Important Deserts of the world for Defence Exams

By Naveen Singh|Updated : August 27th, 2021

General Awareness sections cover up all the topics of current, financial news & static awareness. Static is a stagnant topic which doesn’t fluctuate easily. A single topic will help you for different examinations. So today, we will discuss Important deserts of the world & some interesting facts about them.

General Awareness sections cover up all the topics of current, financial news & static awareness. Static is a stagnant topic which doesn’t fluctuate easily. A single topic will help you for different examinations. So today, we will discuss Important deserts of the world & some interesting facts about them.

About:

Deserts are the driest part on earth. The reason of a desert being so dry is the fact that it receives very little rainfall. If compared to rainforest, deserts receive less than 300 mm a year whereas rainforest receives over 2000 mm. This clearly shows deserts receive 10% of the total rain that a rainforest gets. Another important factor of desert is the radical change of temperature from day to night. This happens because the air is so dry that heat escapes quickly at night. The temperature during the day ranges around 38°C while at night it may fall as low as -4°C. The location of the desert also influences the temperature greatly. 

Here is a map showing important deserts of the world:

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List of Deserts of the world

Rank

Name

Type

Area
(km²)

Location

1

Antarctica

Cold Winter

14,000,000

Antarctica

2

Arctic

Cold Winter

13,985,000

Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia

3

Sahara

Subtropical

9,000,000+

North Africa (Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia and Western Sahara)

4

Arabian Desert

Subtropical

2,330,000

Western Asia (Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen)

5

Gobi Desert

Cold Winter

1,000,000

Central Asia (Mongolia)

6

Kalahari Desert

Subtropical

900,000

Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa)

7

Great Victoria Desert

Subtropical

647,000

Australia

8

Patagonian Desert

Cold Winter

620,000

South America (Argentina and Chile)

9

Syrian Desert

Subtropical

520,000

Western Asia (Iraq, Jordan, and Syria)

10

Great Basin Desert

Cold Winter

492,000

United States

11

Chihuahuan Desert

Subtropical

450,000

North America (Mexico and United States)

12

Great Sandy Desert

Subtropical

400,000

Australia

13

Karakum Desert

Cold Winter

350,000

Turkmenistan

14

Colorado Plateau

Cold Winter

337,000

United States

15

Sonoran Desert

Subtropical

310,000

North America (Mexico and United States)

16

Kyzylkum Desert

Cold Winter

300,000

Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan)

17

Taklamakan Desert

Cold Winter

270,000

China

18

Thar Desert

Subtropical

200,000

South Asia (India, Pakistan)

19

Gibson Desert

Subtropical

156,000

Australia

20

Dasht-e Margo

Subtropical

150,000

Afghanistan

21

Registan Desert

Subtropical

146,000

Afghanistan

22

Simpson Desert

Subtropical

145,000

Australia

23

Atacama Desert

Cool Coastal

140,000

South America (Chile and Peru)

24

Mojave Desert

Subtropical

124,000

United States

25

Namib Desert

Cool Coastal

81,000

Southern Africa (Angola and Namibia)

26

Dasht-e Kavir

Subtropical

77,000

Iran

27

Dasht-e Loot

Subtropical

52,000

Iran

Some Interesting Facts:

  • The world’s largest desert is Antarctica.
  • The original meaning of the word desert is 'an abandoned place'.
  • Around one third of the Earth's surface is covered in deserts.
  • Many of the ice-free regions of the Arctic and Antarctic are known as polar deserts.
  • Only around 20% of the deserts on Earth are covered in sand.
  • The largest cold desert on Earth is Antarctica & the largest hot desert is Sahara.
  • The Sahara Desert is in northern Africa, spanning 11 different countries.
  • The Atacama Desert is in South America and is known as the driest place in the world. Even after this 1 million people are staying there.

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