Above are the Sand dunes in the Sahara, near Merzouga, Morocco.
A desert is described as an area of land where little precipitation happens. Deserts are therefore barren lands. The environment is usually not conducive to the survival of plant or animal life.
Deserts can be found on every continent and there are 5 main types of deserts and there are a total of 25 desserts (by area) around the world. Here are some of the most beautiful photos of deserts from around the world!
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Antarctic Desert
Antarctica is home to the largest desert in the world. After all, the entire continent is a barren ice land. Located in the Antarctic tundra zone, one of the basic types of terrain, this desert covers an area of 5,500,000 square miles.
Sahara Desert
The most popular desert on the planet is located on the continent of Africa. The Sahara desert occupies an area of over 3,300,000 square miles and stretches across several North African countries. For example, Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia.
Gobi Desert
The Gobi desert is found in East Asia (China and Mongolia) and it is home to the popular oasis, The Crescent Moon Oasis. This desert covers an area of 500,000 square miles.
Australian Desert
The Australian desert occupies an area of 2,700,000 square miles. It is the fourth-largest desert in the world by area. It is often referred to as the Outback.
Arabian Desert
The Arabian desert is found in the middle east and stretches across Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It covers an area of 900,000 square miles. It is also known as the Eastern Desert.
Patagonian Desert
This South American desert can be found in Argentina and Chile. It covers an area of 200,000 square miles.
Great Basin
This desert covers 190,000 square miles and can be found in the United States between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch mountain ranges. The Great Basin covers a large part of the state of Nevada and extends into western Utah, eastern California, and Idaho.
Arctic Desert
The second-largest desert in the world is another ice land found in the Arctic region in the northern hemisphere of the earth. The Arctic desert covers 5,400,000 square miles and spans Alaska, Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.
Namib Desert
The Namib desert is found in the Southern African countries of Angola and Namibia. It covers just about 31,000 square miles. This desert has a coast as it is found near the sea.
Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan desert occupies areas of Central American (Mexico) and North America (Texas, United States). It covers 175,000 square miles. It’s larger than the state of California.
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