World’s Largest Deserts: Check Area, Location of Some of the Largest Deserts!

Deserts are some of the most intriguing and extreme landscapes on Earth. Known for their dry climates, scorching or freezing temperatures, and sparse vegetation, these regions span vast areas of the globe. While many people believe the Sahara is the largest desert in the world, that's actually a myth. The Antarctic Desert holds that title, covering the entire continent of Antarctica. Despite being covered in snow and ice, it's classified as a polar desert because of its extremely low rainfall. The Arctic Desert, another polar desert, is the second-largest and stretches across parts of North America, Eastern Europe, and Northern Europe. The Sahara Desert, the largest hot desert, ranks third in overall size.

These important deserts of the world not only impress with their size but also with their unique ecosystems, landscapes, and cultural significance. From the icy sheets of Antarctica to the sand seas of North Africa, each desert of world tells a different story. In this Static GK article, explore the major deserts of the world—their location, area, and fascinating facts—and uncover which one truly deserves the title of the most expansive and famous desert in world geography.

Largest Deserts in the World

The world's largest deserts showcase nature's extremes. The Antarctic Desert, covering frigid expanses, holds the title due to its icy aridity. The Arctic Desert, equally harsh, spans the North Pole region. The hot Sahara Desert in Africa and the vast Arabian Desert in the Middle East also command awe with their vastness and arid landscapes.

• Antarctic Desert
• Arctic Desert
• Sahara Desert
• Arabian Desert
• Gobi Desert
• Kalahari Desert
• Great Victoria Desert
• Patagonian Desert
• Syrian Desert
• Great Basin Desert

Free Download Quiz on World’s Largest Deserts

Apart from region, territorial and geographical importance, knowing the details is also important from an exam perspective. Static General Knowledge(GK) is important for any competitive exam. Some exams may carry more weightage some may less. But aspirants preparing for any competitive exam need to prepare thoroughly for Static GK. There are number of questions asked in the examinations from this portion of general knowledge. It has a huge concept and hence requires a broad approach. A large number of topics are included in it like:

• Deserts
• Rivers side cities in India
• National and International organizations with their headquarters, 
• Banks with their headquarters taglines and MD and CEO
• Historical Monuments of India 
• Various Government Schemes 
• Volcanoes and many more.

In this article, we will cover deserts which will include, what is desert, list of some large deserts situated around the world with their locations and dimensions etc.

Also read, on tourist places in India. 

Largest Desert in the World 

A desert can be called the largest or smallest depending on its area i.e how much area it covers. The Antarctic Desert can be called the largest desert in the world. It covers an area of 14200000 sq km. It is situated in the continent of Antarctica and is a polar ice desert. The second largest desert is the Arctic Desert which is again a polar ice desert and covers an area of 13900000 sq km. It is situated in Eastern Europe, North America and North Europe. We have listed out important deserts in the world according to their area.

Largest Desert in the World - Antarctic Desert

Situated in the continent of Antarctica, it covers an area of 14200000 sq km hence being called as the world’s largest desert. It is a polar ice desert as it remains snow capped throughout the year. Plants cannot be seen as the climatic conditions are not favorable for growth. But mosses and lichens can be seen. In animals, polar bears and walruses can be found.

One of the Largest Deserts in the World - Arctic Desert

Spread over Eastern Europe, North America, it covers an area of 13900000 sq km thus being called the second largest desert in the world. It is again a polar desert and hence remains snow capped throughout the year. The same kind of flora and fauna like the one found in Antarctic Desert is found in the Arctic Desert.

Also read on world heritage sites in India. 

One of the Largest Deserts in the World - Sahara Desert

It covers an area of 9200000 sq km. It is a subtropical desert covered with sand. Hence the climatic conditions are extreme (extremely hot and extremely cold). It is located in the African and American continent. Flora and fauna are adaptable to the extreme weather conditions of this desert. Flora includes spiny shrubs and grasses, thorny plants like cactus. Fauna includes camels, cheetahs, red necked ostrich, fox etc. 

One of the Largest Deserts in the World - Great Australian Desert

It is the fourth largest desert of the world, covering an area of 2700000 sq km. It is a subtropical desert situated in the Australian continent.

One of the Largest Deserts in the World - Arabian Desert

This desert is the largest in Asia covering an area of 2330000 sq km. It is an extension of the Sahara Desert. It is a subtropical desert, covered with sand. It is situated in West Asia in countries like Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman etc.

One of the Largest Deserts in the World - Gobi Desert

Gobi desert is spread over an area of 1295000 sq km. This is a cold winter desert. It is situated in the eastern part of Asia in the countries namely China and Mongolia

Largest Deserts in the World In a Glimpse:

We have mentioned the top 6 deserts of the world according to their sizes in descending order and we found that the Antarctic desert is the world’s largest desert.. Here is a glimpse of the details of the deserts around the world area wise in descending in tabular form for a quick reference for our readers:

List of Deserts in descending order according to their area
Rank	Name of the Desert	Type	Area	Location	Country where it is situated
1	Antarctic Desert	Polar Ice	14200000 sq km	Antarctica	Antarctica(Continent)
2	Arctic Desert	Polar Ice	13900000 sp km	Eastern Europe,North America, North Europe	Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia
3	Sahara Desert	Subtropical	9200000	Eastern Africa, Middle Africa, North America	Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara
4	Great Australian Desert	Subtropical	2700000	Australia	Australia
5	Arabian Desert	Subtropical	2330000	Western Asia	Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
6	Gobi Desert	Cold Winter	1295000	Eastern Asia	China and Mongolia
7	Kalahari	Subtropical	900000	Southern Africa	Namibia, South Africa, Botswana
8	Patagonian Desert	Cold Winter	673000	South America	Argentina
9	Syrian Desert	Subtropical	500000	Western Asia	Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria
10	Great Basin	Cold Winter	492098	North America	United States
11	Chihuahuan Desert	Subtropical	453248	North America	Mexico and United States
12	Karakum Desert	Cold Winter	350000	Central Asia	Turkmenistan
13	Great Victoria	Subtropical	348750	Western Australia, South Australia	Australia
14	Colorado Plateau	Cold Winter	337000	North America	United States
15	Sonoran Desert	Subtropical	310000	Central America, North America	Mexico and United States
16	Kyzylkum desert	Cold Winter	300000	Central Asia	Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
17	Taklamakan Desert	Cold Winter	270000	Eastern Asia	China
18	Ogden Desert	Subtropical	256000	Eastern Africa	Ethiopia, Somalia
19	Thar Desert	Subtropical	238254	Southern Asia	India and Pakistan
20	Putland Desert	Subtropical	200000	East Africa	Somalia
21	Ustyurt Desert	Temperate	200000	Central Asia	Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
22	Guban Desert	Subtropical	175000	East Africa	Somalia

Get valuable insights on UN Secretary General list. 

What is a desert?

Of the one third part of the earth which is covered with land mass, a portion of it is covered with deserts. Now you must be thinking, what is a desert? A desert is a piece of land mass which receives very little rainfall throughout the year. Living conditions for plants and animals are hostile. Hence such plants and animals can be seen which can adapt themselves with the climatic conditions of a desert. 

Deserts are formed due to weathering of rocks(breaking of rocks into pieces) due to variations in temperatures. Although rain rarely occurs in deserts, when it occurs and falls on the hot rocks or cold rocks and gets broken into pieces. The extreme temperatures weaken the rocks and rain breaks it into pieces. This ongoing process results in the formation of sand which we get to see in deserts. Further, this sand is eroded by heavy winds which blow over the desert. This further results in formation of sandstorms or dust storms. Deserts can be categorized depending on the temperature, rainfall, geographical location. 

• Some deserts are flat, stony plains, where all the fine materials have been blown away by the strong winds and the surface consists of smooth stones. 
• Other type of deserts consist of rocky outcrops, bedrocks and clays which have been once deposited by flowing water. 
• The formation of depressions sometimes result in formation of small lakes. 
• This fact cannot be denied that water is scarce in deserts because there can be underground sources of water in deserts. 
• As mentioned above, such plants and animals can be seen which are capable of adapting themselves with the climatic conditions of a desert. 

Plants like cactus can be found in deserts. These plants have no leaves rather they have spines and thorns to prevent the heat wave directly from falling on their body. They also have water storing capacity in them. Besides cactus, some other plants germinate and die in due course of time but cactus are such plants which live for a long period of time. Further, such adaptable animals are found in deserts. 

Life in the desert for human beings is tough. Their main concern is to look for a source of water. Hence people roam like nomads in search of food and water. Deserts can be either hot or cold depending on the temperature, precipitation etc. Depending on its climatic conditions deserts can be categorized into the following types:

• Polar Ice
• Cold Winter
• Subtropical
• Temperate
• Cool Coastal
• Mild Coastal

Also read on biosphere reserves in India. 
 

Get Previous Year Question Papers

SSC Previous Year Question Papers
SSC GD Previous Year Question Paper	SSC CGL Previous Year Question Paper
SSC CHSL Previous Year Question Paper	SSC JE Previous Year Question Paper
SSC MTS Previous Year Question Paper	SSC CPO Previous Year Question Paper
Railway Previous Year Question Papers
RRB ALP Previous Year Question Paper	RRB NTPC Previous Year Question Paper
RRB Technician Previous Year Question Paper	RPF Constable Previous Year Question Paper
RPF SI Previous Year Question Paper	RRB Group D Previous Year Question Paper
State PCS Previous Year Papers
BPSC Previous Year Papers	Kerala PSC KAS Previous Year Papers
MPSC Previous Year Papers	KPSC KAS Previous Year Papers
OPSC OAS Previous Year Papers	RPSC RAS Previous Year Papers
UPPCS Previous Year Papers	WBCS Previous Year Papers

In this article, we have tried to cover every information related to desert which is relevant for the Static GK portion for any competitive exam. Students are advised to read the article carefully for reference. Please visit the official website of Testbook for more information and useful content on other exams. Please download the mobile application of Testbook to boost your preparation.