11 Largest Deserts In The World: You Won’t Be Able To Guess #1

The 11 largest deserts in the world are often bigger than many countries in the world.  Our image of a desert has long since been that of a plain, arid land, with a scorching sun from which no protection is offered since the area is completely devoid of any vegetation. Add in a few camels, and maybe an oasis, and the image is complete.

However, while that image is correct in many instances, it does not hold true in every case. For this, we need to focus on the definition of a desert. A desert is defined as an area which receives either very little or no rain annually. As per the definition, there is absolutely no certainty that a desert has to be absolutely devoid of vegetation; that is just a side effect of no rain. Furthermore, it is also not necessary that a desert is extremely hot. In fact, as this article will show, a desert can be extremely cold as well. In contrast, you might also be interested in discovering the 11 largest lakes in the world, which have more water than all the deserts in this list combined.

We’ve all grown up learning that the biggest desert in the world is the Sahara desert. However, you may be in for a surprise as that is not technically correct.

11. Chihuahuan Desert

Size of the desert: 450,000 square kilometers

This desert encompasses two countries in the United States and Mexico, this desert is the second largest in the continent of North America. The desert was created due to its location between two mountain ranges, depriving it of rain necessary for vegetation to thrive in.

10. Great Basin Desert

Size of desert: 492,000 square kilometers

The largest desert in North America, the Great Basin Desert is located in the United States, and has its presence in Nevada, Utah, Idaho and California. The desert is famous for its extremely hot summers and extremely cold winters. The desert was once home to two lakes, Lahontan and Bonneville, which dried up after the Ice Age.

9. Syrian Desert

Size of the desert: 520,000 square kilometers

The Syrian desert is one of the 11 largest deserts in the world, and the first in this list to cross the half million square kilometers threshold. The desert is located in the countries of Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and of course, Syria. The city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is located in an oasis in the desert.

8. Patagonian Desert

Size of the desert: 620,000 square kilometers

Proving the fact that not all deserts are hot, the Patagonian Desert, which is located primarily in Argentina and partially in Chile, experiences less than six months of summer, and while snow is pretty rare due to the lack of precipitation in the area, frost is much more common.

7. Great Victoria Desert

Size of the desert: 647,000 square kilometers

Everyone knows that Australia is mainly desert, which is why it is no surprise that the country is host to one of the largest deserts in the world as well. Rainfall in the area is extremely low, with the desert receiving less than 250 mm of rain annually. Temperatures tend to exceed 40 degrees centigrade during the summer.

6. Kalahari Desert

Size of the desert: 900,000 square kilometers

The continent of Africa is host to many deserts, with the Kalahari being one of the largest deserts there. The desert encompasses much of Botswana while also making its presence felt in Namibia and South Africa. The wettest area in the desert receives around 500mm of rain, which is around twice more than the rain received by the Great Victorian Desert.

5. Gobi Desert

Size of the Desert: 1,000,000 square kilometers

The desert, which covers parts of Mongolia and China, was created due to the Himalayan range blocking rain from reaching the area. Because the desert is located on a plateau that is over a 1000 meters above sea level, the temperatures in the desert are low.

4. Arabian Desert

Size of the desert: 2,330,000 square kilometers

Asia’s largest desert, the Arabian Desert is located in an astounding eight countries, which include Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The desert’s temperature fluctuates daily, from extreme heat during the day to below freezing during the night.

3. Sahara Desert

Size of the desert: 9,400,000 square kilometers

More than four times the size of the Arabian Desert, the Sahara Desert is located in Chad, Libya, Egypt, Niger, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Mali. While many know it to be the largest desert in the world, it is actually the third largest. The desert is sparsely populated due to its uninhabitable features with extremely high temperatures and a climate that basically prohibits rainfall.

2. Arctic Polar Desert

Size of the desert: 13,900,000 square kilometers

Making its presence felt in Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Norway and even Russia. The desert’s average temperature in summer still fails to generally exceed beyond 10 degrees centigrade, while the area feels to feel sunlight for a period that can extend up to ten months.

1. Antarctic Polar Desert

Size of the desert: 14,000,000 square kilometers

Covering the entire continent of Antarctica, the Antarctic Polar Desert is the largest desert in the world. This is despite the fact that much of the continent is covered with ice, and is often home to snow dunes as well. Only scientists tend to live in this area mainly to conduct their studies, while some animals such as penguins and seals can also be found here.