Deserts of the World Quiz

From Sahara to Atacama.

The world's major deserts — and the definition that catches almost everyone, because the largest desert on Earth is not hot.

The definition is the whole quiz

A desert is defined by how little precipitation it receives, not by temperature. That single fact is the most commonly asked and most commonly missed point in physical geography.

Which means Antarctica is the largest desert in the world. It receives almost no precipitation — parts of it are among the driest places on Earth — and it is larger than the Sahara. The Arctic is also a desert by the same definition.

The Sahara is the largest hot desert, which is a different claim and the one most people are actually thinking of.

The major hot deserts

Sahara — across North Africa, the largest hot desert and comparable in area to the United States.
Arabian — across the Arabian Peninsula, including the Rub' al Khali or Empty Quarter, one of the largest continuous sand deserts anywhere.
Kalahari — southern Africa.
Australian deserts — the Great Victoria, Great Sandy and Simpson, covering a large share of the continent.
Thar — between India and Pakistan, and unusually densely populated for a desert.

The cold and coastal deserts

Gobi — Mongolia and northern China. A cold desert with freezing winters, which surprises people expecting sand dunes.
Atacama — northern Chile, the driest non-polar place on Earth. Some weather stations there have recorded essentially no rainfall, and parts of it are used to test equipment bound for Mars because the conditions are so similar.
Namib — along the Atlantic coast of southern Africa, one of the oldest deserts in the world, with dunes meeting the ocean.
Patagonian — Argentina, the largest desert in the Americas.

Why deserts sit where they do

Most major deserts cluster around 30 degrees north and south of the Equator, where descending dry air suppresses rainfall. Others form in rain shadows behind mountain ranges, or along coasts where cold ocean currents prevent moisture reaching land — which is why the Atacama and Namib are both coastal and both extraordinarily dry.

That pattern makes desert locations predictable rather than arbitrary, and once you see it you can place most of them on a map without memorising them individually.

Where to go next

Physical Features covers the rivers, mountains and oceans that make up the rest of the physical map.

Frequently asked questions

What is the largest desert in the world?

Antarctica. A desert is defined by low precipitation rather than by heat, and Antarctica receives almost none — making it the largest desert of any kind, ahead of the Sahara, which is the largest hot desert.

What is the driest place on Earth?

The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is the driest non-polar place, with some weather stations recording essentially no rainfall. Parts of it are used to test equipment destined for Mars because the conditions are so similar.

Is the Gobi a hot desert?

No, it is a cold desert. Winters in the Gobi are severe and it sees snow, which surprises people who expect sand dunes. Its dryness comes from being in the rain shadow of the Himalaya.

Why are deserts found at the same latitudes?

Most major deserts sit around 30 degrees north and south of the Equator, where descending dry air suppresses rainfall. Others form in mountain rain shadows or along coasts where cold ocean currents block moisture — which is why the Atacama and Namib are both coastal and extremely dry.

Play Deserts offline in the app

Deserts of the World Quiz and the rest of the arcade are in the free Geography Quiz Arcade app: Get it on Google Play · Download on the App Store.