14.2million km² · Antarctica
Short answer: if you go by precipitation, Antarctica is the largest desert in the world, at about 14.2 million km². The largest “hot” desert is the Sahara in North Africa, at roughly 8.6 million km².
What is a desert?
Most people picture sand and heat. But scientists mainly look at precipitation: a desert is an area that receives very little rain or snow. That is why the freezing polar regions also count as deserts. According to Britannica, Antarctica is a cold, dry desert.
The largest deserts in the world
- Antarctica: about 14.2 million km² (cold desert)
- Sahara (North Africa): about 8.6 million km²
- Arabian Desert (Arabian Peninsula): about 2.3 million km²
- Gobi (Mongolia and China): about 1.3 million km²
Sources: Britannica on the Sahara, the Arabian Desert and the Gobi. The Arctic is also often counted as a cold desert.
The Sahara
The Sahara stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, across more than ten countries. Only part of it consists of sand dunes; the rest is rock, gravel and salt flats. Morocco, with the dunes of Merzouga, and Egypt are the best-known places for travellers to visit the Sahara.
The Gobi
The Gobi in Mongolia and China is a cold desert: winters can be bitterly cold. Many dinosaur fossils have been found there.
Wondering where it gets hottest? Read about the hottest places on Earth.
Final edit: Jan Willem Beumer, editor-in-chief of Mindbogglingmedia
