» A desert is
a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and
consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life.
» About one
third of the land surface of the world is arid or semi-arid. This
includes much of the polar regions where little precipitation occurs and which
are sometimes called polar deserts or "cold deserts".
» Deserts
can be classified by the amount of precipitation that falls, by the temperature
that prevails, by the causes of desertification or by their geographical
location.
» The
deserts found on Earth are extremely diverse, each unique in their own way. The
dunes of the Saharan Desert, the icy tundra of Antarctica, and the Pacific
coastline of the Atacama Desert are all deserts.
» There are
four different types of deserts based upon their geographic situation:
1. Polar
deserts (Ex: Arctic & Antarctic)
2. Subtropical
deserts (Ex: Sahara, Kalahari, Arabian, Great Victoria etc.)
3. Cold
winter deserts (Ex: Great Basin, Gobi etc.)
4. Cool
coastal deserts (Ex: Namib, Atacama)
» The
largest deserts in the world are polar deserts. The Antarctic Polar Desert is
the largest and covers the continent of Antarctica and has a size of about 5.5
million square miles.
» The
second-largest desert is the Arctic Polar Desert. It has a surface area of
about 5.4 million square miles.
» Antarctica
is considered the most extreme continent on earth, and is located about the
South Pole. On average, it is the driest, windiest, and coldest continent on
earth, while also having the highest average elevation compared to any of the
other continents.
» Sahara is
the third largest desert overall, and the largest “hot desert” in the world.
This desert comprises most of the land in North Africa, excluding the fertile
regions of Maghreb, the Atlas Mountains and the coastal region adjacent to the
Mediterranean Sea. Most of the desert is comprised of rocky Hamada, large land
areas covered with sand dunes.
» The
central part Sahara desert is termed as “hyper-arid”, and there is no
vegetation growing there as a result of the virtually nonexistent
precipitation. Most of the rivers are intermittent and seasonal. The major
exception is the Nile, which is the chief river across the desert.
» The
Arabian Desert is situated on the Arabian peninsula, and makes up parts of
Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and
Yemen.
» Both the
Sahara and Arabian Deserts are known for their sand and sand dune
» The center
of Arabian Desert, Rub ’al-Khali, the “Empty Quarter”, forms the largest
continuous body of sand in the world.
» The Gobi
is termed as a “rain shadow desert”, as it is in the lee-ward side of the
Himalaya ranges which block the rain (“rain shadow”), keeping clouds from the
Indian Ocean from reaching Gobi. Most of the Gobi’s surface is not sandy, but
rather exposed, bare rock. It is a cold desert and snow occasionally will
accumulate on its dunes.
» Kalahari
is a vast, semi-arid savanna in southern Africa. It happens to get
significantly more rainfall and support more diverse life than its
counterparts.
» Within the
expanse of the Kalahari Desert, you will find the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
– the second largest protected area for wildlife in the world
List of Deserts their types and Location (Country, Continent)
Name
|
Type of
Desert
|
Location
|
Antarctic
|
Polar
|
Antarctica
|
Arctic
|
Polar
|
Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway,
Sweden, Finland, Russia |
Sahara
|
Subtropical
|
Northern Africa
|
Arabian
|
Subtropical
|
Arabian Peninsula
|
Gobi
|
Cold Winter
|
China and Mongolia
|
Patagonian
|
Cold Winter
|
Argentina
|
Great Victoria
|
Subtropical
|
Australia
|
Kalahari
|
Subtropical
|
South Africa, Botswana, Namibia
|
Great Basin
|
Cold Winter
|
United States
|
Syrian
|
Subtropical
|
Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia
|
Chihuahuan
|
Subtropical
|
Mexico
|
Great Sandy
|
Subtropical
|
Australia
|
Kara-Kum
|
Cold Winter
|
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
|
Colorado Plateau
|
Cold Winter
|
United States
|
Gibson
|
Subtropical
|
Australia
|
Sonoran
|
Subtropical
|
United States, Mexico
|
Kyzyl-Kum
|
Cold Winter
|
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan
|
Taklamakan
|
Cold Winter
|
China
|
Iranian
|
Cold Winter
|
Iran
|
Thar
|
Subtropical
|
India, Pakistan
|
Simpson
|
Subtropical
|
Australia
|
Mojave
|
Subtropical
|
United States
|
Atacama
|
Cool Coastal
|
Chile
|
Namib
|
Cool Coastal
|
Angola, Namibia, South Africa
|
Frequently
asked:
Which is the largest desert in the world?
To be considered a desert an area must have less than 250
millimeters of annual rainfall. Using that criteria, the continent of
Antarctica is the largest desert on Earth. It has less than 51mm of
precipitation per year and little or no vegetation. While Sahara of Africa is
the Largest hot desert covered with sand dunes.
What continent is the desert in?
Two-thirds of the Australian continent is considered arid
or desert, which makes the continent the driest on Earth after Antarctica. When
you consider all the deserts of the world, Australia does not have the largest
desert areas, but they do have the most desert areas of any continent when
compared to the total continental surface area. There are 10 different deserts
on the continent of Australia.
How many deserts are there in the world?
Approximately 1/3 of Earth's land surface is a desert. There
are 33 major deserts in the world that, when subdivided into smaller deserts, equal
71. Of those 71, 12 are in Africa, one is Antarctica, three are in the
arctic basin, 26 are in Asia (including the Middle East), 10 are in Australia
and New Zealand, 10 are in Europe, four are in North America, and five are in
South America.
Is the Antarctic a desert?
A Desert is defined as a region that has less
than 250 mm (10 in) of annual rainfall or precipitation. Antarctica can be
classified as a desert by this definition.
What continent does not have any deserts?
Europe is the only continent without at least one desert
region. To qualify as a desert, an area must receive fewer than 10 inches
of annual rainfall.
See also:
