The desert is an amazing world in which, along with harsh climatic conditions, poor flora and fauna, majesty and mystery reign. These deserted expanses, of which there are more than 30, occupy about 16% of the surface of the globe. There are many types of deserts: they can be sandy, clay, shale and others. But the largest desert in the world is covered with a continuous layer of ice.

The largest desert on Earth

The Antarctic Desert occupies a huge area, which is the largest on the planet. It covers an area of ​​13,829,430 square meters. km. Its endless expanses are covered with a thick layer of ice. The Antarctic desert is polar and is located on the southern continent of the planet. It is considered not only the largest, but also the most severe. The climatic conditions of this region are characterized by the following features:

• lowest air humidity;
• the lowest temperatures on the planet;
• strong constant winds;
• highest intensity of solar radiation.

Due to the extremely harsh conditions, the flora and fauna of the Antarctic desert is very poor. On its outskirts, close to the coast, there are moss and lichens, among which ticks and insects live. The largest inhabitants of the Antarctic desert are penguins, of which there are several species.

The largest sandy desert located in the subtropical zone is the Sahara. Its endless expanses occupy about 9 million square meters. km, and extend across almost the entire northern part of the African continent. The Sahara is considered the hottest desert on the planet. In summer, the temperature here can reach +58 °C, while the surface warms up to +75 °C. In winter, daytime temperatures drop to +13°C, and at night they can reach -18°C. Precipitation falls unevenly across the Sahara: in the northern zones there are strong thunderstorms, which result in floods, and in the southern part there is no rain for years. It is in this part of the desert that the surface is covered with continuous sand, on which there is no vegetation.

Drought-resistant grasses, shrubs and trees are found in the Sahara. They grow in areas where there is minimal water supply. Of the animals, there are more than 4 thousand different species of invertebrates and about 60 species of mammals. More than 30 thousand species of birds find refuge in the desert, most of which are migratory.

A huge area of ​​the earth's surface is occupied by another polar desert - the Arctic. Its area is 2.6 million square meters. km. It is located in the northern part of the globe. Its surface is covered with ice, rubble and large boulders. The temperatures remain below zero for almost the whole year, and only in the middle of summer can the air warm up to +3°C. In winter, the polar night sets in here, which lasts 6 months in the very center of the desert. The Arctic desert often experiences very thick fog and strong winds. The sky is often overcast and precipitation occurs frequently. The only vegetation found is mosses and lichens. The coastal areas are home to fauna such as polar bears, lemmings and arctic foxes.

A significant area is occupied by the desert located on the Arabian Peninsula. Its area reaches 2.33 million sq.m. Due to the hot climate, there is little vegetation and very poor fauna. Among the plants, there are grasses, shrubs and trees that tolerate drought well. The largest animals living in the Arabian Desert are gazelles. Research has shown that previously, forests grew in the territory occupied by the Arabian Desert, and there were many bodies of water.

Between the Altai and Tien Shan mountains in Asia stretch the endless expanses of the Gobi Desert, whose area is 1.3 million square meters. km. The climatic conditions in the desert are extremely harsh, due to its location in the continental zone. In winter, the air temperature can drop to -50°C, and in summer it warms up to +57°C. Due to such a huge range of temperatures, few plants are found in the desert. The fauna is also not diverse. Here you can find small rodents, snakes, antelopes and camels.

About 1 million sq. km of the Middle East is occupied by the Syrian Desert. This is a harsh region with very poor vegetation, which is limited to drought-resistant grasses and shrubs. Animals here include camels, antelopes and lizards. In the steppe areas of the desert, the vegetation is more diverse, which allows local residents to engage in livestock farming.

A significant area of ​​the southern part of the African Peninsula is occupied by the Kalahari Desert - 900 thousand sq. km. The climate here remains hot throughout the year. The air temperature in the summer months is +29°C, and in winter it drops to +12°C. The Kalahari receives rainfall in the summer, which is why drought-resistant plants are found here. The desert is home to many species of animals, from giraffes to insects.

The Patagonian Desert stretches along the coast of the South American continent, with an area of ​​673 thousand square meters. km. Its surface is covered with sand and rubble. It maintains a dry, cold climate, which is caused by the Falkland Current of the Atlantic Ocean. The average temperature ranges from +5°C to +13.4°C. In certain areas of the desert with high humidity, many species of temperature-resistant grasses, shrubs and trees grow. The fauna of the Patagonian Desert is quite diverse.

The vast territory of the Australian continent is occupied by the Victoria Desert, whose area is 647 thousand square meters. km. Thanks to the warm climate, many types of drought-resistant vegetation can be found in the vast desert. Victoria's fauna is very diverse. Aboriginal tribes are found in the desert.

In the western part of the North American continent there is a desert called the Great Basin. Its area is 492 thousand square meters. km. The surface of the desert is covered with sands and rock formations. Various drought-resistant vegetation is found here and many species of animals live here.

01/6/2020 at 22:00 · VeraSchegoleva · 320

Top 10 largest deserts in the world - the sand giants of our planet

Thousands of kilometers of sand, scorching heat, cacti - this is roughly how we imagine a desert. However, in reality, everything is somewhat different: there can be hundreds of thousands of kilometers of sand, and instead of heat there can be cold.

Want to know the name of the largest desert in the world? We present to your attention a list of 10 large desert places on Earth. Some record holders will surprise you.

10. Western US Desert (North America), 492,000 km²

Large swimming pool(as this desert is called) covers most of Nevada, as well as parts of Utah, Oregon, Idaho and California. Generally, its eastern border is the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, and the western edge is formed by the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, which create a rain shadow over much of the Great Basin, preventing many Pacific storms from entering the region.

The northern and southern boundaries, depending on how they are defined, range from the Snake River Plain in the north to the Mojave Desert in the south. Surprisingly, at high altitudes there are forests that include the longest living organisms on earth - the Great Basin pines, which can live 4,900 years.

Humans have long been part of the Great Basin ecosystem. Evidence of Native American habitation has been found for a long time and dates back more than 10,000 years. These people lived in small groups, growing corn and squash, and hunting and gathering pine nuts and crickets.

European explorers and trappers traversed the Great Basin in the 1700s, but settlers did not begin arriving until the early 1800s. Mining towns boomed and faded from the 1870s to the 1930s as gold, silver and copper were sought.

9. Syrian Desert (Eurasia), 520,000 km²

A huge stretch of mostly barren land covering parts of four countries: Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Few plants and animals of the Syrian desert are of a type that can withstand the subtropical climate. The nomads raise sheep and camels and move seasonally from one region to another across political boundaries in search of pasture.

IN Syrian empty Phosphates, oil and butane gas have been discovered, and a modern network of roads and railways makes exploitation of the desert much easier than before.

8. Great Victoria Desert (Australia), 647,000 km²

Great Victoria Desert forms one of nine different landscapes in the Alinytzhara-Vilurara natural resource management region. It is the largest desert in Australia, spanning over 700 kilometres.

This pristine desert includes red sand dunes, rocky plains and dry salt lakes. There are no lakes or other surface water, but even within this landscape there are Aboriginal communities in Oak Valley, Watarru and Walalkara who are accustomed to surviving in such conditions.

7. Patagonian Desert (South America), 673,000 km²

Once covered with dense forest, Patagonia desert has become a harsh and windy landscape covering 673,000 square kilometers in southern Argentina and Chile.

It is characterized by plains, grassy steppes and rocky foothills. Vegetation in the Patagonian desert is rare, with the exception of a few species of grasses and shrubs that have evolved to adapt to the harsh conditions.

6. Kalahari Desert (Africa), 900,000 km²

Although Namibia is better known for being the home of the Namib Desert, it should be remembered that most of eastern and southern Namibia is covered by another desert - Kalahari.

The Kalahari is an unusual desert because it rains too much, but it is actually a fossil desert. So don't expect to find tall sand dunes: the landscape is completely different.

Kalahari Desert, or Kgalagadi, as it is called in Botswana, extends over 7 countries - Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In Namibia it is called a "desert" mainly because its porous sandy soils cannot retain surface water, but in some areas annual rainfall can reach 250mm, providing a lush cover of grass in good years.

Because the Namibian Kalahari Desert is covered with trees, rivers and fossil streams, a huge variety of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, plants and insects thrive here.

5. Gobi Desert (Eurasia), 1,300,000 km²

Gobi is a large desert region in the north and south. The Gobi Desert Basins are bounded by the Altai Mountains and grasslands, and the steppes of Mongolia to the north, the Tibetan Plateau to the southwest, and the North China Plain to the southwest.

The word Gobi in Mongolian means "desert". It consists of several distinct ecological and geographic regions based on changes in climate and topography.
The desert is best known as part of the great Mongol Empire, where there were several important cities along the Silk Road.

4. Desert of the Arabian Peninsula (Eurasia), 2,330,000 km²

Sprawling across the Arabian Peninsula, the imposing beauty of vast plateaus, rolling sand dunes and towering mountain ranges Arabian desert, she can amaze with her mysterious charm.

The Arabian Desert is buzzing with life and activity: often ignored by tourists, this vast piece of land, stretching from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and from Oman to Jordan, promises its own remarkable collection of wildlife and dramatic scenery that rivals the best of African safaris.

With an ecosystem uniquely adapted to extreme conditions, one can witness some of nature's most stunning creatures found only in the hidden corners of the Arabian Desert.

From rare sightings of sand cats in Oman and dueling Nubian ibex in Jordan, to the Egyptian vultures of Saudi Arabia.

3. Arctic desert (Arctic), 2,600,000 km²

It is a cold desert because it receives very little rainfall - about the same as the Sahara - but it is so cold that snow covers the ground and forms ice.

Most heavy snowfalls occur at temperatures just below freezing (-10°C or above), as warmer air can hold more water vapor. The very cold arctic air is unable to hold much moisture, so it doesn't rain or snow often, which is what this place does Arctic desert.

2. Sahara Desert (Africa), 9,100,000 km²

Sahara Desert extends across much of North Africa and covers more than 9,000,000 square kilometers (about the same as the United States).

In fact, the Sahara covers about 30% of the entire African continent. It is the hottest place in the world with summer temperatures that often exceed 57 degrees Celsius.

There is between 0 and 25 millimeters of rainfall per year and it is very windy, with hurricanes blowing sand up to 1,000 meters high and constantly moving the sand dunes.

1. Antarctic Desert (Antarctica), 13,829,430 km²

The words "polar" and "desert" may seem contradictory, but that's only because most of us associate the latter with sun-drenched, sand-covered landscapes.

However, desert actually describes any deserted area of ​​land that is arid and without vegetation - and by this definition, the Sahara in Africa is even better suited for settlement than polar deserts of Antarctica.

They cover a vast area and cover an area larger than the Sahara, Arabia, Gobi and Kalahari combined, and its aptly named Dry Valleys have not seen rain in at least 2 million years.

When we come across the question “The largest desert” in scanwords, we smartly write the word “Sahara” in the boxes. Certainly! Who hasn't heard of the Sahara? We were told at school that there are no more deserts:

Its area is 9 million square kilometers. To give you an idea, let’s compare the Sahara with different countries of the world.

For simplicity, we use circles. Here are some countries we know - France, Germany, Georgia, Ukraine, South Korea and Turkey:

As you can see, Türkiye here looks like a “strong” country. But what happens if we put the Sahara on this diagram?

The area of ​​this red circle is even larger than the total area of ​​all the countries under the blue circles. And if now you understand that the Sahara is really huge, then... Wait.

I was actually joking. The red circle is not the Sahara yet. This is India. Yes, yes, the same country in which 1.4 billion (!) people live.

The Sahara is even larger, although its territory houses 560 times fewer people than India:

Now all scales have been met. This is what an area of ​​9 million square kilometers looks like. This is so large that it is approximately equal to the area of ​​the USA, China or Canada:

And do you know what I want to tell you after this?

There is a desert in the world that is even larger than the Sahara

In general, when we hear the word “desert,” the first thing we imagine is sand, dunes, and heat. Well, maybe some Arab on a camel.

In fact, there are a variety of deserts - sandy (like the Sahara), clayey, rocky... And there are also arctic ones.

Just like in the sandy desert, there is almost no life there, there is almost no precipitation, it is very dry and the terrain is flat.

The world's largest desert is the Great Antarctic Desert, located in Antarctica. It is 1.5 times larger than the Sahara:

In numbers, this is almost 14 million square kilometers, which is larger than China, the USA, and Canada. There is only one “hero” capable of defeating this square - our Mother Russia:

The difference between them is “trifling”, only 3 million km2. So the Antarctic desert is quite comparable to Russia. Now imagine...

If you have traveled a lot around our country, then you understand how “unimaginable” its expanses are. From Vladivostok to Sochi, From Murmansk to Makhachkala. Mountains, steppes, forests, taiga, tundra, arctic, volcanoes, deserts... My God, what do we not have!

And somewhere there, on the other side of the Earth, lies an area of ​​approximately the same size, only there is nothing on it. Nothing at all except snow-white silence and frost at -30*C - this is in the summer. And in winter even below –80*C.

What is the first association when you hear the word “desert”? Most likely - Sahara. But don't consider yourself trivial. The Sahara is truly the largest desert in the world. Its area is 8.5 million km². For comparison, this is something between Canada and Brazil - a whole country of sand. The Sahara passes through 10 countries and makes up 30% of all Africa.

The inhabitants of the Sahara are Bedouins and Berbers. “Bedouin” from Arabic means “desert dweller”, and “Berber” from Greek means “free person”. And a person in the desert can truly be called free - he is cut off from big cities, has few things and is not tied to them, and is not fussy in everyday life.

Following the conquest of Africa by the Muslim Arabs, the Bedouins came from the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century and settled in the Sahara. You need to understand that the Bedouins are not a nationality or a people in the generally accepted sense. Bedouin is simply a generic name given to them by Europeans. So, for example, in Africa, peoples who had nothing in common with the Arabs who conquered the Sahara also, over time, began to classify themselves as Bedouins.

Another common misconception is that all Bedouins are nomadic. One immediately imagines a caravan forever walking along a spit of sand. Now this is not the case for a long time, and in the past there were permanent settlements in mountain valleys, where they raised utensils and practiced agriculture.

Modern Bedouin Photo: Daria Orlova

The Berbers also emerged as an ethnic group after the Arab conquests of the 7th century. Many tribes fled from the Arabs deeper into the Sahara. The Berbers have a rather rich history; some scientists believe that their ancestors gave impetus to the development of ancient Egypt. The Berbers are a more sedentary people, but they also prefer the desert and survive in it through cattle breeding, agriculture and handicrafts. Most of them live in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

Tourists come to local remote villages and wonder why the Bedouins and Berbers stayed here in the desert. The answer is simple - they are used to freedom and talk about it openly. This is their choice. Nowadays, Bedouin villages in Israel have electricity and a normal toilet, but the overall picture has remained virtually unchanged. These are small buildings, pens for camels and sheep, dining rooms with carpets and pillows on the ground.

The driest place on earth - the lowest air humidity was recorded in Atacama - 0%. The desert is located in the highlands of South America, mostly in Chile. Its topography resembles the surface of Mars.

Phenomenal aridity is caused by several conditions at once: thin air, the Andes, which do not allow precipitation to pass through, and the Peruvian current, which increases the temperature with increasing altitude (as a rule, the opposite happens - as altitude increases, the temperature decreases).

If the Sahara can be called the largest desert in the world, then the Atacama can safely be given primacy in age. Scientists believe that the South American desert appeared about 20 million years ago. Antarctica, the second oldest, was formed only 10-11 million years ago.

The desert is inhabited by a people consonant with its name - Atakamenyo. In ancient times they were nomadic and hunted. Later, the Atacameños took up farming and moved around seasonally. And closer to the beginning of our era, the population of Atacama became completely sedentary. Their main activities are focused on breeding llamas and growing corn.

Woman of the Atacameño people photo: svoiludi.ru Historians believe that the Atacameños formed their own city-state of Tastil, which was defeated by the Incas in the 15th century and the desert people had to move inland. The inhabitants of Atacama spoke the Kunsa language, which, unfortunately, is now considered extinct. The entire living population, estimated at just two thousand, speaks Spanish and lives in several small villages, as well as the tourist center of San Pedro de Atacama.

Now the city survives with the help of a stream of tourists who come to visit the driest desert on the planet. Near the city there are two attractions - the Licancabur volcano and the salt lake, the only body of water that does not dry up in the desert.

Kyzylkum

A desert in the center of which is the city of Uchkuduk, famous for the song of the group “Yalla”. The desert itself is located on the territory of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, and its area is 300 thousand km².

The weather conditions in Kyzylkum are not pleasant or easy. There is 100-200 mm of precipitation per year, and the average temperature in July reaches +30 °C.

The people who mainly inhabited Kyzylkum were ancient Kazakhs and Turkmens. At first, peoples settled the desert along the rivers, and then they discovered that in this area it was possible to dig for wells and extract water in this way.

Archaeological excavations have shown that the inhabitants of the desert were also engaged in agriculture. Springs (locally called “bulaks”) flowing from under granite rocks moistened the earth. To this day, in some areas of Kazakhstan in the desert they practice “bunch” farming.

Modern tents photo: wikiway

The locals lived in tents - houses wrapped in felt. In the summer this saved them from temperature changes, and in the winter they were lined with felt, a material made from felted sheep's wool. The felt mat served as both a warm floor and a bed.

Many locals still live in tents. Essentially doing the same thing their ancestors did thousands of years ago. In Soviet times, wheat was actively grown on the territory of Kyzylkum, but now there can be no talk of that volume. The region's economy is stagnating. As a result, there is no developed infrastructure, which means there are no tourists.

Starting with the Mediterranean Sea in the north and the Red Sea in the east, the ever-expanding Sahara dominates much of North Africa. The Sahara has always been a mystery to people because of its vast expanses of sand. Well known as the largest hot desert in the world, the Sahara attracts thousands of tourists every year. Here is our list of the most interesting facts about the Sahara Desert.

The largest hot desert

We think of the Sahara as the largest desert in the world, but in reality it is not. The largest desert in the world is the Antarctic, and the Sahara is the largest hot desert on earth. But nevertheless, the Sahara is expanding day by day, currently covering an area of ​​approximately 9 million sq. km. The Sahara covers large parts of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia, accounting for 31% of Africa.

The Sahara has a tropical climate with extreme weather conditions. Temperatures can reach 50C during the day and drop below 0C at night. In addition, the northeasterly winds of the Sahara often generate sandstorms. Half of the Sahara receives less than 250 mm of precipitation per year, and the rest receives up to 1000 mm per year.

Mountain

The highest peak in the Sahara is the Emi Koussi volcano, located at an altitude of 3.41 km in the Tibesti Mountains in northern Chad.

Snowfall

The most amazing fact about the Sahara is that in winter the Saharan peaks are covered with snow. But the Sahara has distinct highlands and is geographically a rocky desert. However, it contains underground rivers that emerge as an oasis. Additionally, many of the Sahara's peaks are also known to be volcanic. The most popular snow-capped Atlas Mountains in the Sahara are a popular trekking destination. There is also evidence that a mega-lake existed under the Sahara at one point, covering more than 42,000 square miles.

Rivers

The desert has two rivers, the Nile and the Niger, but it has impressive underground reservoirs or aquifers. There are also about 20 lakes in the Sahara, of which only one has drinking water - Chad. It is a shallow lake that constantly expands and contracts at the southernmost edge of the Sahara.

The Sahara is home to about 1,200 plant species, which mainly include succulents, trees, shrubs and herbs. Sugar plants easily adapt to heat and drought. In addition, many varieties can survive even in salty conditions. In addition, the driest part of the Sahara, i.e. the Southern Libyan Desert, is also home to very few plant species. In the Sahara Desert there is a plant known as the Resurrection Plant that can survive over 100 years without water. The plant dries out and rolls around in the desert until it finds moist soil, and buds sprout soon after.

Animals

The desert is home to some of the most fascinating animal species in the world. The animals that live in the Sahara Desert are unique and rarely seen anywhere else in the world. The most incredible animal species include Dromedary Camels, Dorcas Gazelle, Dung Beetles, Addax Antelope, Deathstalker Scorpio, Ostrich, Monitor Lizard, Fennec Fox, Horned Viper and more. But scientists also found evidence of river animals such as crocodiles, and they also discovered fossils of dinosaurs, Jobaria, Afrovenator, and Ouranosaurus in the Sahara Desert.

People

The Sahara's population is estimated to be less than two million, including those who live in communities close to water sources and nomadic tribes who move from place to place depending on the seasons. But scientists believe that the Sahara was once habitable and had a larger population than it does now. But over time, the climate of the Sahara Desert underwent dramatic changes, which led to the disappearance of many species of flora and fauna, as well as people.

The Sahara Desert was a fertile and well-watered land about eight thousand years ago. It had a well-developed grassland ecosystem and was much cooler here than it is today. Research shows that the Sahara had green and thriving vegetation that supported millions of living things, including flora, fauna and humans.

The Sahara is an endless giant of sand dunes. And of course, many places in the Sahara have dunes, some of which rise to over 400 feet. But it's actually interesting to know that the Sahara is only 30% sand and 70% gravel. Marvelous!