What is the name of the largest desert in Africa. Africa's largest desert

Deserts have long attracted people with their mysteries and secrets. Their beauty and mystery fascinate millions of tourists from all over the world today. We will talk about the largest and most famous deserts in the world below.

Sahara Desert

There is probably not a single person in the world who has not heard about the largest desert on the planet - the Sahara. Its dimensions are truly impressive - the total area of the Sahara is more than 9 million square kilometers. For comparison, the area of the United States of America is slightly larger than this figure! The Sahara Desert is located in North America on the territory of several states at the same time (Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Chad, Mali, Niger, Western Sahara and Sudan). Surprising is the fact that tourists traveling in the Sahara do report that, from time to time, they see real ... mirages. According to some reports, the number of mirages ranges from 100,000 to 200,000 per year. If you want to verify this own experience, welcome to the Sahara - the queen of the desert!

Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert stretches for hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the Tien Shan and Altai mountains to the endless steppes of Mongolia and the Yellow River. To be more precise, the Gobi is located on the territory of China and Mongolia. total area The desert is over 1.5 million square kilometers. Although translated from Mongolian The Gobi sounds like a “waterless place”, millions of tourists from all over the world tend to come here to enjoy the fantastic scenery of this place and perhaps find one of the oases in the desert.

Arabian desert

The Arabian Desert is the second largest after the Sahara. The total area of the desert, which is located on the Arabian Peninsula, reaches more than 2.3 million square kilometers. This desert extends on the territory of such states as Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq and Jordan. main feature Arabian desert - its climate. Strong winds and sandstorms are often observed here, and the fluctuation of temperatures over the course of one day is truly impressive. At night, stones can crack from the cold, while during the day, even an egg left in the sun can be fried in 10-15 minutes! It is this climate that makes living in the desert almost impossible (although there is still a small amount of population there).

Kalahari Desert

Most people associate the Kalahari Desert with the African continent. This is not surprising, because it famous place extends from Namibia and Botswana to South Africa. Translated from the Berber language, the name of the desert is translated as "torturous". It is still unknown why this place has such a name. General area The Kalahari is 600,000 square kilometers. However, according to scientists, the desert area continues to grow as a result of alluvium (deposits of permanent water flows, which consist of clay, gravel, sand and other debris). Today, the desert territory already includes the new lands of Angola, Zimbabwe and Zambia. What will happen next - time will tell ...

Salar de Uyuni

Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt desert, which for many centuries has been one of the main attractions of Bolivia. According to some reports, there are more than 10 billion tons of real salt on its territory! During the rainy season, the salt dissolves into the water, turning the Salar de Uyuni desert into the world's greatest "mirror" of salt. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that very salty water has a different refractive index of the sun's rays, as a result of which it looks like a mirror in which various objects are reflected. This spectacle is so unique that it attracts millions of tourists from different corners planets for more than one century.

What is a desert? This is a unique flat natural area with very poor flora and fauna. Climatic conditions in such a zone are specific and poorly suited for comfortable living and active life. On Earth there are sandy, clay, rocky, salt and ice. What is the most big desert on the planet?

Two queens

If we talk about these zones in the usual sense, then this is endless expanses sand, mostly bare and lifeless, hot under the scorching sun. The Sahara is the most endless, largest sandy desert in the world, it is located on the African continent, its area is 9.1 million square kilometers. But on our planet there is also a huge ice - Antarctic. It is located in Antarctica and occupies almost 14 million square meters. km! Given that from a geological point of view, these zones in Antarctica and Africa are deserts, then the conclusion suggests itself that the largest desert on the planet is the Antarctic. Other most big deserts world - Sahara, Arabian, Gobi, Kalahari, Patagonian, Victoria, Syrian, Great American, Chihuahua, Great Australian, Karakum, Sonora, Kyzylkum and Takla Makan. This list includes the most significant deserts in the world, the area of which exceeds 200 thousand square meters. km. The following is a brief summary of the most Interesting Facts about these natural areas.

Antarctic

As mentioned above, it is located in Antarctica, its area reaches 14 million square kilometers, only 1% of the land is free of ice, this is the largest desert on Earth. In addition, it is:

most dry place on the planet - indeed, during the year there is no more than 50 mm Hg of precipitation. Art. in the form of snow, real rain in Antarctica has not been falling for more than 2 million years. It's a paradox, but the driest zone in the world has the most fresh water- 70% of the total world supply in the form of ice blocks;
the windiest - the wind speed here reaches 320 km / h. Such winds are called katabatic;
coldest in winter average temperature is -60°С...-70°С, in summer - from minus 20°С to minus 45°С. The most low temperature- 91.2°C was recorded in 2013. With such indicators, a person freezes in 1-3 minutes.
and most high place on the planet.

This realm of ice does not belong to any state, there is no permanent population, only scientists and researchers agree to spend some time in such extreme conditions. Sometimes there are tourists here. Before being sent to Antarctica, everyone has their wisdom teeth and appendix removed. The flora and fauna of the Antarctic desert is very scarce, but only here you can meet the largest and most beautiful penguin in the world - the emperor. natural phenomenon this unique place- A bloody waterfall, the water in which is bright red (hence the name)! Interestingly, this is a timeless zone in literally, since there is no time zone on the continent.

Takes up all northern part African continent. Today its area is 9.1 million square meters. km, which is a little more area Brazil, but annually the Sahara expands to the south by about 7-10 km. There are many deserts in Africa, but the Sahara is the largest on the mainland and the second largest in the world after the Arctic. It partially occupies the territory of 12 African states.

From the north it is washed mediterranean sea, from the west - Atlantic Ocean, and from the east it is bounded by the Red Sea. The southern border of the desert is the ridge of the ancient sand dunes, beyond which the more fertile land of the savannas begins.

Huge areas The Sahara are deserted, due to the hot arid climate, lack of water and vegetation, these areas are not inhabited, only near rare oases, as well as in the river valleys of the Nile and Niger, settled tribes live.

The relief of the Sahara is not only endless sandy plains, but also oases, dunes, wadis, mountains. Interestingly, the height high mountain in this desert more than 3400 meters, in winter its top is covered with snow. One of the local phenomena is the singing dunes, which make sounds similar to organ music.

Acacias, wormwood, oleanders, dates, fig trees, ephedra, and citrus fruits grow in oases along the banks of the wadi. Where there is greenery, there are also animals: hares, jerboas, hedgehogs, maned sheep, antelopes, gazelles, moufflons, jackals, mongooses, hyenas, many vipers, lizards, scorpions. About 300 species of birds live in the desert.

Mirages - main riddle Sahara. Suddenly, plausible images of cities, castles, armies of soldiers, ships and other visions appear before travelers. One day, a whole caravan died trying to reach the oasis, which seemed to be no further than 2-3 km, but in fact it was at least 700 km away! This difficult optical illusions Scientists have not yet found an explanation.

Arabian

Africa has another large desert- Arabian. It occupies almost 2.4 million square kilometers. Lies on the Arabian Peninsula between the Red Sea and the Nile Valley. The Arabian desert is famous for an even more severe climate than the Sahara. Sandstorms often rage here, sharp temperature drops are observed - from + 55 ° C during the day to frost at night, precipitation is scarce and extremely rare. Therefore, there are very few plants here, only occasionally there are ashtray, juniper, capers and date palms. The main inhabitants of the desert are lizards, snakes, insects. There are also birds.

Interestingly, the Arabian Desert, under a thick layer of sand, keeps countless treasures - there are very rich gold deposits, which are being developed by geologists. IN Lately tourism is booming here.

This is the largest desert in Eurasia. It covers an area of 1.3 million square kilometers and is located partly in southern Mongolia and partly in northern China. Incredible temperature differences are observed here - from +60°C to -55°C, depending on the time of year and day! Sometimes the surface heats up to +70°С!

The landscape of the Gobi is very diverse: waterless rocky terrain gives way to sandy plains, followed by high dunes, turning into mountains, periodically blooming oases and green groves. Vegetation is more in the north; the closer to the south, the more deserted the surrounding area. The fauna of the Gobi is quite diverse: in addition to the usual rodents, horses, gazelles, snakes, lizards and insects, there are bears and even snow leopards in foothill areas.

Africa again! In the southern part of the continent is the Kalahari Desert - the hottest on the mainland. It occupies about 900 thousand square kilometers. Famous for its red sands, from the side it seems that the sun has completely burned this land. But it's not. Despite the hot and dry climate, many animals somehow manage to survive here: giraffes, zebras, gazelles, jackals and hyenas, lions and leopards, rhinos, many species of rodents, lizards, monitor lizards, geckos, snakes. Of the birds in the Kalahari, bustards, ostriches, falcons, and larks live.

5 more large deserts of the world

Other major deserts of the world:

Patagonian, occupies a little more than 670 thousand square kilometers. Is in South America in Argentina and Chile. Interestingly, as such, there is no heat here, even snow falls in winter, the desert area was formed due to a very small amount of precipitation, nature does not spoil the Patagonian plateau with rain.
Victoria - located in Australia, occupies about 650 thousand square kilometers, that is, almost half of the continent. This is a desert flat area, dried up by the winds, for the most part covered with thorny drought-resistant spinifex, sometimes there are thickets of acacias, mighty eucalyptus trees grow in wet lowlands. When a rare rain falls in the desert, it immediately changes: it is covered with juicy herbs and fragrant bright flowers. The fauna of the Australian desert is unique, represented by endemic animals that are not found anywhere else in the world. Interestingly, 9 of the 10 most venomous snakes in the world live here.
Syrian - located in the Middle East, its sands stretch over 500 thousand square kilometers. The climate here is subtropical. In summer, average temperatures fluctuate between +29 ... + 35 ° С, in winter night frosts are not uncommon. The flora and fauna of this desert is quite poor.
Great American - occupies a little more than 490 thousand square kilometers, located in the west of the North American continent, surrounded by mountains and plateaus that block the path of moist air from the ocean.
Chihuahua is another huge desert in North America, its area reaches 450 thousand square kilometers. It is located on the US-Mexican border and is distinguished by an amazing landscape: " sky islands"- wide canyons with a flat bottom, surrounded by mountains with flat tops.

Victoria Desert (Australia)

It is impossible not to remember the Great sandy desert in the northwestern part of Australia (400 thousand sq. km.), the famous Karakum in Turkmenistan (350 thousand sq. km.), sandy and rocky Sonora in North America (310 thousand sq. km.), Kyzylkum in Central Asia(300 thousand square kilometers) and the mysterious Takla Makan in China (270 thousand square kilometers), which is called the Valley of Death.

As you can see, the largest sandy deserts in the world are in Africa, Asia, America and Australia. In Russia there are small deserts in the east of Kalmykia, in the south Astrakhan region, V Volgograd region. There are no real deserts in Europe, although some geographers mention sand massif Aleshkiv sands, located in the south of Ukraine.

Deserts occupy approximately 11% of the entire land surface, taking into account Antarctica more than 20% or 16.5 million km. sq. (not including Antarctica) and are characterized by a small amount of precipitation, a peculiar fauna, as well as a sparseness or absence of flora. We suggest you familiarize yourself with the list of the ten largest deserts in the world. And if we made a mistake with the numbers somewhere, please write to us about it in the comments. Since the figures given in different sources are different.

Karakum

Karakum (translated as Black Sands) is a desert, in Central Asia occupying about 70% of the entire territory of Turkmenistan or 350,000 square kilometers. Here passes the longest irrigation canal in the world - the Karakum Canal.

The Great Sandy or Western Desert is Australia's second largest desert, covering an area of about 360,000 km. sq.. (approximately 3.5% of the Australian mainland). Its area is sparsely populated, with only a few Aboriginal groups living here.

chihuahua

Chihuahua is a desert in North America, located on the border between the United States and Mexico. The area of Chihuahua is approx. 362,000 km. sq.. According to " World Fund wildlife» it is one of the most biologically diverse deserts in the world, inhabited the largest number animal species.

The Great Victoria Desert is Australia's largest desert, covering an area 424,400 km. sq.. and consisting of many sand dunes, grassy plains and salt lakes.

Desert Great Basin- one of the largest deserts in the United States, covering an area 490,000 square kilometers.

The Patagonian Desert is one of the largest deserts in the world, located in South America mainly in Argentina and a small part of Chile. Occupies an area of approx. 673,000 km. sq.. The desert borders the Andes to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

Kalahari

Kalahari - desert in South Africa about 600 thousand km. sq., is the fourth largest desert in the world. It is located mainly on the territory of such states as Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, and also partially invades the territory of Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It has lush vegetation and rich animal world. The Kalahari is considered one of the hottest regions in Africa.

Gobi

Gobi means "waterless place" in Mongolian. This is a large desert in Central Asia with an area 1,295,000 km. sq.. It extends into China and Mongolia.

Desert. Before your eyes immediately there is a picture of a boundless sea of sand, camels, scorpions and a huge ruthless sun overhead. In principle, the picture is correct, but incomplete. And this desert has nothing to do with it at all. Since here instead of sand there is only snow, ice and cold. In fact, the concept of "desert" is much more complex and multifaceted. Let's figure it out.

A desert is a land area characterized by sudden temperature changes and minimal rainfall. It is believed that they should be less than 250 mm per year. You will be surprised, but the largest desert on Earth is the Antarctic Desert.

Where is the largest desert in the world located?

The Antarctic Desert is located on the very southern point our land and occupies almost the entire territory of the sixth continent - the mainland Antarctica. This is neither more nor less than 13.8 million square meters. km. The population ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 people. These are mainly workers of meteorological stations and scientific expeditions. 98% of the territory of this desert is covered by an ice shell with an average thickness of 1.5 km. According to scientists, it contains up to 90% of the world's fresh water reserves.

Climate of the Antarctic Desert

The climate is harsh, even cruel. Antarctica is a recognized champion in low temperatures. In winter, the thermometer drops to minus 70 degrees, in summer it is a little warmer, about 30-50 below zero. Relatively comfortable temperature only on the coast during the summer months - minus 10 Celsius. And this is also due to the phenomenon of albedo - when heat is reflected from snow and ice. It was on the territory of the Antarctic desert that the record for the lowest temperature on the planet in the history of the Earth was recorded. In 1983, the thermometer showed minus 89.2 degrees below zero. The title of "desert" Antarctica rightfully bears - the amount of precipitation here is about 4 cm per year. Due to the fact that the crazy cold literally “dries up” moisture, the Antarctic Desert is considered the driest place on earth. And, as in every self-respecting desert, storms rage here too. Only snow. The wind carries snow at a speed of 320 km. at one o'clock.

Fauna and flora of the Antarctic desert

Due to the harsh conditions, life in this icy desert is very scarce. In oases, places free from ice, mosses and lichens grow, frost-resistant mites and springtails settle on them. Only here lives Belgica Antarctica - a wingless midge, the largest terrestrial animal of the Antarctic desert. Its length is about 11 mm. And on the coasts of Antarctica you can meet seals and

Desert. How many mysteries this word contains! How many civilizations are hidden under its endless sands. And how many alluring secrets she still has left! Therefore, in this article we will pay attention to the largest deserts in the world. So, get ready for a journey into the world of amazing and endless expanses.

1. Sahara Desert

most big desert in the world is the Sahara. No wonder it is called the real Queen of the Desert. Its area is only slightly smaller than the territory of the United States of America, and is 9.1 million square kilometers. Sahara is located in the northern part of the African continent, and is part of such states as Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Niger, Mali, Sudan, Chad and Western Sahara.

Also, at the mention of mirages, almost everyone remembers the Sahara, since it is here that people most often see different oases. So, during the year the desert shows its guests from 100 to 200 thousand mirages. Experts even made special "mirage" maps for amateurs, in which the places of their most frequent appearance are indicated.

2. Arabian desert

The size of the Arabian Desert is more than 2.3 million square kilometers. She is considered the second great desert peace. Its location is Arabian Peninsula, as well as the territories of such states as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan.

The desert is famous for its frequent dust storms and strong winds, making most of it uninhabited. In addition, it is also striking that large jumps in daily temperatures occur in the Arabian Desert. So, for example, during the day, an egg laid on the sand becomes boiled after 10 minutes, and on the same night, stones can crack from frost.

3. Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert is located on the territory of China and Mongolia. It originates from Altai mountains and Tien Shan, and ends in the steppes of Mongolia and borders on the Yellow River. The total area of the Gobi is 1.2 million square kilometers. The desert got its name from the Mongolian word, which translates as "waterless place". For comparison: the Gobi desert is 2 times larger than the US state of Texas.

4. australian desert

Everyone knows that Australia is a country where funny kangaroos and koalas live. In addition, this is the world of numerous cockatoos and endless beaches, where it is so nice to spend your holidays! However, few people know that almost half of the Australian continent is occupied by a huge desert.

The total area of the Australian desert is 647 thousand square kilometers. But this desert is not just a collection of sand, wave and wind. This is something original. So, here is not only a desert, consisting of sand, but also of stone, or rather of fine gravel. In addition, the desert in Australia amazes guests with its red dunes, which the Simpson Desert is famous for. The height of such formations reaches 40 meters!

5. Kalahari Desert

The Kalahari Desert means “torturous” in the local Berber language, and in fact, many people remember this area in Africa as something completely unsuitable for life, and getting there often means dying a painful death. But let's not talk about sad things, because any desert is a danger to a person, and you need to travel in it very carefully.

So, the area of the Kalahari desert begins in Namibia and Botswana, and ends in the Republic of South Africa. The locals call it Curry Curry. Its total territory is 600 thousand square kilometers. In addition, experts note that every year the Kalahari area increases significantly, turning into a desert all new areas of the once good land. Among the countries that are suffering from the onset of the desert, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe should be mentioned.

6. Desert Karakum

The literal name of the Karakum desert in translation from Turkic means "black sands". And this is actually true, although we have been accustomed to bright yellow sweets of the same name since childhood. The total area of the desert is 350 thousand square kilometers. The height of the sand dunes in some places can reach 60 meters! The Karakum desert is located in most of Turkmenistan. On its area there is small vegetation, therefore, in certain seasons locals use the Karakum as a pasture for livestock.

7. Takla Makan Desert

The Takla Makan Desert is located in Central Asia. It is not as well known as other "record holders", but it also occupies an impressive area - 337 thousand square kilometers. In 2008, the desert was able to surprise everyone: record low temperatures were noted in it, and some places were even covered with snow!

8. Desert Salar de Uyuni

The Salar de Uyuni Desert is the world's largest salt desert. It is located in Bolivia. Experts estimate the amount of salt located on its territory as 10 billion tons.

It is unique that when it rains, the salt reserves dissolve in the water and turn the Salar de Uyuni into the largest salt lake, which is very shallow in depth and looks more like a mirror lying on the ground. This effect is achieved due to the fact that salty water It has a different refractive index, which, when reflected, is similar to reflection in an ordinary mirror.

9. Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert is the largest desert in Chile. It bears the title of the driest place on earth. However, even on this sun-scorched earth, plants manage to grow: they have a unique mechanism for surviving in harsh conditions. At the same time, in dry times, they do not grow and do not multiply, and this can happen even for several years, but with the advent of rain and moisture, they bloom in full.

10. Desert Antarctica

The desert of Antarctica is the only icy desert in the world. It is located on an area of more than 14.1 million square kilometers. Few people know that Antarctica is the driest place on earth! Such a climate is explained by the fact that the strongest cold literally “dries up” moisture, and the total amount of precipitation here does not exceed four centimeters per year. It is also interesting that it was in Antarctica that the lowest temperature on earth was recorded - minutes 89 ° C!