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Top 10 Deserts in the World

Top 10 Desert

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Deserts cover more than one-fifth of the Earth‘s land area, and they are found on every continent. A place that receives less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain per year is considered a desert. Deserts are part of a wider class of regions called drylands. … Only about 20 percent of deserts are covered by sand.

A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the processes of denudation.

Taklamakan Desert – Central Asia

The second-largest shifting-sand desert in the world, China’s Taklamakan Desert covers an area of 130,000 square miles (337,000 square kilometers). The desert is an incredibly harsh environment with lows going well below zero degrees in the winter, and water sources are almost nonexistent, making the area almost devoid of flora and fauna. Even those on the Silk Road tried to avoid the area by traveling on the fringes of the desert.

Tabernas Desert – Spain

The Tabernas Desert is known as ‘mainland Europe’s only desert’ and is located in southeastern Spain, north of Almería. Serving as a locale for many popular movies over the years, especially spaghetti westerns, visitors will find Western-style towns dotting the landscape. As with many deserts, the area is home to many reptiles, amphibians, and birds. While there are not a lot of mammals, you might see an Algerian hedgehog.

Rub’ al Khali – Saudi Arabia

Known as the Empty Quarter in English, the Rub’ al Khali is the largest sand desert in the world that covers 225,000 square miles (583,000 square kilometers) throughout portions of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. The name ‘Empty Quarter’ is appropriate given its harsh environment, which does not allow much of anything to thrive there. However, that does not take away from its beauty.

Thar Desert – India/Pakistan

Also known as the Great Indian Desert, the Thar Desert is located in northwestern India and part of eastern Pakistan. The most populated desert on the planet, the Thar Desert is home to 83 people per square kilometer. The landscape is identifiable by large shifting sand dunes, which cover most of the desert, along with alluvial plains and salt lakes that appear during monsoon season. The biodiversity is impressive with more than 140 species of birds, 23 species of lizards, 25 snake species, plus the chinkara, or Indian gazelle, to name but a few.

Sonoran Desert – USA/Mexico

Spread over portions of Arizona, California, and Mexico, the Sonoran Desert is a beautiful landscape brimming with endemic fauna and flora, including the Saguaro and Organ Pipe cacti. The area is also rich in culture with many Native American tribes calling the area home, plus cities such Phoenix and Tucson. Attractions include many national parks, such as the Joshua Tree National Park, and wildlife refuges such as the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, which protects desert bighorn sheep.

Mojave Desert – Nevada/California

Mojave Desert – Nevada

The Mojave Desert covers portions of southeastern California and southern Nevada, along with small sections of northwestern Arizona and southwestern Utah. This desert is identifiable by the protected Joshua trees and is considered a ‘high desert.’ However, the incredible Death Valley, which is within the Mojave, is actually 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level. The Mojave is also home to the stunning Valley of Fire State Park plus many towns and museums, making it a very popular tourist destination.

Gobi Desert – China/Mongolia

Gobi Desert – China

The Gobi Desert is a beast of a desert spread across parts of southern Mongolia and northwestern China. It is famous for its role in the Mongol Empire and important stops along the Silk Road. The Gobi is also known for its extreme temperatures from as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) in the summer and extremely low temperatures in the winter. The area is also rich in fossils, including dinosaur eggs, and animals like Bactrian camels, Siberian ibex, and Gobi brown bears.

Atacama Desert – South America

Situated west of the Andes along the Pacific coast in Peru and Chile, the Atacama Desert is known as the ‘driest place on Earth’. Parts of the desert have never seen a drop of rain since records have been kept. This fact might lead you to believe that this area is devoid of life, but that’s not true. More than a million people call this desert home. Due to its location along the coast, the Atacama is cooler than most deserts and is frequently covered with fog.

Namib Desert – Africa

Stretching for 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometers), the Namib Desert happens to be one of the oldest on the planet – at least 55 million years. It is situated along the Atlantic coast of Africa in the countries of Namibia, Angola, and South Africa. Although a desert, the land is inhabited by an impressive array of flora and fauna, including ‘desert’ elephants that can go days without water.

Sahara Desert – Africa

Covering most of Northern Africa – 3.6 million square miles – the Sahara Desert is the third largest desert on the planet and the largest hot desert. While many people often think of the gorgeous sand dunes that are found in the Sahara, they only comprise a small portion. The landscape is primarily made of rocky hamada, or barren land with rocky plateaus. You’ll also find small patches of grassland (albeit sparse), shrubs of the desert variety, mountains, and salt flats. The Sahara is also home to an impressive array of flora and fauna, including several species of foxes.

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