Earth’s Largest Deserts: From Ice to Sand

Deserts are landscapes defined by extreme dryness—typically receiving less than 250 mm of precipitation annually—and often losing more moisture via evaporation than they gain from rainfall. While many imagine deserts as endless seas of sand, dunes actually cover only around ten percent of desert terrains. Deserts can be classified into four main types: hot and dry (aka subtropical), semi arid, coastal and cold (polar) environments. Below is a portrayal of the ten largest deserts on Earth by total area, following the same order as in the original piece, with each section heading freshly worded.

Polar Ice Desert of Antarctica

Encompassing roughly 14.2 million km², Antarctica is the planet’s largest desert and ranks as the driest and windiest continent. Coastal zones average merely about 166 mm of snowfall annually—and the interior is even more parched. Both snowformed dunes and sand dunes (in ice free dry valleys) exist, the latter derived from sediments washed beneath ice sheets. The continent hosts no trees or shrubs; only hardy algae and moss can endure.

Polar Desert of the Arctic Tundra

Covering around 13.9 million km² across northern North America, Europe and Asia, the Arctic qualifies as a desert due to its minuscule precipitation and freezing conditions. Though often icy, its precipitation remains extremely limited, forming permafrost landscapes inhabited by mosses and other minimalist life-forms.

Subtropical Sahara Desert

Spanning approximately 9.2 million km² across North Africa, the Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert and the third-largest overall. Occupying nearly one-third of the African continent over eleven countries, it features wind-sculpted dunes, rocky plateaus, and mountainous outcrops. Dust storms from the Sahara affect distant regions—reaching as far as the Amazon and Caribbean—and the region hosts expansive solar farms such as those near Ouarzazate in Morocco.

Australian Desert Complex

Australia’s deserts combine to cover about 2.7 million km², making up roughly 18 percent of the continent—second only to Antarctica in dryness. This desert landscape is composed of multiple interlinked deserts such as the Great Victoria and Great Sandy deserts. Though largely barren, wildlife including bilbies, kangaroos, rodents and reptiles thrive across these arid expanses.

Arabian Desert

At around 2.33 million km², the Arabian Desert is the fourth-largest globally and the biggest in Asia, blanketing most of the Arabian Peninsula. Its terrain varies from sweeping sand seas to rocky flats, including the Rub’ al Khali, one of the largest continuous sand fields on Earth. Fauna such as sand cats and Arabian oryx survive here, adapting to minimal rainfall and extreme heat.

Gobi Desert

Encompassing roughly 1.3 million km² across Mongolia and China, the Gobi ranks as the fifth-largest desert worldwide and the second in Asia after the Arabian. This highaltitude desert features vast gravel plains, distinctive dune systems like the Khongor Sand Dunes, and dramatic temperature extremes—from over 30 °C in summer to well below freezing in winter.

Southern African Kalahari Desert

Spanning about 930,000 km² across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, the Kalahari is often termed a desert despite receiving more rainfall than typical deserts—sometimes exceeding 500 mm in wetter years. Its name, derived from the Tswana word meaning “the great thirst,” reflects its arid nature and sandy terrain. Rain rapidly drains through the sand, leaving the surface parched.

Patagonian Desert (Patagonian Steppe)

Also known as the Patagonian Steppe, it covers around 673,000 km² in southern Argentina and parts of Chile—making it the eighth-largest desert globally. Nestled between the Andes and the Atlantic Ocean, this arid region features shrublands and grass-covered plains, shaped by temperate winds and low precipitation.

Taklamakan Desert

With an area of about 337,000 km² in China’s Tarim Basin, the Taklamakan is one of the world’s largest shifting sand deserts. Known for sand dunes reaching up to 300 feet, it is traversed only along its northern and southern fringes by historic Silk Road routes. Continuous windblown sand reshapes the landscape and encroaches upon surrounding areas.

Nullarbor Plain (Australia)

Covering roughly 200,000 km² across southern Australia, the Nullarbor Plain is the largest limestone bedrock exposure on the planet. Mostly flat and nearly devoid of trees, it lies adjacent to the Great Victoria Desert and spans the border between South Australia and Western Australia.