The world's largest deserts by area, including the two polar deserts that dwarf the Sahara.
Quick answer: 1. Antarctic Desert, 2. Arctic Desert, 3. Sahara Desert, 4. Arabian Desert, 5. Gobi Desert, 6. Kalahari Desert, 7. Patagonian Desert, 8. Syrian Desert, 9. Great Basin Desert, 10. Chihuahuan Desert.
A desert is defined by dryness, not heat. That is why the two largest deserts on Earth are the Antarctic and Arctic polar deserts, both larger than the Sahara. This ranking uses approximate desert area, so it is best read as a scale comparison rather than a boundary survey. Desert edges can vary by definition, climate period, and source.
The Antarctic Desert is the largest desert on Earth. Its extreme cold masks the key fact: Antarctica receives very little precipitation across much of its interior.
The Arctic Desert covers high-latitude polar regions around the Arctic. Like Antarctica, it qualifies as a desert because of very low precipitation.
The Sahara is the world's largest hot desert and the third-largest desert overall. It stretches across North Africa from the Atlantic toward the Red Sea.
The Arabian Desert covers much of the Arabian Peninsula. It includes some of the planet's most iconic sand seas, including the Rub' al Khali.
The Gobi spans northern China and southern Mongolia. It is a cold desert, with harsh winters as well as dry conditions.
The Kalahari covers a large area of southern Africa. Parts of it receive more rainfall than classic deserts, but it remains one of the largest dryland regions.
The Patagonian Desert lies in Argentina and is the largest desert in the Americas. It sits in the rain shadow of the Andes.
The Syrian Desert is a large arid steppe and desert region of the Middle East, spanning parts of Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.
The Great Basin Desert is the largest desert in the United States. It is a cold desert, shaped by elevation and the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada.
The Chihuahuan Desert spans northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It is one of North America's major deserts.
| # | Name | Type | Primary region | Approx. area (sq mi) | Climate note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antarctic Desert | Polar | Antarctica | 5500000 | Cold and dry |
| 2 | Arctic Desert | Polar | Arctic | 5400000 | Cold and dry |
| 3 | Sahara Desert | Hot subtropical | North Africa | 3550000 | Hot and arid |
| 4 | Arabian Desert | Hot subtropical | Arabian Peninsula | 900000 | Hot and arid |
| 5 | Gobi Desert | Cold winter | China and Mongolia | 500000 | Cold desert |
| 6 | Kalahari Desert | Semi-arid sandy savanna | Southern Africa | 350000 | Semi-arid |
| 7 | Patagonian Desert | Cold winter | Argentina | 260000 | Rain shadow desert |
| 8 | Syrian Desert | Subtropical | Middle East | 190000 | Arid steppe and desert |
| 9 | Great Basin Desert | Cold winter | Western United States | 190000 | Cold desert |
| 10 | Chihuahuan Desert | Hot and semi-arid | Mexico and United States | 175000 | High-elevation desert |
Deserts are ranked by commonly cited approximate area in square kilometers. Polar deserts are included because deserts are defined by low precipitation, not temperature. Where sources vary, the list uses broadly accepted rounded figures and prioritizes consistency of rank order over false precision.
The Antarctic Desert is the largest desert in the world by area.
The Sahara is the largest hot desert, but it is smaller than the Antarctic and Arctic polar deserts.
Yes. Deserts are defined by low precipitation, so polar and cold-winter deserts count even when temperatures are low.