The 10 Largest Deserts in the World

 

10. Great Basin Desert

 

Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World

                   

Great Basin National Park is located in the Great Basin Desert, one of the four deserts of the United States.The Great Basin Desert is part of the Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Range.
The Great Basin Desert, the largest U. S. desert, covers an arid expanse of about 190,000 square miles and is bordered by the Sierra Nevada Range on the west and the Rocky Mountains on the east, the Columbia Plateau to the north and the Mojave and Sonoran deserts to the south.This is a cool or "cold desert" due to its more northern latitude, as well as higher elevations (at least 3,000 feet, but more commonly from 4,000 to 6,500 feet).
As part of the Basin and Range Province, mountains and valleys are repeated in succession across the region like great waves cast in time. Valleys are 4,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level and mountain peaks range over 10,000 feet in elevation.
Most plants and animals that live in desert environments have developed special adaptations to help them cope with the aridity and heat. These adaptations can be structural, behavioral, or physiological.

9. Syrian Desert:

Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World

                      

 

The Syrian Desert, also known as the Syrian steppe, the Jordanian steppe, or the Badia, is a region of desert, semi-desert and steppe covering 500,000 square kilometers of the Middle East, including parts of south-eastern Syria, northeastern Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia, and western Iraq.Badiyat al-Sham covers about two-thirds—about 52,000 square miles (130,000 sq. km)—of the overall area of Syria.
The few plants and animals of the Syrian desert are of the type that can withstand a subtropical climate. The nomads raise sheep and camels, and they move according to the seasons, from one region to the other across political frontiers seeking pasture. Phosphates, oil, and butane gas have been discovered in this desert, and modern network of roads and railways makes the exploitation of the desert much easier than before.

8. Patagonian Desert:

Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World

          

 

The Patagonian Desert, also known as the Patagonian Steppe is the largest desert in Argentina and is the 8th largest desert in the world by area, occupying 673,000 square kilometers.
Located in Argentina, Chile, and the bottom of South America. It is surrounded by the Andes Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.
5 of the most beautiful Patagonian desert plants are
 1. Mate negre (Junellia tridens)
2. Cushion plant (Azorella trifurcata)
3. Pallo amarillo (Berberis montana)
4. Peppertree (Schinus latifolius)
5. Hierba negra (Mulinum spinosum)

Over 26 species of mammals and  Over 200 species of birds present in this desert.

7. Great Victoria Desert:

Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World

 

 

The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely-populated desert ecoregion and interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia. It is over 700 kilometres (430 mi) wide (from west to east) and covers an area of 348,750 square kilometres (134,650 sq mi) from the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia to the Gawler Ranges in South Australia.
It consists of sand dunes, small sandhills, grassland plains, areas with closely packed pebbles (called desert pavement or gibber plains) and salt lakes. There are several national parks and reserves in the area, including the Great Victoria Desert Nature Reserve, Nullarbor National Park, and the Flora and Fauna Conservation Park.

6. Kalahari Desert:

Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World

 

The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in Southern Africa extending for 900,000 square kilometres, covering much of Botswana, parts of Namibia and regions of South Africa.The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in Southern Africa.The name “ Kalahari” is derived from the Tswana word Kgala, meaning "the great thirst", or Kgalagadi, meaning "a waterless place".The temperatures in the Kalahari Desert are extreme, with summers being very hot while winter temperatures can go below zero degrees Celsius at night. The Kalahari Desert covers much of Botswana, the eastern third of Namibia and the northernmost part of the Northern Cape Province in South Africa.

5. Gobi Desert:

Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World

 

The Gobi Desert is a vast, arid region in northern China and southern Mongolia. It's known for its dunes, mountains and rare animals such as snow leopards and Bactrian camels. In the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, the Khongoryn Els sand dunes are said to sing when the wind blows. The park also features the deep ice field of Yolyn Am canyon. Dinosaur fossils have been found at the red "Flaming Cliffs" of Bayanzag.Gobi has one of the world’s most extreme weather conditions with rapid temperature changes within a day and season.The Gobi Desert is not only famous for dinosaur species discovery, but also well known for its rich natural resources. The Gobi Desert is rich in copper, gold and coal deposits. One of them is called Oyu Tolgoi which is world’s third largest copper and gold mine.The animals living in the Gobi Desert are various. You can see bears, camels, golden eagles, gazelles, Kulan (Equus hemionus) and even snow leopards. Also, rodents include marmot and reptiles.

4. Arabian Desert:

Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World

 

The Arabian Desert is a vast desert wilderness in Western Asia. It stretches from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and Oman to Jordan and Iraq. It occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula, with an area of 2,330,000 square kilometers.Also called Eastern Desert. the desert region in the N part of the Arabian peninsula.Seen from the air, the Arabian Desert appears as a vast expanse of light sand-coloured terrain with an occasional indistinct line of escarpments or mountain ranges, black lava flows, or reddish systems of desert dunes stretching to the horizon. Camel trails crisscross the surface between watering places. On the ground, features become distinctly individual and the relief seems more prominent. The rest of the peninsula displays a moderate relief characterized by broad plains. At least one-third is covered by sand.

3. Sahara Desert:

Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World

 

Sahara, (from Arabic ?a?ra?, “desert”) largest desert in the world. Filling nearly all of northern Africa.With an area of 9,200,000 square kilometres, it is the largest hot desert in the world and the third largest desert overall after Antarctica and the Arctic. The name 'Sahara' is derived from the Arabic word for "desert", ?a?ra.The Sahara is bordered in the west by the Atlantic Ocean, in the north by the Atlas Mountains and Mediterranean Sea, in the east by the Red Sea, and in the south by the Sahel—a semiarid region that forms a transitional zone between the Sahara to the north and the belt of humid savannas to the south.The Sahara has changed immensely! It used to be lush and green, home to a variety of plants and animals. The change came approximately 5000 years ago, due to a gradual change in the tilt of the earth. It is thought that the Sahara Desert will become green again at some point in the future.There are several activities you can do in the Sahara such as quad biking, stargazing, sand surfing, camping or trekking.
The population of the Sahara is just two million. People who live in the Sahara are predominantly nomads, who move from place to place depending on the seasons. Whilst others live in permanent communities near water sources.

2. Arctic Desert:

Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World

 

In northern Greenland precipitation is so low, that many areas can be called Arctic deserts. In particular Peary Land has precipitation levels of only about 25 to 200 mm per year, all as snow, and was not covered by glaciers during the most recent ice age.The Arctic Desert refers to a number of islands north of 75 degrees north latitude.The Arctic desert ecoregion is a terrestrial ecoregion that covers the island groups of Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, Severny Island and Severnaya Zemlya in the Arctic Ocean, above 75 degrees north latitude. e covered with glaciers, snow, and bare rock in a harshly cold environment.Plant life is scarce due to the cold climate, but there is moss and lichen vegetation on 5-10% of the territory at low elevations and where bare rock or soil exists. The largest colonies of Ivory gull are found in the region, as well as Atlantic walrus and Polar bear.

1. Antarctic Desert:

Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World

 

A desert is defined by the amount of precipitation (rain, snow, mist and fog) in an area. A region that receives very little precipitation (the exact amount depends on who you ask) is classified as a desert. There are many types of deserts, including subtropical, coastal and polar deserts. What they all have in common is a barren, windswept landscape, which makes it difficult for plants and animals alike to gain a foothold on land. This all certainly applies to Antarctica.Approximately 98% of the Antarctic continent is covered by a permanent ice sheet. This beautiful and wild expanse of ice covers an incredible 14 million km² (5.4 million square miles). That’s about the same area as the United States and Mexico combined!

At its deepest, Antarctica’s ice is 4.5km (2.7 miles) thick. If it melted, global sea levels would rise about 60 m (200 ft). That’s a lot of ice. And due to Antarctica’s desert conditions, it has taken an impressive 45 million years for it to grow to its current thickness.tation levels of only about 25 to 200 mm per year, all as snow, and was not covered by glaciers during the most recent ice age.The Arctic Desert refers to a number of islands north of 75 degrees north latitude.The Arctic desert ecoregion is a terrestrial ecoregion that covers the island groups of Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, Severny Island and Severnaya Zemlya in the Arctic Ocean, above 75 degrees north latitude. e covered with glaciers, snow, and bare rock in a harshly cold environment.Plant life is scarce due to the cold climate, but there is moss and lichen vegetation on 5-10% of the territory at low elevations and where bare rock or soil exists. The largest colonies of Ivory gull are found in the region, as well as Atlantic walrus and Polar bear.