List of deserts by area

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).

Some of Earth's biggest non-polar deserts Rank | Name | Type | Image | Area
(km2) | Area
(sq mi) | Location[note 1] | Nation(s)

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1 | Antarctic Desert | Polar ice and tundra |  | 14,200,000,000,000,000 14,200,000[1] | 05,482,651 5,482,651 | Antarctica | N/A
2 | Arctic Desert | Polar ice and tundra |  | 13,900,000 13,900,000[1] | 05,366,820 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 |  | 09,200,000 9,200,000[1] | 03,552,140 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 |  | 02,700,000 2,700,000 | 01,042,476 1,042,476 | Australia | Australia
5 | Arabian Desert | Subtropical |  | 02,330,000 2,330,000[2] | 00,899,618 899,618 | Western Asia | Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen
6 | Gobi Desert | Cold winter |  | 01,295,000 1,295,000[1] | 00,500,002 500,002 | Eastern Asia | China and Mongolia
7 | Kalahari Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,900,000 900,000[3] | 00,347,492 347,492 | Southern Africa | Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa
8 | Patagonian Desert | Cold winter |  | 00,673,000 673,000[1] | 00,259,847 259,847 | South America | Argentina
9 | Syrian Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,500,000 500,000[4] | 00,193,051 193,051 | Western Asia | Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria
10 | Great Basin | Cold winter |  | 00,492,098 492,098[4] | 00,190,000 190,000 | Northern America | United States
11 | Chihuahuan Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,453,248 453,248[4] | 00,175,000 175,000 | Northern America | Mexico and the United States
12 | Karakum Desert | Cold winter |  | 00,350,000 350,000[4] | 00,135,136 135,136 | Central Asia | Turkmenistan
– | Great Victoria[note 2] | Subtropical |  | 00,348,750 348,750[1] | 00,134,653 134,653 | Western Australia, South Australia | Australia
13 | Colorado Plateau | Cold winter |  | 00,337,000 337,000[4] | 00,130,116 130,116 | Northern America | United States
14 | Sonoran Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,310,000 310,000[4] | 00,119,692 119,692 | Central America
Northern America | Mexico and the United States
15 | Kyzylkum Desert | Cold winter |  | 00,300,000 300,000[4] | 00,115,831 115,831 | Central Asia | Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
16 | Taklamakan Desert | Cold winter |  | 00,270,000 270,000 | 00,104,248 104,248 | Eastern Asia | China
17 | Ogaden Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,256,000 256,000 | 00,098,842 98,842 | Eastern Africa | Ethiopia, Somalia, and Somaliland
18 | Thar Desert | Subtropical |  | 238,254 [5] | 00,077,220 77,220 | Southern Asia | India and Pakistan
20  | Puntland Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,200,000 200,000 | 00,077,220 77,220 | Eastern Africa | Somalia
20 | Ustyurt Plateau | Temperate |  | 00,200,000 200,000 | 00,077,220 77,220 | Central Asia | Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
21 | Guban Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,175,000 175,000 | 00,067,568 67,568 | Eastern Africa | Somalia/Somaliland
22 | Namib Desert | Cool coastal |  | 00,160,000 160,000 | 00,061,776 61,776 | Middle Africa
Southern Africa | Angola, Namibia, and South Africa
23 | Dasht-e Margo | Subtropical |  | 00,150,000 150,000 | 00,057,915 57,915 | Southern Asia | Afghanistan
24 | Registan Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,146,000 146,000 | 00,056,371 56,371 | Southern Asia | Afghanistan
25 | Atacama Desert | Mild coastal |  | 00,140,000 140,000[4] | 00,054,054 54,054 | South America | Chile and Peru
26 | Danakil Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,137,000 137,000 | 00,052,896 52,896 | Eastern Africa | Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia
27 | Mojave Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,124,000 124,000[6][7] | 00,047,877 47,877 | Northern America | United States
28 | Chalbi Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,100,000 100,000 | 00,038,610 38,610 | Eastern Africa | Kenya
29 | Columbia Basin | Cold winter |  | 00,083,139 83,139[4] | 00,032,100 32,100 | Northern America | Canada and the United States
30 | Dasht-e Kavir | Subtropical |  | 00,077,000 77,000[8] | 00,029,730 29,730 | Southern Asia | Iran
31 | Ferlo Desert | Subtropical |  | 00,070,000 70,000 | 00,027,027 27,027 | Western Africa | Senegal
32 | Ladakh Desert[9] | Cold winter |  | 00,059,146 59,146 | 00,022,836 22,836 | Southern Asia | India
33 | Dasht-e Lut | Subtropical |  | 00,052,000 52,000[8] | 00,020,077 20,077 | Southern Asia | Iran

## Notes

1. ↑ As per the United Nations geoscheme.
2. ↑ A part of the Great Australian Desert.

## See also

* Desert
* Desertification
* List of deserts by continent
* Polar desert
* Tundra
* United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

## References

1. ↑ 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/.
2. ↑ "Arabian Desert". http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110527/Arabian-Desert.
3. ↑ 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. ↑ 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.
5. ↑ "Thar Desert | Map, Climate, Vegetation, & Facts". 24 May 2023. https://www.britannica.com/place/Thar-Desert.
6. ↑ "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.
7. ↑ "Recoverability and Vulnerability of Desert Ecosystems". USGS. 2006-03-03. http://mojave.usgs.gov/rvde/.
8. ↑ 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.
9. ↑ The Cold Desert – Ladakh

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