Misplaced Pages

This is a list of the largest deserts in the world by area. It includes all deserts above 50,000 km (19,300 sq mi).

Rank	Name	Type	Image	Area (km)	Area (sq mi)	Location	Nation(s)
1	Antarctic Desert	Polar ice and tundra		14,200,000,000,000,000 14,200,000	05,482,651 5,482,651	Antarctica	N/A
2	Arctic Desert	Polar ice and tundra		13,900,000 13,900,000	05,366,820 5,366,820	Eastern Europe Northern America Northern Asia Northern Europe	Alaska (United States), Canada (Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories), Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard and Jan Mayen (Norway), Siberia (Russia), and Sweden
3	Saharan Desert	Subtropical		09,200,000 9,200,000	03,552,140 3,552,140	Eastern Africa Middle Africa Northern Africa Western Africa	Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, the Niger, the Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara
4	Arabian Desert	Subtropical		02,330,000 2,330,000	00,899,618 899,618	Western Asia	Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Israel and Yemen
5	Great Australian Desert	Subtropical		01,371,000 1,371,000	00,529,346 529,346	Australasia	Australia
6	Gobi Desert	Cold winter		01,295,000 1,295,000	00,500,002 500,002	Eastern Asia	China and Mongolia
7	Kalahari Desert	Subtropical		00,900,000 900,000	00,347,492 347,492	Southern Africa	Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa
8	Patagonian Desert	Cold winter		00,673,000 673,000	00,259,847 259,847	South America	Argentina and Chile
9	Syrian Desert	Subtropical		00,500,000 500,000	00,193,051 193,051	Western Asia	Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Syria
10	Great Basin Desert	Cold winter		00,492,098 492,098	00,190,000 190,000	Northern America	Nevada, Utah, California and Idaho (United States)
11	Chihuahuan Desert	Subtropical		00,453,248 453,248	00,175,000 175,000	Central America Northern America	Mexico and the United States
12	Karakum Desert	Cold winter		00,350,000 350,000	00,135,136 135,136	Central Asia	Turkmenistan
–	Great Victoria Desert	Subtropical		00,348,750 348,750	00,134,653 134,653	Australasia	Australia
13	Taklamakan Desert	Cold winter		00,270,000 337,000	00,104,248 130,191	Eastern Asia	China
14	Colorado Plateau	Cold winter		00,337,000 336,700	00,130,116 130,116	Northern America	United States
15	Sonoran Desert	Subtropical		00,310,000 310,000	00,119,692 119,692	Central America Northern America	Mexico and the United States
16	Kyzylkum Desert	Cold winter		00,300,000 300,000	00,115,831 115,831	Central Asia	Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
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	00,077,220 77,220	Southern Asia	India and Pakistan
19	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	Margo Desert	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	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	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	00,032,100 32,100	Northern America	Canada and the United States
30	Kavir Desert	Subtropical		00,077,000 77,000	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	Cold winter		00,059,146 59,146	00,022,836 22,836	Southern Asia	India
33	Lut Desert	Subtropical		00,052,000 52,000	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. ^ "Top ten largest (non-polar) deserts". Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
2. "Arabian Desert". Archived from the original on 2007-12-31. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
3. Areas of Australian and territory deserts by Geoscience Australia
4. Bass, Karen (2009-02-01). "Nature's Great Events:The Okavango Delta, Kalahari Desert" (PDF). press.uchicago.edu. University of Chicago Press. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
5. ^ "Largest Desert in the World". Archived from the original on 2007-08-17. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
6. "Thar Desert | Map, Climate, Vegetation, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. 24 May 2023. Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
7. "Mapping Perennial Vegetation Cover in the Mojave Desert" (PDF). pubs.usgs.gov. USGS Western Geographic Science Center. 2011-06-01. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
8. "Recoverability and Vulnerability of Desert Ecosystems". mojave.usgs.gov. USGS. 2006-03-03. Archived from the original on 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
9. ^ 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.
10. "The Cold Desert – Ladakh". 6 March 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.

• Lists of landforms
• Deserts
• Geology-related lists
• Deserts and xeric shrublands
• Lists by area
• Lists of deserts