Top 10 Largest Deserts in the World

When we picture a desert, our minds often conjure images of rolling sand dunes and scorching sun. But the defining characteristic of a desert is not heat—it's a lack of precipitation. A desert is any large, arid region that receives less than 250 mm (10 inches) of precipitation per year. This definition includes not only the hot, sandy landscapes we know from movies but also vast, frigid, and windswept polar regions.

In this list, we'll explore the ten largest deserts on Earth, revealing a world of surprising diversity. Prepare to challenge your definition of "desert" as we journey from the familiar sands of the Sahara to the immense, icy wildernesses of the Arctic and Antarctic, which are, by area, the largest deserts in the world.

Methodology

This ranking is based on total land area, using the standard definition of a desert as a region receiving less than 250 mm (10 inches) of annual precipitation. The data comes from multiple authoritative sources including the United Nations Environment Programme, National Geographic, and geological surveys. Areas are measured in square kilometers and include only the core desert regions, excluding transitional zones. The ranking considers both hot and cold deserts, as both meet the precipitation criteria that define desert environments.

List of Largest Deserts in the World

10. Great Basin Desert

Area: 492,000 sq km (190,000 sq miles)
Location: United States

The largest desert in the United States, the Great Basin Desert is a cold, mountainous desert bordered by the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. Its "basin and range" topography creates a unique landscape of isolated mountain ranges separated by wide, flat valleys. It is known for its ancient bristlecone pines, some of the oldest living organisms on Earth. This desert is part of the broader Great Basin region that spans multiple western states.

9. Syrian Desert

Area: 500,000 sq km (200,000 sq miles)
Location: Middle East

Stretching across parts of Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Desert is a vast expanse of steppe and gravel plains. Historically, it was inhabited by nomadic Bedouin tribes and served as a crucial trade route. The ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is located in an oasis within this historic desert. This region connects to the larger Arabian Desert to the south.

8. Patagonian Desert

Area: 673,000 sq km (260,000 sq miles)
Location: Argentina / Chile

The largest desert in the Americas, the Patagonian Desert is a cold winter desert, shaped by the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains. This starkly beautiful landscape is characterized by vast tablelands and massifs, and it is home to unique wildlife such as the guanaco, rhea, and Patagonian mara. This desert is part of the Patagonian region that spans both Argentina and Chile.

7. Great Victoria Desert

Area: 724,000 sq km (279,500 sq miles)
Location: Australia

The largest desert in Australia, the Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated region of sandhills, grassland plains, and salt lakes. It experiences very high summer temperatures and is known for its extreme, arid environment. The area is of great cultural significance to Indigenous Australians, particularly the Kogara and Mirning peoples. Australia is home to several other significant deserts, making it one of the most arid continents on Earth.

6. Kalahari Desert

Area: 900,000 sq km (350,000 sq miles)
Location: Southern Africa

Covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa, the Kalahari is a semi-arid savanna rather than a true desert. It receives more rainfall than a typical desert, allowing for vast areas of grazing land that support a rich diversity of wildlife, including meerkats, giraffes, lions, and cheetahs. The San people have inhabited this region for over 20,000 years. This region is part of the larger African landscape that includes multiple desert environments.

5. Gobi Desert

Area: 1,295,000 sq km (500,000 sq miles)
Location: China / Mongolia

The Gobi Desert is a vast cold desert, known for its dramatic, rocky landscapes and extreme temperatures, which can range from -40°C in winter to over 40°C in summer. It played a significant role in history as part of the great Mongol Empire and a location for several important cities along the Silk Road. The desert is also a rich source of dinosaur fossils. The Gobi is part of the larger Asian desert system that includes several significant arid regions.

4. Arabian Desert

Area: 2,330,000 sq km (900,000 sq miles)
Location: Arabian Peninsula

This vast desert dominates the Arabian Peninsula. At its center is the Rub' al Khali, or "Empty Quarter," one of the largest continuous bodies of sand in the world. Despite its hyper-arid conditions, the Arabian Desert is a major center for oil and natural gas production, and nomadic Bedouin culture has thrived there for centuries. This desert is part of the Middle Eastern landscape that includes several significant arid regions.

3. Sahara Desert

Area: 9,200,000 sq km (3,600,000 sq miles)
Location: North Africa

The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, a size comparable to the entire United States. It stretches across 11 countries in North Africa. While its iconic landscape features vast sand seas, known as ergs, much of the Sahara is actually rocky plains (hamadas). The Nile River is the only permanent river that crosses this immense and formidable desert. The Sahara is part of the African continent's geography and represents one of the most extreme environments on Earth.

2. Arctic Polar Desert

Area: 13,900,000 sq km (5,400,000 sq miles)
Location: Arctic

The second-largest desert in the world is the frigid expanse of the Arctic. Covering parts of Canada, Greenland, Russia, and Scandinavia, this polar desert receives very little precipitation, mostly in the form of snow. The landscape consists of glaciers, snow, and bare rock. It is home to iconic wildlife adapted to the extreme cold, such as polar bears, arctic foxes, and walruses. The Arctic is part of the polar regions that represent some of the most extreme environments on our planet.

1. Antarctic Polar Desert

Area: 14,200,000 sq km (5,500,000 sq miles)
Location: Antarctica

The largest desert on Earth is the continent of Antarctica. It is the coldest, driest, and highest continent in the world. The interior of Antarctica receives an average of only 50 mm of precipitation per year, almost all of it as snow, which accumulates to form the massive ice sheet that covers 98% of the continent. The only exposed land is in the coastal regions and the Dry Valleys, one of the most extreme desert environments on the planet. Antarctica represents the ultimate polar desert environment and is crucial for understanding Earth's climate systems.

Summary of the Top 10 Largest Deserts

Conclusion

Our journey through the world's largest deserts reveals the incredible diversity of Earth's arid landscapes. From the frozen expanses of Antarctica and the Arctic to the scorching sands of the Sahara and Arabian deserts, these regions demonstrate that deserts are defined not by temperature, but by their extreme lack of precipitation.

The polar deserts of Antarctica and the Arctic dominate our list, covering over 28 million square kilometers combined—nearly 20% of Earth's total land area. These frozen wildernesses, while seemingly lifeless, are crucial to our planet's climate systems and contain vast reserves of fresh water in their ice sheets.

Hot deserts like the Sahara and Arabian Desert, though smaller in area, have played pivotal roles in human history, serving as barriers, trade routes, and homes to resilient cultures. The diversity of desert types—from cold winter deserts like the Gobi and Patagonian to semi-arid savannas like the Kalahari—shows the complexity of Earth's arid environments.

Understanding these vast, often misunderstood landscapes is essential for appreciating our planet's diversity and the challenges of living in extreme environments. Whether you're planning to explore these regions or simply want to understand our world better, these deserts represent some of the most fascinating and important ecosystems on Earth.