Deserts of the World

Deserts are defined as regions of the Earth receiving less than 10 in. of precipitation annually, usually in combination with an evaporation rate exceeding precipitation.

Asia:
1. Arabian (Eastern), 70,000 sq mi in Egypt between the Nile R. and Red Sea, extending southward into Sudan
2. Dasht-e Kauir, approx. 300 mi long by approx. 100 mi wide in N central Iran
3. Dasht-e Lut, 20,000 sq mi in E Iran
4. Gobi, 500,000 sq mi in Mongolia and China
5. Kara Kum, 120,000 sq mi in
6. Kyzyl Kum, 100,000 sq mi in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
7. Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter), 250,000 sq mi in the S Arabian Peninsula
8. Syrian, 100,000-sq-mi arid wasteland extending over much of N Saudi Arabia, E Jordan, S Syria, and W Iraq
9. Taklimakan, 140,000 sq mi in Xinjiang Prov., China
10.Thar (Great Indian), 100,000-sq-mi arid area extending 400 mi along India-Pakistan border

South America:
1. Atacama, 600-mi-long area rich in nitrate and copper deposits in N Chile
2. Patagonia, 300,000 sq mi in S Argentina

North America:
1. Chihuahuan, 140,000 sq mi in TX, NM, AZ, and Mexico
2. Death Valley, 3,300 sq mi in CA and NV
3. Mojave, 15,000 sq mi in southern CA
4. Painted Desert, section of high plateau in northern AZ extending 150 mi
5. Sonoran, 70,000 sq mi in southwestern AZ and southeastern CA extending into NW Mexico

Australia:
1.Gibson, 120,000 sq mi in the interior of W Australia
2. Great Sandy, 150,000 sq mi in W Australia
3. Great Victoria, 150,000 sq mi in SW Australia

Africa:
1. Kalahari, 225,000 sq mi in S Africa
2. Libyan, 450,000 sq mi in the Sahara, extending from Libya through SW Egypt into Sudan
3. Namib, long narrow area (varies from 30-100 mi wide) extending 800 mi along SW coast of Africa
4. Nubian, 100,000 sq mi in the Sahara in NE Sudan
5. Sahara, 3,500,000 sq mi in N Africa, extending westward to the Atlantic. Largest desert in the world

Note:
The continent of Antarctica, with an area of about 5.4 mil square miles (roughly doubled by ice in winter), is generally considered a desert. Annual precipitation averages 8 in. along the coast and far less in the deep interior; however, there is little evaporation.

The largest areas on Earth that fit this definition are the polar regions. Antarctica has a surface area of about 14 million square kilometers (5.5 million square miles), making it the largest desert in the world.
The largest non-polar desert is the Sahara Desert of northern Africa. The Sahara has a surface area of 9 million square kilometers (3.5 million square miles), and it stands as the largest non-polar desert in the world.

Related Links:
http://geology.com/records/sahara-desert-map.gif

http://www.geocities.com/Axiom43/deserts.html

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/location/deserts.htm (Top 10 Deserts to explore)

Deserts And Desertification Powerpoint

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