Desserts are arid regions, generally receiving less than ten inches of precipitation a year, or regions where the potential evaporation rate is twice as great as the precipitation. The world’s deserts are divided into four categories. (1) Subtropical deserts:- The hot desert, with parched terrain and rapid evaporation. (2) cool coastal deserts:-The desert located within the same latitudes as subtropical deserts, but the average temperature is much cooler because of frigid offshore ocean currents. (3) Cold winter deserts:- The desert marked by stark temperature differences from season to season, ranging from 100° F (38° C) in the summer to 10° F (–12° C) in the winter. (4) Polar region deserts:-These places are also considered to be deserts because nearly all moisture in these areas is locked up in the form of ice.
Name Type of Desert Surface Area Location
Antarctic Polar 5.5 million mi² Antarctica
Arctic Polar 5.4 million mi² Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway,Sweden, Finland, Russia
Sahara Subtropical 3.5 million mi² Northern Africa
Arabian Subtropical 1 million mi² Arabian Peninsula
Gobi Cold Winter 500,000 mi² China and Mongolia
Patagonian Cold Winter 260,000 mi² Argentina
Great Victoria Subtropical 250,000 mi² Australia
Kalahari Subtropical 220,000 mi² South Africa, Botswana, Namibia
Great Basin Cold Winter 190,000 mi² United States
Thar Subtropical 175,000 mi² India, Pakistan
Chihuahuan Subtropical 175,000 mi² Mexico
Great Sandy Subtropical 150,000 mi² Australia
Kara-Kum Cold Winter 135,000 mi² Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
Colorado Cold Winter 130,000 mi² United States
Gibson Subtropical 120,000 mi² Australia
Sonoran Subtropical 120,000 mi² United States, Mexico
Kyzyl-Kum Cold Winter 115,000 mi² Uzbekistan,Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan
Taklamakan Cold Winter 105,000 mi² China
Iranian Cold Winter 100,000 mi² Iran
Simpson Subtropical 56,000 mi² Australia
Mojave Subtropical 54,000 mi² United States
Atacama Cool Coastal 54,000 mi² Chile
Namib Cool Coastal 13,000 mi² Angola, Namibia, South Africa