What is the name of the largest desert on earth. The largest deserts. Flora and fauna of the Sahara

This list of deserts of the world includes deserts with an area of ​​more than 50,000 km2. The largest deserts on earth ... Wikipedia

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On our blue planet Earth there are many areas colored yellow by heat and drought - they are called deserts. Approximately a third of the land surface consists of various types of deserts with very little rainfall and vegetation. Some of them formed naturally over millions of years, while others appeared in just a couple of decades due to thoughtless human actions. Some of them are sandy, while others are salty; some are hot, others are cold.

The desert is an incredibly dangerous and difficult terrain to survive. But here’s what’s surprising: animals are found only in a few of the deserts, but people have created settlements in almost all of them, farm and even grow food for export! Each such arid area is somehow unique and beautiful in its own way. We present to you the top 6 deserts of our world.

1 The Atacama Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama) is a sparsely populated area in Chile, South America. This plateau, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes Mountains, experiences virtually no rain. Due to the unusually low annual rainfall (less than 1 mm), this desert is often called the driest and harshest in the world. This plateau is located on a gigantic territory, stretching for about 1 thousand km². In size it is comparable to some states, for example, Iceland.

In such a vast area, it is no wonder that precipitation falls unevenly, if at all! This desert is so arid that some parts of the desert have not seen water for more than several hundred years, and in the harshest areas, weather monitoring stations have not recorded even a slight increase in humidity. And this is for the entire history of weather research in the region! Unlike other famous deserts, such as the Sahara, the Atacama is quite cold. The desert stretches along the coast of Chile near the Pacific Ocean, the largest and oldest in the world, and lies at the high altitude of the Andes Mountains (over 6800 m), on which glaciers do not form! This aridity and almost complete absence of snow is due to the fact that a cold stream passing through the Pacific Ocean (Peruvian Current) prevents the formation of precipitation.

It’s hard to believe, but the desert is literally teeming with life - on its territory you can find more than two hundred species of living creatures (of course, these are mainly different types of lizards). What’s even more surprising is that in such harsh conditions, at a huge altitude of 3000 meters above sea level, not only insects and reptiles survive, but the tiny town of Antagofasta exists!

2 It is believed that the Sahara is the largest desert in the whole world, but this is not entirely true. It is the third largest desert after the Arctic and Antarctic. This unimaginably huge space occupies an area almost equal to half of Africa (8.7 million km²). The Sahara is on the maps of eleven African countries!

This desert is also considered the most severe in terms of climate. The area is so arid that in some parts of it rain does not fall for several years, even decades, and if it does, it is in extremely small quantities. Sandstorms and severe temperature changes between night and day are some of the biggest problems in the area and are caused by winds coming here from the Arabian Peninsula. As the wind moves southwest, the desert air warms, dissipating moisture that might have fallen as rain. These same winds raise sand and swirl into sandstorms. The speed of such wind can exceed 50 m.s. The dehydrated air instantly heats up, and just as instantly, as soon as the sun sets below the horizon, it becomes icy.

Of course, it is extremely difficult to survive in such difficult conditions, and there are very few people living in the incredibly vast territory of the Sahara Desert. They all settled on small islands of greenery along the banks of the Nile. According to recent estimates, there are only about 2.5 million such people.

3 Libyan desert. This desert, like the Sahara, is located in Africa, west of the majestic Nile River, in the eastern part of Libya, Egypt and Sudan, and covers an area of ​​​​about 2 million km².

The Libyan desert is called the hottest desert on the planet; it is here that researchers noted the highest air temperature on Earth! World famous for its tropical climate and almost unbearable dry heat of at least 35 °C, with daily temperature fluctuations of 15 ° -16 °C. In July, temperatures usually approach 50°C, and in rocky areas even reach 100°C! As in the Sahara, terrible sandstorms and “dry fog” arise here, a very unusual natural phenomenon. On days of such fog, dust seems to freeze in the air, and visibility is critically reduced.

Even in such conditions, there are settlements of people who live in oases generated by groundwater approaching close to the surface of the earth. They engage in livestock farming and grow date palms for export.

4 The Namib Desert is called the oldest desert in the world. This desert can be called coastal, as it is located along the southwestern coast of the African continent, near the Atlantic Ocean. It stretches for 2000 km and crosses the state of Angola, Namibia and South Africa. It is very difficult to imagine this, but this desert has existed for about 80 million years; it began to form in prehistoric antiquity, at a time when dinosaurs existed on our planet.

Many travelers consider the Namib to be one of the most picturesque deserts in the world. Here, over millions of years, landscapes of indescribable beauty with giant dunes have formed; In addition, this territory, where living conditions are not as harsh as in other deserts, is home to many amazing animals, such as rhinoceroses, antelopes, zebras, impalas, lions and elephants. In some parts of the desert, real safari tours are organized especially for tourists. As part of these tours, you can see all these animals in their usual habitat, as well as climb one of the dunes and admire the desert from an unusually high height.

5 The Uyuni Desert is not at all like the sandy deserts described above. This is an amazing salt marsh plateau, and, judging by experts, very ancient. About 40,000 years ago, this place boasted a high-mountain lake, where streams flowed from the peaks of the Andes. However, over time, the lake evaporated irrevocably under the influence of climatic conditions and insufficient drainage of the lake. Now it is a deserted and very salty territory of more than 10 thousand km².

6 Aralkum is a desert that all people on earth need to know about, regardless of where they live and what they do. This desert appeared on the beautiful face of the Earth not over millions of years, but in the shortest possible time, in our time. Aralkum was formed on the site of the majestic Aral Sea, with an area of ​​68,000 km², which gradually dried up due to the human factor. “Man is the master of nature”: this is exactly what the Soviet leadership thought and decided to divert the flow of rivers flowing into the sea in the other direction to irrigate giant cotton fields. This led to the monstrous desertification of the reservoir; today only 10 percent of its former territory remains. In Uzbekistan, besides Aralkum, there are two more deserts formed in such an unnatural way - Kyzylkum and Ustyurt.

Unfortunately, this desert is not only a cemetery for once sunken ships, it also poisons nature with its toxic emissions. The fact is that this territory was abundantly irrigated with poisonous agents to kill insects, and the poisoned dust is still blown by the wind to various parts of the world.

Among the existing deserts, the largest in area can be distinguished. There are many tropical deserts. If we take into account sandy deserts, the largest of them is the Sahara.

Large tropical deserts

The leading position in size among tropical deserts is the Sahara Desert. That's why she's called the Queen of the Deserts. The area is almost nine million one hundred thousand square kilometers, which is not much less than the territory of the United States. The location of the desert is northern Africa.

A considerable area is occupied by the Arabian Desert. From the name it is clear that it extends across the territory of the Arabian Peninsula, but also affects Jordan, Egypt and Syria, as well as Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Its territory is two million three hundred thirty thousand square kilometers. Due to frequent strong winds, sharp fluctuations in daily temperatures and dust storms, more than half of the entire desert area remains uninhabited. Surprisingly, during the day the temperature is so high that an egg can fry on the sand within ten minutes, but at night it is unbearably cold.


The Gobi Desert runs partly through China and Mongolia. If you translate its name from the Mongolian language, it will sound like “waterless place.” The area occupied by the Gobi is one million three hundred thousand square kilometers.


The Kalahari Desert occupies a slightly smaller area compared to the Gobi - about nine hundred thousand square kilometers. It extends across countries such as Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. In the Berber language, the word "Kalahari" translates to "tormenting." Local residents call this desert Karri-Karri. Its territory is not constant; it is known that it grows as a result of alluvium.


In Australia, the most significant desert is Victoria. It covers an area of ​​six hundred and forty-seven square kilometers - that's almost half of the entire continent. The desert is unusual in that, along with sandy, it is also rocky, where large areas are covered with fine gravel. The famous red dunes are also found there. Their height sometimes reaches forty meters. The Great Sandy Desert is also located in Australia. Its name is confirmed by the size of the area it occupies - four hundred thousand square kilometers. There are two more deserts in Australia, each with an area of ​​about one hundred and fifty thousand square kilometers - these are the Gibson and Simpson deserts.

Mexico and America are partially crossed by the Chihuahuan Desert. Its territory is an area of ​​four hundred and fifty thousand square kilometers. Nearby there is the Sonoran Desert, with an area of ​​three hundred and ten square kilometers. About two hundred thousand square kilometers is the territory of the Thar Desert. It extends across countries such as Pakistan and India.

The largest desert in Asia

Among Asian deserts, the Gobi Desert occupies the leading position in size. Its landscape is amazing and varied - mountains and dunes, plains and dunes. The territory is located in both Mongolia and China. The desert is waterless and extremely dry. Its vastness is captivating.


The Gobi is practically the very center of Asia. Desert areas remain completely waterless for about sixty-five million years. The dune sands of the desert make up only three percent of its area, but hamadas, in other words rocky and clayey deserts, occupy vast territories.

Africa's largest desert

As you know, the largest desert on the African continent is the Sahara. It is located in the northern part, and its territory covers states such as Egypt, Niger, Algeria and Mali. The Sahara also passes partially through the territory of Libya, Morocco and Chad, the territory of Western Sahara and Sudan. The leader in the number of mirages that arise is she. There is even a map of mirages that helps determine the places where they are most likely and most likely to appear.


It is impossible to attribute the Sahara to any one type; it cannot be categorized, but we can say that the sandy-rocky type predominates.

The largest desert in the world

Among the hot deserts of the world, the first place is undoubtedly behind the Sahara, but if we compare by area, the largest is the snowy desert of Antarctica. It is recognized not only as the largest, but also as the coldest, as well as the driest among all other deserts on the planet. It is polar in type. Its area is about fourteen million square kilometers.

This polar desert has been little studied, and no one knows what is there under the eternal ice. Scientists have been studying the fauna and flora of Antarctica for many years. Belgica Antarctica is the name of the wingless midge, which is the largest land animal in Antarctica. Its length does not exceed one centimeter three millimeters.


To study the snowy desert, scientists study ice cores—long cylinders of ice produced by drilling into the ice surface. So they manage to go back in time thousands of years and obtain information about the earth’s climate of that period.

But the coldest place on Earth is in Antarctica.
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Desert. How much has been said about her! How many civilizations are buried under its sands? How many secrets have not yet been discovered, resting in its endless latitudes!!!
Today we will plunge into the world of amazing spaces. Into the world of DESERT and not just the biggest desert.

1 The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world

The real Queen of Deserts is the largest desert in the world. Its area is 9,065,000 square meters, which is only slightly less than the territory occupied by the United States of America. The Sahara is located in northern Africa and occupies part of the territory of such states as Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan and Western Sahara. When mirages are mentioned, it is certainly worth remembering the Sahara, since here it is the undisputed leader. During the year, from 100 to 200 thousand mirages occur on its territory. There are even special “mirage” maps that indicate the places where they are most likely to appear.

2


Its size is 2,330,000 sq. km. This is the second largest desert, which is located on the territories of such states as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Jordan. Much of the desert is uninhabited, due to frequent dust storms and strong winds. In addition, there is a large fluctuation in daily temperatures. During the day, an egg left on the sand can turn into a fried egg within 10 minutes. At night the stones crack from the cold.

3 Gobi


A desert located in Mongolia and China. It starts from the Altai and Tien Shan mountains and ends with the steppes of Mongolia and the Yellow River. The territory of the Gobi is 1,166,000 km2. Translated from Mongolian, Gobi means “waterless place.”

4


Australia is the country of kangaroos and funny koalas. The country of cockatoos and endless beaches where it is so pleasant to relax! And at the same time, almost half of the continent is given over to deserts, the total territory of which is 647,000 km2. Despite the fact that the desert, in our minds, is a collection of sand, the Australian desert is something special. Here you can find both the familiar sandy deserts and stone deserts, the entire space of which is covered with fine gravel. Moreover, the Australian desert is also famous for its red dunes located in the Simpson Desert. The height of some of them is as much as 40 meters!!!

5 Kalahari


When we hear the word Kalahari, which means “tormenting” in Berber, we think of Africa. This famous desert stretches from Botswana and Namibia to the Republic of South Africa. The territory occupied by the Kalahari, or as the locals call it Karri-Karri, is 600,000 km2. In addition, as a result of alluvium, its area is constantly increasing, taking away more and more new areas from civilization. The countries that have become the latest victims of the painful desert include countries such as Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

6 Karakum


Translated from Turkic, “Karakum” is translated as “black sands”. The territory occupied by this desert is 350,000 km2, and the height of the sand ridges in some places reaches 60 meters! The Karakum occupies most of Turkmenistan. Small vegetation predominates here; local residents use the desert as pasture for livestock.

7 Taklamakan


A desert located in Central Asia and covering 337,600 km2. In 2008, record low temperatures were observed on its territory, and in some places there was even snowfall!

8 Salar de Uyuni


The world's largest salt desert, located in Bolivia. According to experts, the amount of salt contained on its territory is estimated at 10 billion tons. When it rains, salt, dissolving in water, turns the desert into the world's largest salty “mirror.” This is due to the fact that salt water has a different refractive index, and when light hits it, it is reflected, similar to the reflection in an ordinary mirror.

9 Atacama


The largest desert located in Chile. It is considered the driest place on earth. Plants growing on its territory have developed special mechanisms for survival in this harsh climate. During dry periods, they even abandon such functions as usual for plants, such as growth and reproduction.

10


The world's only ice desert. Its area is about 14,107,000 km². Contrary to popular belief, Antarctica is the driest place on earth! This is explained by the fact that extreme cold literally “dries up” the moisture, and the amount of precipitation there does not exceed 4 cm per year. Interesting fact: in 1983, the lowest temperature recorded in Antarctica was minus 89 degrees Celsius.

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.