10 Largest Deserts In The World

Deserts are called geographical areas where waterfall (rainfall and snowfall) is much less than other areas. Often (mistakenly) sandy desert plains are called deserts which is incorrect. It is another matter that the region with lowest rainfall in India (Thar) is a sandy plain. It is not necessary for the desert to be sandy. It is also not necessary to warm the desert. The Antarctic, which is a region covered with snow, is the largest desert in the world! There are many deserts in other countries of the world which are not sandy. Today we will give you information about some of the largest deserts or deserts in the world.

The largest desert in the world:

Rank	Name	Location and Country	Type		Area (km²)
1.	Antarctica	Antarctica	Cold Winter	14000000
2.	Arctic	Arctic	cold winter	13985000
3.	Sahara	North Africa	subtropical	9000000
4.	Arabic Desert	Western Asia	Subtropical	2330000
5.	Gobi Desert	Central Asia (China and Mongolia)	Cold Winter	1000000
6.	Kalahari Desert	Southern Africa	subtropical	900000
7.	Great Victoria desert	Australia	subtropical	647000
8.	Patagonian Desert	South America(Argentina and Chile)	Cold Winter	620000

Antarctica

Antarctica (or Antartica) is the southernmost continent of the Earth, with the South Pole embedded. It is located in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere and almost entirely to the south of the Antarctic Circle. It is surrounded by the southern ocean. With its 140 million square kilometers (5.4 million square miles) area, it is the fifth largest continent on Earth, after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America, with 98% of Antarctica covering an average of 1.6 kilometers of thick snow. Antarctica, on average, is the world's coldest, driest and strongest winds continent and has the highest elevation of all continents. Antarctica is considered a desert, as its annual precipitation is only 200 mm (8 in), and it is also mostly in coastal areas. There is no permanent resident here but around 1,000 to 5,000 people are present throughout the year at various research centers which are spread all over the continent. Only air-conditioned plants and organisms can survive here, including penguins, seals, nematodes, tardigrades, fleas, various types of algae, and microorganisms, as well as tundra vegetation, although there are many species of terra australis (southern lands) throughout Europe. Various myths and speculations were prevalent for centuries, but the credit for introducing the whole world from this land in 1820 goes to Russian expeditioners Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Belsinghausen. The continent remained largely neglected in the 19th century due to its heterogeneous climatic conditions, lack of resources and isolation from the mainland. The first formal use of the name Antarctica for the continent was in 1890 by the Scottish cartographer John George Bartholomew. The name Antarctica comes from the Greek compound word ανταρκτική Antarctica which is the feminine form of ανταρκτικός Antarcticos and means "the opposite of the North". Twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, to date forty-six countries have signed the treaty . The treaty supports scientific research with a prohibition of military and mineral mining activities on the continent and is committed to saving the continent's ecological zone. Currently more than 4,000 scientists from many countries with different research objectives have various experiments are doing.

The arctic desert

The arctic desert uplift is a terrestrial outcrop, covering the islands of Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, Severni Island, and Severna Gemlia in the Arctic Ocean above 75 degrees north longitude. E hard snow environment covered with glaciers, snow and bare rock.

SAHARA DESERT

The largest hot desert in the world. The name Sahara is derived from the Arabic word for desert, Sahara (صحراء) which means desert. It stretches over a width of 1,300 kilometers north of Sudan and south of the Atlas Mountains in the northern part of Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea to a length of 5,600 kilometers. It also includes some coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea. It is almost equal to Europe in area and more than twice the area of India. The desert is expanded in Mali, Morocco, Muritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Chad, Sudan and Egypt countries. To the south, it is bordered by the Sahal, a semi-arid tropical savanna region. It separates the Sahara from the rest of Africa. Sahara is a low desert plateau with an average elevation of 300 meters. The intermittent history of this tropical desert is about 3 million years old. There are also some low volcanic mountains in which Hogar of Algeria and Tibesti Mountains of Libya are the main ones. The Eemi Kusi volcano situated on the Tibesti Mountains is the highest point of the Sahara with a height of 3,415 meters. The huge sand dunes and ravines made with air make up its common geological nature. Large sand dunes are found in the west of the Sahara Desert, especially in the Marcinia region. The height of some sand dunes can reach 180 m (600 ft). Green deserts are found somewhere in the Sahara desert due to the convenience of irrigation by a well, river, or waterfall. Kufara, Tuyat, Wedelay, Tinnekuk, Eljuf are the main desert gardens of the Sahara. Sometimes there are dry valleys of rivers called Wadi. Saline water lakes are found here. The climate of Sahara Desert is dry and contrasting. Here both daily temperature and annual temperature are high. There is severe heat in the day and harsh winter at night. In the daytime the temperature reaches 580 centigrade and at night the temperature drops below freezing point. A recent new research has shown that the Sahara region of Africa was transformed into the world's largest desert about two and a half thousand years ago due to continuous greening. The northern regions of Africa were filled with greenery 6000 years ago. Apart from this there were many lakes also. Most of the evidence detailing this physical change has also been destroyed. These studies were done on Lake Yoa located in Chad. According to the scientist Stephen Kroplin here, it took a long time for Sahara to become a desert, while according to the old theory and beliefs, about five and a half thousand years ago, there was a rapid decrease in greenery and this desert was created. The study of Dr.Peter Menocal from Columbia University in 2000 supports the old belief. Harmattam winds from the northeast direction in the Sahara desert. They are hot and dry. In the coastal areas of Guinea these winds are known as Doctor Vayu, as they provide relief to the inhabitants of the region from the humid weather. In addition, in the months of May and September, dusty thunderstorms occur in the areas of North and Northeast Sudan here in the afternoon, especially in the adjacent areas of the capital Khartoum. Due to them, it is also very less visible. These winds named Habub bring heavy rain along with lightning and thunderstorm.

ARABIAN DESERT

There is a vast desert in western Asia that stretches from Yemen in the south to the Persian Gulf in the north and from Oman in the east to Jordan and Iraq in the west. Most of the Arabian Peninsula lies in this desert and the total area of this desert is 23.3 lakh km2, that is, about 70% of the total area of India. In the middle of it is the area named Rub al-Khali, which is the most extensive sandy area in the world. The climate of Arabi Desert is very harsh. There is extreme heat and sun outbreak during the day and at night the temperature sometimes falls below zero. Due to this the fauna diversity is quite low here, although there live animals like ghazals and oryx such as deer, sand cat and prickly tail chameleon. Striped hyena, jackal and hyena were also found here but they have become extinct here due to uncontrolled hunting and other human activities. The earth forms of this region are diverse. Red sand dunes, wide lava rocks, dry mountain ranges, dry plains and sandy areas that sink like swamps are all present in this desert.

Gobi Desert

Gobi Desert is located in China and Mongolia. It is one of the largest deserts in the world. Gobi is one of the coldest deserts in the world, with temperatures dropping to minus forty degrees. The Gobi Desert is spread over much of Mongolia in the continent of Asia. This desert is one of the most desert in the world. 'Gobi' is a Mongolian word meaning 'waterless place'. Nowadays the Gobi desert is a desert, but in ancient times it was not so. The region was inhabited by rich Indian settlements. The Gobi desert stretches from the eastern hills of Pamir in the west to the Khingan ranges in the east and from the Altai, Khangai and Yablonoi ranges in the north to the Altine and Nanshan hills in the south. The western part of this desert is a part of the Tarim Basin. It is the fifth largest in the world and the largest desert in Asia. Like the Sahara Desert, this desert can also be divided into three parts- 1. Takla Maken Desert 2. Alshan Desert 3. Muas or Ordis Desert Most of the Gobi Desert is rocky rather than sandy. Here the climate of the desert changes rapidly. Here, not only does the temperature change very quickly throughout the year, but there is also a wide change in temperature within 24 hours. The average rainfall in the Gobi Desert is 50 to 100 mm. is. Most of the rainfall here is during the summer season. Most of the rivers in the desert flow during the rainy season. Therefore, water remains in the river only during the rainy season. Water currents from the nearby mountains merge into the dry land of the desert. Plants called sacksol are found here in abundance in woody and drought resistant properties. Almost leafless, this plant also grows in areas where the sand is unstable. Due to its special properties, this plant helps in preventing soil erosion. The Gobi Desert is believed to be the habitat for the 'Bakitorian Camel', which has two humps. Donkeys of the Kachlu Jagnali variety are also found here. Special bears of the desert of the world are found in this desert. The species of these bears 'Majalai' or 'Gobi' has now reached the verge of extinction. Apart from this, wild horses, squirrels and small-sized reindeer are also found here. The Gobi Desert, one of the largest deserts of the world, extending about 600 miles from north to south and about 1000 miles from east to west, exists as a shallow trough between the Tibet and Altai ranges. Its natural landscape is similar to that of the sloping plain, around which there are mountainous heights. Due to erosion and corrosion activities, this desert is famous for its distinctive peach. The high water marks on the foothills of dried rivers and the banks of lakes are evidence of the change in climate here. Civilization relics suggestive ruins of various civilizations are also found in this desert. The heat here is very high and strong and the average temperature in summer is 45 ° to 65 ° C. And the temperature of winter is 15 ° C. Stays till. Sometimes snow storms and hot sand mixed storms also come here. Here, grass and prickly shrubs are mainly found in vegetation. There is often a lack of water here. The wells are found on caravan routes from 10 miles to 40 miles. Troubled by the dust of the Gobi desert, China has built a wall of trees through plantations from the outskirts of the capital Beijing to Mongolia. Due to this, China has got rid of this dust storm known as 'Yellow Dragon'. China plans to halt this desert, because it fears that its expansion could create a crisis for its agricultural system. Due to falling groundwater levels, indiscriminate cutting of forests and grazing of livestock, this desert continues to spread.

The Patagonian Desert

Image from google

The Patagonian Desert, also known as the Patagonian Steppi, is the largest desert in Argentina and the 8th largest desert in the world by area, covering an area of 673,000 square kilometers.

Great Victoria

Great Victoria is one of the largest deserts in the world, in Australia.

Kalahari Desert

image from google

Kalahari is a vast desert in the world. The area of the Kalahari Desert is about 9 million sq km in the border of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa countries of South Africa. The Kalahari Valley covering it is spread over some 2.5 million square kilometers. The desert receives 8–19 cm of rainfall annually. Some parts of it receive rain for three months in a year, due to which the population of animals is also seen here. The tribes living here are called Bushmen. There were several measures for wildlife conservation in the 1980s. It is a tropical desert. To the west of it is the Namib Desert. Kalahari also has two large salt marshes. To its northwest is the Okavango River Delta which is rich in wildlife. The sand found in this desert also varies from place to place. Some people do not consider Kalahari as a desert, because the level of rainfall here is quite good. During winter, the temperature here goes below the freezing point. Various species of fauna and flora are found in this desert. This desert is very famous for its minerals, it has ample reserves of diamond, nickel and uranium etc. It is the 'Orange River in the south and the Zambezi River in the north. The word 'Kalahari' is possibly derived from 'kir', which means 'very thirsty'. It is also said that Kalahari is a special tribal word, originating from 'Kalagari' or 'Kalagare', which means 'waterless place'. Like other deserts, this place also has flat areas of sand dunes and gravels. The mounds here are almost constant.

The Syrian Desert

The Syrian Desert (Syrian Desert, Arabic: بادية الشام, Badiyat As-Sham) is an expanse of grassland and desert spread over 500,000 sq km located in the Middle East. It is spread over southeast Syria, northeastern Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia and western Iraq. In the south it can be found by going through the Arabic desert. Most of its area is a dry pebble-gravel ground where there are mounds.

The Great Basin Desert

The Great Basin Desert is part of the Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Range.