A list of major deserts distributed across the Earth.
Overview
Major Deserts of the World
Deserts refer to extremely dry regions with minimal annual precipitation, covering approximately one-third of Earth's land area. This list compiles major world deserts including the Sahara, Gobi, and Atacama deserts, summarizing their geographical locations, areas, climatic characteristics, and ecosystems. Deserts are classified into tropical, polar, and coastal deserts, each possessing unique landscapes and ecosystems.
desert
geography
climate
nature
Sahara
Gobi
Atacama
| code | slug | name | description | area_unit | area_value | location | type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | sahara-desert | Sahara Desert | The world's largest tropical desert, spreading across northern Africa. | km² | 9060000 | Northern Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Western Sahara, Mauritania) | Tropical Desert |
| 02 | gobi-desert | Gobi Desert | Asia's largest desert, spanning China and Mongolia. | km² | 1300000 | China (Inner Mongolia) and Mongolia | Cold Desert |
| 03 | atacama-desert | Atacama Desert | One of the driest deserts in the world, located in Chile. | km² | 179000 | Chile (between the Andes Mountains and Pacific Ocean) | Coastal Desert |
| 04 | arabian-desert | Arabian Desert | A vast desert spreading across the Arabian Peninsula. | km² | 2300000 | Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, UAE, etc.) | Tropical Desert |
| 05 | kalahari-desert | Kalahari Desert | A semi-desert region located in southern Africa. | km² | 570000 | Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa) | Semi-desert |
| 06 | namib-desert | Namib Desert | The world's oldest desert, spread along the coast of Namibia. | km² | 50000 | Namibia (Atlantic coast) | Coastal Desert |
| 07 | sonoran-desert | Sonoran Desert | One of the largest deserts in North America. | km² | 311000 | North America (Arizona, California, USA) and Mexico | Subtropical Desert |
| 08 | thar-desert | Thar Desert | A desert spread across the India-Pakistan border. | km² | 270000 | India (Rajasthan) and Pakistan | Subtropical Desert |
| 09 | taklamakan-desert | Taklamakan Desert | A desert located in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. | km² | 270000 | China (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tarim Basin) | Inland Desert |
| 10 | karakum-desert | Karakum Desert | A vast desert covering Turkmenistan. | km² | 350000 | Turkmenistan | Inland Desert |
- List of World Deserts - Ichiranya reference
- Top 10 World Desert Area Rankings reference
- List of Deserts - HiSoUR reference