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List of deserts by area

List of the largest deserts in the world by area / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of the largest deserts in the world by area. It includes all deserts above 50,000 km2 (19,300 sq mi).

Deserts.png
Some of Earth's biggest non-polar deserts
Table info: Rank, Name, Type, Image, Area (km2)...
RankNameTypeImageArea
(km2)
Area
(sq mi)
Location[note 1]Nation(s)
1Antarctic DesertPolar ice and tundraAntarctica_surface.jpg14,200,000,000,000,000 14,200,000[1]05,482,651 5,482,651AntarcticaN/A
2Arctic DesertPolar ice and tundraSunny_Skies_over_the_Arctic_in_Late_June_2010.jpg13,900,000 13,900,000[1]05,366,820 5,366,820Eastern Europe
Northern America
Northern Asia
Northern Europe
Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Jan Mayen, Norway, Russia, Svalbard, Sweden, and the United States
3Sahara DesertSubtropicalSahara_satellite_hires.jpg09,200,000 9,200,000[1]03,552,140 3,552,140Eastern Africa
Middle Africa
Northern Africa
Western Africa
Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, the Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara
4Great AustralianSubtropicalAustralia_satellite_plane.jpg02,700,000 2,700,00001,042,476 1,042,476AustraliaAustralia
5Arabian DesertSubtropicalArabian_Desert.png02,330,000 2,330,000[2]00,899,618 899,618Western AsiaIraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen
6Gobi DesertCold winterGobi.png01,295,000 1,295,000[1]00,500,002 500,002Eastern AsiaChina and Mongolia
7Kalahari DesertSubtropicalKalahari.png00,900,000 900,000[3]00,347,492 347,492Southern AfricaBotswana, Namibia, and South Africa
8Patagonian DesertCold winterPatagonian.png00,673,000 673,000[1]00,259,847 259,847South AmericaArgentina
9Syrian DesertSubtropicalSyrian_Desert.png00,500,000 500,000[4]00,193,051 193,051Western AsiaIraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria
10Great BasinCold winterGreat_Basin_map.gif00,492,098 492,098[4]00,190,000 190,000Northern AmericaUnited States
11Chihuahuan DesertSubtropicalChihuahua_desert.jpg00,453,248 453,248[4]00,175,000 175,000Northern AmericaMexico and the United States
12Karakum DesertCold winterKarakum.png00,350,000 350,000[4]00,135,136 135,136Central AsiaTurkmenistan
Great Victoria[note 2]SubtropicalAustralia.A2002231.0145.250m_NASA_Nullarbor.jpg00,348,750 348,750[1]00,134,653 134,653Western Australia, South AustraliaAustralia
13Colorado PlateauCold winterFour_corners.jpg00,337,000 337,000[4]00,130,116 130,116Northern AmericaUnited States
14Sonoran DesertSubtropicalMojave-Sonoran.gif00,310,000 310,000[4]00,119,692 119,692Central America
Northern America
Mexico and the United States
15Kyzylkum DesertCold winterKyzyl_Kum.png00,300,000 300,000[4]00,115,831 115,831Central AsiaKazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
16Taklamakan DesertCold winterTaklamakan.png00,270,000 270,00000,104,248 104,248Eastern AsiaChina
17Ogden DesertSubtropicalOgaden_Desert.jpg00,256,000 256,00000,098,842 98,842Eastern AfricaEthiopia, Somalia, and Somaliland
18Thar DesertSubtropicalThar_Desert_satellite.jpg238,254 [5]00,077,220 77,220Southern AsiaIndia and Pakistan
20 Puntland DesertSubtropicalSomalia_BMNG.png00,200,000 200,00000,077,220 77,220Eastern AfricaSomalia
20Ustyurt PlateauTemperateUstyurt_Plateau_USAID.jpg00,200,000 200,00000,077,220 77,220Central AsiaKazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
21Guban DesertSubtropicalSomalia_BMNG.png00,175,000 175,00000,067,568 67,568Eastern AfricaSomalia/Somaliland
22Namib DesertCool coastalNamib_desert_MODIS.jpg00,160,000 160,00000,061,776 61,776Middle Africa
Southern Africa
Angola, Namibia, and South Africa
23Dasht-e MargoSubtropicalKavir.png 00,150,000 150,00000,057,915 57,915Southern AsiaAfghanistan
24Registan DesertSubtropicalThe shifting dunes of the Northern Registan Desert 00,146,000 146,00000,056,371 56,371Southern AsiaAfghanistan
25Atacama DesertMild coastalAtacama.png00,140,000 140,000[4]00,054,054 54,054South AmericaChile and Peru
26Danakil DesertSubtropicalThe_Danakil_Desert.png00,137,000 137,00000,052,896 52,896Eastern AfricaDjibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia
27Mojave DesertSubtropicalMojave-Sonoran.gif00,124,000 124,000[6][7]00,047,877 47,877Northern AmericaUnited States
28Chalbi DesertSubtropicalChalbi_Desert_Satellite.jpg00,100,000 100,00000,038,610 38,610Eastern AfricaKenya
29Columbia BasinCold winterLevel_IV_ecoregions%2C_Columbia_Plateau.png00,083,139 83,139[4]00,032,100 32,100Northern AmericaCanada and the United States
30Dasht-e KavirSubtropicalKavir.png00,077,000 77,000[8]00,029,730 29,730Southern AsiaIran
31Ferlo DesertSubtropicalFerlo_Desert.jpg00,070,000 70,00000,027,027 27,027Western AfricaSenegal
32Ladakh Desert[9]Cold winterZanskar_Range_02.jpg00,059,146 59,14600,022,836 22,836Southern AsiaIndia
33Dasht-e LutSubtropicalDasht-e_Lut_Iran_2006-02-28_ISS012-E-18779.jpg00,052,000 52,000[8]00,020,077 20,077Southern AsiaIran
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