World largest Deserts
Largest Deserts. I’ve read a lot of things about deserts in general. I know that some of them can be extremely hot, and deadly to those who venture into their belly. But there are also many out there which are not as dangerous as the conventional wisdom might say. Some deserts actually don’t even get very hot at all — it’s just that people go where it’s cool, but when you look at a satellite image of the area surrounding the desert, you see this giant blanket of hot air hovering over it like an umbrella. In fact, some of them are so cold that they have ground that’s covered in snow for much of the year — sometimes even for multiple years running. Here are five of the largest deserts on Earth, and how they match up to what we think most people think a desert is. Here are the five Largest Deserts of the world .
1-Antarctic Desert
The Antarctic desert is one of the most extreme environments on Earth. In this region, temperatures can reach below -70°C (-94°F) in winter, and in the summer they can reach +10°C (50°F). It is a polar desert, with annual precipitation of over 200mm (8in) along the coast and less inland. About 70% of the world’s freshwater reserves are frozen there, which if melted would raise global sea levels by almost 60 metres (200 ft).
The Antarctic is a polar desert. It gets on average the coldest, driest and windiest conditions of the continents. It has often been noted that this continent is largely covered by snow and ice, but in fact the percentage of Antarctica’s surface covered by permanent ice covers only a little more than half of this region (about 50–70%)
2-Arctic Desert
The Arctic Desert is the second largest desert on the planet after Antarctica. It’s situated in the Northern Hemisphere and covers parts of Canada, the United States, Central America, Russia, Scandinavia, Iceland, and Greenland. The climate conditions are subarctic to polar. In fact, there are only two months out of the year when the temperature climbs above freezing across most of the area. And with an average temperature of −40 °F in winter season and 30 °F in summer season with 24 hours of sunlight in summer ,you may wonder how it could be a desert at all. However, there are a variety of ecosystems within this region including tundra, temperate trees and shrubs and cold deserts.
If you want to explore the Arctic, you’ll need proper clothing for the bitter cold, because it can be as much as 40 °F below zero! But take a look around. There are still people and animals who live in that harsh environment. What can we figure out from them about surviving in a polar region?
3-The Sahara desert
Located in the Western Hemisphere of Earth, this large desert has a variety of geological features and erosional land forms. These include sand dunes, sand seas, stone plateaus, gravel plains, canyons, plateaus and depressions. The Sahara Desert also has dry mountains that are located within the range of the Atlas Mountains. There are even small valleys within this range of mountains that have a few permanent rivers and lakes. With so much diversity and interesting facts to learn from such a large desert–it’s no wonder why some people choose to explore it!
The Sahara is the world’s hottest and most inhospitable desert, covering more than 3.5 million square miles. The Sahara spans all of Northern Africa, including Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia. Sand dominates the stark landscape and 90% of this desert is covered with it.
4-The Arabian desert
Even if you’ve never been, you know what the Arabian desert is like. Harsh, hot, and dry. A sunbaked sea of sand stretching as far as the eye can see, with a thin ribbon of oases and towns that are carefully distributed to meander throughout. The Arabian desert is vast—the fourth largest in the world—covering 900,000 square miles and spreading across most of the Arabian Peninsula. You probably encountered it in a movie or documentary; this vast, windswept place is where Lawrence of Arabia came from, not to mention countless other stories from history and legend.
There’s a warm, sunny place for you waiting in the Arabian desert. A place with no cruise ships or guided tours, and where every thoughtful dance move is your own. Merge into this dark and fascinating landscape of sand dunes by day and then gather around a campfire at night to star gaze with your loved ones.
5-The Gobi desert
Beyond the highest peaks of the Altai Mountains in Asia, lies the Gobi Desert. Covering portions of Northern and Northeastern China and of Southern Mongolia, this 500,000 square mile expanse is known for its extreme temperatures and scarce rainfall, but also makes a prime location for outdoor adventures like hiking, camel rides, and sand boarding. Tour the remote sections of dunes by camel or horseback, or hike along ancient Silk Road trade routes to experience the immense landscape up close. Or why not try sand boarding down one of the tallest dunes on earth for a truly unique experience?
The Gobi desert is the fifth largest desert in the world, and it’s been viewed by intrepid explorers as a conundrum. It’s mostly undiscovered: hidden in plain sight, despite beckoning to some of the earliest travelers. The Gobi has everything you could want in a vacation destination: an interesting history, beautiful landscape, and distinct wildlife.
Conclusion
Deserts are some of the most beautiful places on Earth. They are also, however, some of the harshest and harshest places in the world — but I think almost everyone suspects that already. Some of these deserts hardly ever get any rain at all, and when they do, it comes as a sudden storm which drenches everything in a shower so heavy that it feels like you’re being pelted with rain even when you’re standing inside. No matter where they are on Earth, and no matter how cold or hot they may be overall, I think desert areas are always worth visiting if you can. You never know what surprises the next sand dune will bring.
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