planet are arid or semiarid. During the day, the temperature reaches around 38 to 40 degrees centigrade or even more in some severe weather conditions. However, during the night, the temperature drops to as low as -4 degrees centigrade. Deserts cover a large part of our Earth and can be found on every continent. 

Non-Polar Desert

Though the largest deserts on Earth are categorized under the Cold or Polar Desert (5.5 million square miles), the rest of the planet’s deserts are out of the polar areas. One of the notable and largest deserts is the Sahara Desert in northern Africa. It is a subtropical desert and covers about 3.5 million square miles. 

Environment of Deserts

When it comes to the list of major deserts of the world, you must also be aware of the environment because most people think of sand-filled areas and lots of sand dunes when it comes to desserts. This is true, but also, some deserts have rocky surfaces. The lands are rocky because smaller particles or sands are quickly blown away from the surface. These types of deserts are rocky, barren, and windswept landscapes. 

Deserts have so little precipitation that the surface streams flow only after rainfall. If it does, then surely the source is coming from outside of the desert. Streams entering a desert suffer major water loss before exiting. Major water loss is caused by transpiration (soaked in by plants and released in the atmosphere), direct evaporation, and infiltration (soaked by ground at the bottom of the stream channel).

List of the Major Deserts of the World

Namib Desert

Namib stretches for about 1,931 kilometers (1,200 miles) and is one of Earth's oldest deserts. Its history dates back to some 55 million years. The desert runs alongside the African coast towards the Atlantic side. It covers a number of countries, including South Africa, Angola, and Namibia itself. Namib desert is inhabited by an array of impressive flora and fauna, including the notable desert elephants known for living for days without water.

Sahara Desert

The Sahara Desert covers most of Northern Africa. It is one of the biggest and largest among all deserts of the world. Sahara extends for about 3.6 million square miles and is the third-largest desert on Earth. If we count it under the hot and dry desert category, then Sahara is definitely the largest one. Most people recall gorgeous sand dunes in the Sahara, but they only comprise a small portion of the desert. The landscape is covered with barren and rocky plateaus made of rocky hamada. Small patches of grassland can also be found in these areas. However, they are very scarce. Greeneries mean small shrubs that can be found around mountains and salt flats. Like the Namib Desert, Sahara has an impressive count of flora and fauna, along with several fox species. 

Atacama Desert 

The Atacama Desert is a notable part of South America. It is situated west of the Andes, running along the Pacific coast in Chile and Peru. The Atacama Desert is one of the most famous deserts in the world because of its super-driest climate on Earth. There are some parts in the desert that have never received even a drop of rain for decades. Some may believe that the area is devoid of life, but the reality is–many people call this place a desert home. As the Atacama is located just beside the coast, the climate is cooler than other deserts. The land here is frequently covered with fog to keep the weather comfortable.

Thar Desert

The Thar Desert covers parts of Rajasthan, India, and Eastern Pakistan. It is also known as the Great Indian Desert. The Thar Desert has made its place among the major deserts of the world due to the number of people living here. It is the most populated desert on Earth as it is home to 83 people per square kilometer. The dreaming sand dunes, what people think about deserts, are perfect for the Thar Desert. Most of the desert is covered with shifting sand dunes, salt lakes, and alluvial plains. The lakes and plains appear only during the monsoon season in the Great Indian Desert. The area is known for its impressive biodiversity, with more than 23 species of lizards, 140 species of birds, 25 species of snakes, along with Indian Gazelle and Chinkara are some of the few. 

Rub’ al Khali 

Rub al Khali Desert makes its place among the most important deserts of the world as it is the largest sand desert on Earth. Rub’ al Khali Desert means Empty Quarter in English. It covers approximately 583,000 square kilometers (225 000 square miles) throughout Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. The name “Empty Quarter” is perfect for this dessert because of its harsh environment. The weather is so extreme that it does not allow anything to thrive here. However, the place has its own beauty, and many tourists worldwide visit throughout the year.

Sonoran Desert

Sonoran is a part of the USA and Mexico. It spreads over California, Arizona, and Mexico. Among all deserts in the world, the Sonoran Desert is known for its beautifying landscape that brims with endemic flora and fauna, including Organ Pipe and Saguaro cacti. The area is rich in culture, as many Native American tribes have made the place their home. Also, the desert runs through glazing cities like Tucson and Phoenix. Some of the best attractions are a number of National Parks, including the Joshua Tree National Park, and wildlife refuges like Kofa National Wildlife Refuge that contains and protects the bighorn sheep of the desert. 

Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert relates to Nevada and California. It covers southern Nevada and southeastern California. A small section of this desert lies in the southwestern parts of Utah and northwestern parts of Arizona. Mojave comes among the notable names of deserts in the world because of the incredible Death Valley. The valley is within the desert and is 86 meters (282 feet) below sea level. Apart from this, the Mojave Desert is known for its protected Joshua trees. The land here is home to the Valley of Fire State Park and many other museums and towns. Altogether, they make the Mojave Desert a trendy tourist destination. 

Tabernas Desert

The Tabernas Desert in Spain is the only desert in mainland Europe. Tourists flock to this place as this desert has served many popular movies for years, and thus, it has made it place among the list of major deserts of the world. It is located in the southeastern part of Spain and north of Almeria. Visitors often find western-style towns strewn across the landscape. Like many other deserts, Tabernas is home to a number of amphibians, reptiles, and birds. Mammals are very few here, and the Algerian hedgehog is one of them.

Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert spread across northwestern China and southern Mongolia. It has made its place among the notable names of different deserts as the place was very significant during the era of the Mongolian Empire. As the Silk Road runs through the area, the Gobi Desert has some important stops regarding the same. Gobi desert is known for its extreme temperatures reaching 50 degrees Centigrade in the summer and extremely low temperatures in the winter. The area is rich in fossils, including animals like Bactrian camels, dinosaur eggs, Gobi brown bears, and Siberian ibex. 

There are a total of 33 major deserts on Earth, and most of them are sparsely populated. Each desert has its own significance; however, the aforementioned names top the list of deserts in the world. These are not just barren lands but are also rich in biodiversity, culture, and ethics. 

Thus, the article has majorly covered some of the famous deserts in the world.