Where are the deserts in the world? The largest deserts in the world. The largest deserts in the world, other options

Deserts occupy approximately 11% of the total land surface, including Antarctica, more than 20% or 16.5 million km. sq. (not including Antarctica) and are characterized by low precipitation, a unique fauna, and sparse or absent flora. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the list of the ten largest deserts in the world. And if we made a mistake somewhere with the numbers, please write to us about it in the comments. Since the figures given in different sources differ.

Karakum

Karakum (translated as Black Sands) is a desert in Central Asia that occupies about 70% of the entire territory of Turkmenistan or 350,000 square kilometers. The longest irrigation canal in the world, the Karakum Canal, runs here.

The Great Sandy or Western Desert is Australia's second largest desert, covering an area of ​​about 360,000 km. kv. (approximately 3.5% of mainland Australia). Its region is sparsely populated, with only a few Aboriginal groups living there.

Chihuahua

Chihuahua is a desert in North America, located on the border between the United States and Mexico. The area of ​​Chihuahua is approx. 362,000 km. kv. According to the World Wildlife Fund, it is one of the most biologically diverse deserts in the world, inhabited by the largest number of animal species.

The Great Victoria Desert is Australia's largest desert, covering an area of 424,400 km. kv. and consisting of many sand dunes, grassy plains and salt lakes.

The Great Basin Desert is one of the largest deserts in the United States, covering an area 490,000 square kilometers.

The Patagonian Desert is one of the largest deserts in the world, located in South America mainly in Argentina and a small part of Chile. Covers an area of ​​approx. 673,000 km. kv. The desert is bordered in the west by the Andes and in the east by the Atlantic Ocean.

Kalahari

The Kalahari is a desert in South Africa with an area of ​​about 600 thousand km. kv, is the fourth largest desert in the world. It is located mainly on the territory of states such as Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, and also partially invades the territory of Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It has lush vegetation and rich wildlife. The Kalahari is considered one of the hottest regions in Africa.

Gobi

Gobi means “waterless place” in Mongolian. This is a large desert in Central Asia with an area of 1,295,000 km. kv. Extends across China and Mongolia.

The Arabian Desert is located in Africa (Egypt) and is the northeastern part of the Sahara. It is located between the Nile River and the Red Sea. Due to strong winds, frequent sandstorms and high temperatures, most of the desert is completely uninhabited.

Sahara

Share of deserts on earth

The most ominous deserts are sandy, they cover 1/5 of the land. In addition to sandy deserts, there are also saline, clayey and rocky deserts. Large expanses of eternal snow in Antarctica and the Arctic Circle are called snow or ice deserts. However, in our review we will focus specifically on sandy deserts.

Sandy deserts are the hottest places on Earth; the hot sand heats up to such temperatures that it burns your feet. An unprepared person cannot live in the desert without water and shade for a couple of days.

The largest sand deserts are found in Africa, Eurasia and Australia, while the deserts of North and South America are relatively small.

Map of the world's deserts(increase)

Sahara. 9,065,000 km²

The Sahara Desert is the largest and hottest desert in the world, its area exceeds 9 million km², which is more than 50% of the territory of Russia. It covers almost all of North Africa: Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Sudan, Chad, Libya and other countries.

The name "Sahara" is an Arabic translation of the Tuareg word for "desert". In summer, the air temperature can rise to 58°, in winter it stays within 15-28° C.

In the Sahara, as in other sandy deserts, sandstorms are frequent; strong winds can carry sand dust even to Europe.
More than 150 thousand mirages are observed in the Sahara, which are marked on maps indicating which particular mirage is most often “showed” in this particular area - an oasis, a river or a well.

There is less precipitation in the south of the Sahara than in the north; there are particularly dry periods lasting up to three years, during which there is no precipitation at all. The only source of water in the Sahara, other than rain, is the Nile, which crosses it in the east. However, thanks to underground waters in the waterless desert, there are oases with deep wells; it is in the oases that hotels are located for tourists who come to drive jeeps across the Sahara; the most luxurious date palms and sweet grapes grow in the oases.

Arabian desert

Arabian desert. 2,330,000 km²

The Arabian Desert is the second largest desert in the world. The Arabian Desert is located on the Arabian Peninsula, located in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and occupies parts of Iraq, Syria, southern and eastern Jordan. Vast expanses of the Arabian Desert are occupied by moving dunes and sand massifs, at its center is the Rub'al Qali, one of the largest sand massifs in the world. Most of the territory is uninhabited due to frequent sand and dust storms and strong winds, high temperatures with large diurnal amplitudes typical for deserts. The temperature range is 40-50°C in summer, the average temperature in winter is 5-15°C, although it can drop to 0°C.

Gobi. 1,166,000 km²

The Gobi is one of the largest deserts in the world, ranked 3rd in the ranking. It is located in Central Asia, on the territory of Mongolia and China, stretching from the Altai and Tien Shan mountains in the east to the North China Plateau in the west; in the north the Gobi passes into the steppes on the territory of Mongolia, in the south it is limited by the Yellow River. The word “Gobi” is of Mongolian origin and means “waterless place”; in Central Asia, this word generally refers to desert and semi-desert places. In terms of the totality of desert areas, the Gobi is the largest desert in Asia.

Australian desert

Australian desert. 647,000 km²

The deserts have taken over the vast territory of Australia, almost half of the continent. A significant part of the Australian deserts in the west are located on a huge plateau 200 m above sea level. Some deserts rise even higher, up to 600 m. The complex terrain divides the giant Australian desert into several autonomous ones. The largest of them, the Great Sandy Desert, is located in the northwestern part of the continent; to the south lies the huge Great Victoria Desert. In the northern part of the Great Sandy Desert, the sands are red-brown in color; other areas are covered not with sand, but with dark rubble and pebbles.

Among the sandy deserts of Australia, the largest is the Arunta Desert, or Simpson Desert. It is located in the central part of the continent, closer to the west.

Kalahari

Kalahari. 600,000 km²

The Kalahari Desert, the largest of the deserts in South Africa, covers an area of ​​about 600 thousand square meters. km and is located in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. The Kalahari Desert occupies the southwestern part of the depression of the same name, located at an altitude of 900 m. In the west, the edge of the Kalahari lies at an altitude of 1500 m above sea level, in the east - even higher; the lowest point of the desert is at an altitude of 840 m above sea level. The surface of the Kalahari is composed of horizontally lying continental strata of sandstones, pebbles and breccias.

Recently, the desert has been expanding its borders and invading the territory of Angola, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Precipitation (up to 500 mm) is confined to the summer period (November - April), but its value varies significantly both in time and area. The Kalahari is one of the hottest regions of South Africa. The average maximum temperature is plus 29°, and the average minimum temperature is plus 12°.

Karakum

Karakum. 350,000 km²

The Karakum desert, a sandy desert in southern Central Asia, occupies more than 80% of the entire territory of Turkmenistan.

Karakum in Turkmen means “black sand” (from the Turkic “kara” - black and “kum” - sand). Despite such a frightening name, the desert is inhabited: there are several thousand species of arthropods, several dozen species of reptiles, two dozen species of mammals and about three dozen species of birds, and about 270 species of plants.

Turkmenbashi’s plans were to replace the ugly desert with a beautiful forest by planting trees in certain areas, and it was also planned to build a zoo for penguins on its territory, which would attract visitors from all over the world. After the death of the Father of all Turkmens, fortunately, nothing has been heard about these plans yet.

The desert is an amazing world in which, along with harsh climatic conditions, poor flora and fauna, majesty and mystery reign. These deserted expanses, of which there are more than 30, occupy about 16% of the surface of the globe. There are many types of deserts: they can be sandy, clay, shale and others. But the largest desert in the world is covered with a continuous layer of ice.

The largest desert on Earth

The Antarctic Desert occupies a huge area, which is the largest on the planet. It covers an area of ​​13,829,430 square meters. km. Its endless expanses are covered with a thick layer of ice. The Antarctic desert is polar and is located on the southern continent of the planet. It is considered not only the largest, but also the most severe. The climatic conditions of this region are characterized by the following features:

• lowest air humidity;
• the lowest temperatures on the planet;
• strong constant winds;
• highest intensity of solar radiation.

Due to the extremely harsh conditions, the flora and fauna of the Antarctic desert is very poor. On its outskirts, close to the coast, there are moss and lichens, among which ticks and insects live. The largest inhabitants of the Antarctic desert are penguins, of which there are several species.

The largest sandy desert located in the subtropical zone is the Sahara. Its endless expanses occupy about 9 million square meters. km, and extend across almost the entire northern part of the African continent. The Sahara is considered the hottest desert on the planet. In summer, the temperature here can reach +58 °C, while the surface warms up to +75 °C. In winter, daytime temperatures drop to +13°C, and at night they can reach -18°C. Precipitation falls unevenly across the Sahara: in the northern zones there are strong thunderstorms, which result in floods, and in the southern part there is no rain for years. It is in this part of the desert that the surface is covered with continuous sand, on which there is no vegetation.

Drought-resistant grasses, shrubs and trees are found in the Sahara. They grow in areas where there is minimal water supply. Of the animals, there are more than 4 thousand different species of invertebrates and about 60 species of mammals. More than 30 thousand species of birds find refuge in the desert, most of which are migratory.

A huge area of ​​the earth's surface is occupied by another polar desert - the Arctic. Its area is 2.6 million square meters. km. It is located in the northern part of the globe. Its surface is covered with ice, rubble and large boulders. The temperatures remain below zero for almost the whole year, and only in the middle of summer can the air warm up to +3°C. In winter, the polar night sets in here, which lasts 6 months in the very center of the desert. The Arctic desert often experiences very thick fog and strong winds. The sky is often overcast and precipitation occurs frequently. The only vegetation found is mosses and lichens. The coastal areas are home to fauna such as polar bears, lemmings and arctic foxes.

A significant area is occupied by the desert located on the Arabian Peninsula. Its area reaches 2.33 million sq.m. Due to the hot climate, there is little vegetation and very poor fauna. Among the plants, there are grasses, shrubs and trees that tolerate drought well. The largest animals living in the Arabian Desert are gazelles. Research has shown that previously, forests grew in the territory occupied by the Arabian Desert, and there were many bodies of water.

Between the Altai and Tien Shan mountains in Asia stretch the endless expanses of the Gobi Desert, whose area is 1.3 million square meters. km. The climatic conditions in the desert are extremely harsh, due to its location in the continental zone. In winter, the air temperature can drop to -50°C, and in summer it warms up to +57°C. Due to such a huge range of temperatures, few plants are found in the desert. The fauna is also not diverse. Here you can find small rodents, snakes, antelopes and camels.

About 1 million sq. km of the Middle East is occupied by the Syrian Desert. This is a harsh region with very poor vegetation, which is limited to drought-resistant grasses and shrubs. Animals here include camels, antelopes and lizards. In the steppe areas of the desert, the vegetation is more diverse, which allows local residents to engage in livestock farming.

A significant area of ​​the southern part of the African Peninsula is occupied by the Kalahari Desert - 900 thousand sq. km. The climate here remains hot throughout the year. The air temperature in the summer months is +29°C, and in winter it drops to +12°C. The Kalahari receives rainfall in the summer, which is why drought-resistant plants are found here. The desert is home to many species of animals, from giraffes to insects.

The Patagonian Desert stretches along the coast of the South American continent, with an area of ​​673 thousand square meters. km. Its surface is covered with sand and rubble. It maintains a dry, cold climate, which is caused by the Falkland Current of the Atlantic Ocean. The average temperature ranges from +5°C to +13.4°C. In certain areas of the desert with high humidity, many species of temperature-resistant grasses, shrubs and trees grow. The fauna of the Patagonian Desert is quite diverse.

The vast territory of the Australian continent is occupied by the Victoria Desert, whose area is 647 thousand square meters. km. Thanks to the warm climate, many types of drought-resistant vegetation can be found in the desert. Victoria's fauna is very diverse. Aboriginal tribes are found in the desert.

In the western part of the North American continent there is a desert called the Great Basin. Its area is 492 thousand square meters. km. The surface of the desert is covered with sands and rock formations. Various drought-resistant vegetation is found here and many species of animals live here.

Deserts are natural areas characterized by flat surfaces and little or no flora. They often contain quite specific fauna. Deserts can be sandy, rocky, clayey or saline. Snow (Arctic) ones are distinguished separately. There are nine types based on the nature of soil and soil, and three based on dynamic precipitation.

Sahara

What is the largest desert in the world? There are many of them on the planet. But there are not so many really large ones among them. And the largest desert in the world is the Sahara. It is located in the north - more than 8.5 million square meters. km. This is almost 1/3 of the continent. Despite the harsh conditions, approximately 2.5 million people live on its territory. But still, the population density there is the lowest on earth. The main peoples living on its territory are Berbers and Tuaregs.

Age of the Sahara Desert

Few people know that this desert is much “younger” than many people believe. It is generally accepted that the Sahara is five and a half thousand years old. Scientists have found that 6,000 years ago this desert “lived” - it had trees, gardens and a lot of lakes. But over time she changed. According to the latest research by the scientific community, the majority is inclined to believe that the Sahara “desertified” only 2.7 thousand years ago.

Territorial highlights

There are several states on the territory of the Sahara - Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Chad, Niger, Sudan and Research shows that the desert territory is unstable. It is constantly changing. Data from satellites have been obtained that the Sahara periodically increases or decreases.

Curious facts about the Sahara

In some places in this desert during the day you can fry eggs on the hot sand, and at night right there the thermometer can drop to minus ten. Therefore, in past centuries, trade caravans moved through the desert exclusively at night, and during the day they pitched tents and rested.

In addition to the usual information about the Sahara, there are many interesting facts. It also has one more feature - this is one of the few rare places on the planet where evaporation greatly exceeds precipitation: in the ratio from 2000 to 5000 mm/100 mm.

There is a huge underground lake under the Sahara, which is even larger than Baikal, and the oases exist precisely because of it. There is not so much sand in the desert - only 1/5, and the rest of the territory is occupied by rocky land, and very little - sand and pebbles and simple

The desert sand cover is approximately 150 meters deep, and the largest sand dunes are similar in height to the Eiffel Tower. And if all of humanity is going to scoop up the sand of the Sahara, then each of them will have over 3 million buckets.

Strong winds constantly blow in the desert. There are only twenty calm days in the entire year. Khamsin is one of the most famous winds in the desert, translated as "fifty", which refers to how quickly it blows. Interestingly, this coincides with the Egyptian wind season, which lasts the same number of days.

Mirages

The largest desert in the world has an interesting phenomenon - mirages, which were previously considered to occur anywhere, but it turns out that they have a permanent location. And today there is even a special map on which they are plotted.

It is also interesting that a complete description of the mirage at this place is given - a palace, a well, a mountain range, an oasis, a palm grove. Each of them is basically constant. Every year there are up to 160 thousand of them. Mirages can have several options - wandering, vertical, stable and horizontal.

Flora and fauna of the Sahara

The plants here are mainly subshrubs and shrubs. On the south side there are ephemeroids and ephemera. Animals move quickly, with the ability to dig sand (having hair brushes, claws, and bristles on their paws).

The largest desert on earth is famous for a place called Death Valley. It is considered the hottest and driest place on earth.

Despite the harsh living conditions, the Sahara is home to many species of flora and fauna: 545 plants, 12 amphibians, 13 fish (in oasis lakes), and more than 80 mammals and reptiles.

The largest deserts in the world: captivating and dangerous

The Sahara is not the only large desert in the world; there are others almost equal to it. There are nine more large deserts on our planet. All of them are smaller in area than the Sahara, but in relation to the others they are much larger. On every continent there is a similar representative of the area.

The largest desert in the world after the Sahara is the Arabian. Its territory is 2,330,000 square meters. m. And it captures the territories of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Syria. This desert is mostly uninhabited due to strong winds and sandstorms, and the temperature fluctuations here are quite large. An egg can fry in sand in just 10 minutes. And at night even the stones crack due to the cold.

The Gobi Desert is located in the lands of China and Mongolia. Bert originated from the Altai mountains. Its territory is 166,000 square meters. km. If you translate its name, it will sound like “waterless place.”

The Australian desert is the next largest desert on the planet by area (647,000 sq. km). It is here that you can find the famous red dunes, whose height reaches 40 meters.

Kalahari means “tormenting”. Its territory is 600 thousand square meters. km. But its area is constantly increasing, capturing the territories of Botswana, Angola, Zambabwe and Zambia.

Karakum means “black sands”. Its territory is 350 thousand square meters. km. The height of the ridges can reach 60 meters. This desert is located over most of Turkmenistan. Due to the shallow vegetation that prevails there, local residents have adapted it as a pasture for livestock.

Taklamakan is located in Central Asia, its territory is 337,600 square meters. km. There in 2008 not only very low temperatures were observed, but even snowfall!

Many people wonder which desert is the largest among the salt deserts? To this we can answer that Salar da Uyuni is considered the greatest in the world. On its territory, salt amounts to billions of tons. And the passing rains, dissolving it, turn the desert into a huge mirror.

The Atacama is the largest desert in Chile. This is the driest place on earth. The plants, however, were able to adapt, developing their own ways of surviving in this place. During drought, they even refuse the functions of reproduction and growth.

Antarctica is the largest desert in the world made of ice. Its area is over 14 million square meters. km. And surprisingly, this particular desert is considered the driest place on the planet. There is an explanation - all the moisture is “dried up” by the cold, and precipitation here does not exceed 4 cm per year. And the year 1983 was marked by its lowest temperature - 89 degrees Celsius.

Deserts account for about 11% of the entire land surface. There are more than two dozen zones uninhabited by humans, which are impressive in their size. All of them are very poor in flora and fauna and most often have abnormal temperature indicators that are incompatible with life.

We invite the reader to find out what it is like, largest desert in the world.

10. Chihuahua | Area 362 thousand square meters. km

Opens the top ten largest deserts in the world with an area of ​​362 thousand square meters. km. It is located between two countries: the USA and Mexico. This is a very arid zone with alternating sandy plains and mountain ranges. Summers here are quite hot with temperatures up to 40 degrees above zero. Local flora includes acacia trees, creosote bush and numerous varieties of cactus. Animals here include pronghorns, lizards, rodents, etc.

9. Victoria | Area 423 thousand sq. km

The largest desert in Australia with an area of ​​423 thousand square meters. km, which is 4% of the entire continent. The desert was named by Australian explorer Ernest Giles in honor of Queen Victoria. The area is characterized by an arid climate, so there is no agricultural activity. A biosphere reserve has been opened in Victoria, where kangaroo rats, echidnas, dingoes, budgerigars and some types of poisonous snakes live. The flora here is represented by squat acacias, eucalyptus trees, feather grass, kangaroo grass and solyanka.

8. Patagonian Desert | Area 673 thousand sq. km

It is located on the seventh step of the ranking. The territory it occupies is 673 thousand square meters. km. It is part of South America and is located on the lands of Argentina and Chile. The rocky and sandy soils of the Patagonian desert are sparse in vegetation. The sparse fauna is represented by plant species such as feather grass, bluegrass, milinum and fescue. Animals here include wild llama, rodents, puma, Argentine gray fox, Patagonian weasel, lizards and others. The Patagonian desert is characterized by a dry climate and fairly low temperatures.

7. Kalahari | Area 900 thousand square meters. km

One of the largest deserts in the world with an area of ​​900 thousand square meters. km. It is located on the territory of South Africa, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and is gradually increasing, which is why it began to occupy the territories of neighboring countries. The Kalahari is the hottest zone in South Africa. The average here is +29 degrees, and the lowest recorded temperature is 12 degrees above zero. The desert has a fairly rich fauna. The Kalahari is home to zebras, giraffes, gazelles, antelopes, hyenas, lions, leopards, honey badgers, meerkats, rodents, monitor lizards, lizards, geckos and others.

6. Syrian Desert | Area 1 million sq. km

ranks sixth on the list of the largest deserts in the world. It occupies an area of ​​1 million square meters. km and is part of the states of Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The vegetation here is quite sparse and consists of herbs and shrubs: biyurgun, saxaul, boyalych and wormwood. The fauna is also quite poor and is represented by camels, antelopes, and lizards.

5. Gobi | Area 1.3 million sq. km

It ranks fifth among the largest deserts in the world. The total area it occupies is 1.3 million square meters. km. The desert was divided between the states of China and Mongolia. Another name for the desert is Shamo. To prevent the expansion of the desert zone, the Chinese state is implementing the Green Wall project. The Gobi is one of the hottest and coldest places on Earth. Why? The thing is that in the summer there is unbearable heat here with temperatures of +58 degrees, and in the winter the mercury can drop to a temperature of -55 degrees. In some areas, the Gobi fauna is represented by rodents, wild camels, antelopes and snakes. Among the vegetation you can find camel thorns and saltworts.

4. Arabian Desert | Area 2.3 million sq. km

It ranks fourth on the list of the largest deserts in the world. It is located on an area of ​​2.3 million square meters. km. The lion's share of the desert falls in Saudi Arabia. The rest was divided between Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman and Yemen. There are sharp temperature changes here: in the daytime, indicators can reach 56 degrees above zero, and at night they can drop to minus 12 degrees. For this reason, the local flora and fauna are very scarce. Among the animals you can find gazelles, sand cats and spiny tails.

3. Arctic desert | Area 2.6 million sq. km

Opens the top three by area. The territory occupied by the polar zone is 2.6 million km. It is part of Alaska, Russia, Canada, Denmark and Iceland. The Arctic lands are covered with rubble, rock debris and glaciers. The air temperature here in winter reaches minus 60 degrees. The flora in this area is represented by mosses and lichens. The land fauna is represented by polar bears, arctic foxes and rodents. Marine fauna is inhabited by seals and walruses. Some species of birds also visit this harsh place.

2. Sugar | Area 9.1 million sq. km

The largest subtropical desert in the world. It is also one of the hottest places on the planet. The total occupied area of ​​the Sahara is 9.1 million square meters. km. Partially, the largest desert covers ten countries. The territory is unsuitable for life due to infertility of the soil and high temperatures, which in some places can reach +60 degrees. The peculiarity of the Sahara is that every year it increases in size. For this reason, Algeria is implementing a green wall project to plant trees. This will prevent the sands from capturing more and more new territories. The animals living here are predominantly nocturnal. Among the mammals in the Sahara, there are many species of rodents, the Cape hare, the maned sheep, the Ethiopian hedgehog and others. This place is also attractive for some species of birds: ostriches, guinea fowl, secretary birds, etc.

1. Antarctic Desert | Area 13.8 million sq. km

(Antarctica) with an area of ​​13.8 million square meters. km tops the list of the largest in the world. The polar snow-covered zone is notable not only for its vast territory, but also for the lowest temperatures on Earth, which can exceed 80 degrees. Due to very harsh climatic conditions, the local flora and fauna are quite poor. Near the coasts, in Antarctic oases, there is sparse vegetation in the form of moss and lichen. There are no land mammals, insects, and even ponds are not inhabited by fish. In small bodies of water on land live protozoa, represented by rotifers and lower crustaceans. Small mites and springtails live among the lichens. The harsh Antarctic zone is inhabited by penguins, great pipit, white plover and yellow-billed pintail.