This is a list of the largest deserts in the world by area. It includes all deserts above 50,000 km2 (19,300 sq mi).
Some of Earth's biggest non-polar deserts
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Rank | Name | Type | Image | Area (km2) | Area (sq mi) | Location[note 1] | Nation(s) |
1 | Antarctic Desert | Polar ice and tundra | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Antarctica_surface.jpg/100px-Antarctica_surface.jpg) | 14,200,000,000,000,000 14,200,000[1] | 05,482,651 5,482,651 | Antarctica | N/A |
2 | Arctic Desert | Polar ice and tundra | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Sunny_Skies_over_the_Arctic_in_Late_June_2010.jpg/100px-Sunny_Skies_over_the_Arctic_in_Late_June_2010.jpg) | 13,900,000 13,900,000[1] | 05,366,820 5,366,820 | Eastern Europe Northern America Northern Asia Northern Europe | Alaska (United States), Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Jan Mayen, Norway, Russia, Svalbard, and Sweden |
3 | Saharan Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Sahara_satellite_hires.jpg/100px-Sahara_satellite_hires.jpg) | 09,200,000 9,200,000[1] | 03,552,140 3,552,140 | Eastern Africa Middle Africa Northern Africa Western Africa | Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, the Niger, the Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara |
4 | Great Australian Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Australia_satellite_plane.jpg/100px-Australia_satellite_plane.jpg) | 02,700,000 2,700,000 | 01,042,476 1,042,476 | Australasia | Australia |
5 | Arabian Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Arabian_Desert.png/100px-Arabian_Desert.png) | 02,330,000 2,330,000[2] | 00,899,618 899,618 | Western Asia | Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen |
6 | Gobi Desert | Cold winter | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Gobi.png/100px-Gobi.png) | 01,295,000 1,295,000[1] | 00,500,002 500,002 | Eastern Asia | China and Mongolia |
7 | Kalahari Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Kalahari.png/100px-Kalahari.png) | 00,900,000 900,000[3] | 00,347,492 347,492 | Southern Africa | Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa |
8 | Patagonian Desert | Cold winter | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Patagonian.png/100px-Patagonian.png) | 00,673,000 673,000[1] | 00,259,847 259,847 | South America | Argentina and Chile |
9 | Syrian Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Syrian_Desert.png/100px-Syrian_Desert.png) | 00,500,000 500,000[4] | 00,193,051 193,051 | Western Asia | Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria |
10 | Great Basin Desert | Cold winter | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Great_Basin_map.gif/100px-Great_Basin_map.gif) | 00,492,098 492,098[4] | 00,190,000 190,000 | Northern America | United States |
11 | Chihuahuan Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Chihuahua_desert.jpg/100px-Chihuahua_desert.jpg) | 00,453,248 453,248[4] | 00,175,000 175,000 | Central America Northern America | Mexico and the United States |
12 | Karakum Desert | Cold winter | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Karakum.png/100px-Karakum.png) | 00,350,000 350,000[4] | 00,135,136 135,136 | Central Asia | Turkmenistan |
– | Great Victoria Desert[note 2] | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Australia.A2002231.0145.250m_NASA_Nullarbor.jpg/100px-Australia.A2002231.0145.250m_NASA_Nullarbor.jpg) | 00,348,750 348,750[1] | 00,134,653 134,653 | Australasia | Australia |
13 | Taklamakan Desert | Cold winter | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Taklamakan.png/100px-Taklamakan.png) | 00,270,000 337,000 | 00,104,248 130,191 | Eastern Asia | China |
14 | Colorado Plateau | Cold winter | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Four_corners.jpg/100px-Four_corners.jpg) | 00,337,000 336,700[4] | 00,130,116 130,116 | Northern America | United States |
15 | Sonoran Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Mojave-Sonoran.gif/100px-Mojave-Sonoran.gif) | 00,310,000 310,000[4] | 00,119,692 119,692 | Central America Northern America | Mexico and the United States |
16 | Kyzylkum Desert | Cold winter | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Kyzyl_Kum.png/100px-Kyzyl_Kum.png) | 00,300,000 300,000[4] | 00,115,831 115,831 | Central Asia | Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan |
17 | Ogaden Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Ogaden_Desert.jpg/100px-Ogaden_Desert.jpg) | 00,256,000 256,000 | 00,098,842 98,842 | Eastern Africa | Ethiopia, Somalia, and Somaliland |
18 | Thar Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Thar_Desert_satellite.jpg/100px-Thar_Desert_satellite.jpg) | 238,254[5] | 00,077,220 77,220 | Southern Asia | India and Pakistan |
20 |
Puntland Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Somalia_BMNG.png/100px-Somalia_BMNG.png) | 00,200,000 200,000 | 00,077,220 77,220 | Eastern Africa | Somalia |
20 | Ustyurt Plateau | Temperate | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Ustyurt_Plateau_USAID.jpg/100px-Ustyurt_Plateau_USAID.jpg) | 00,200,000 200,000 | 00,077,220 77,220 | Central Asia | Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan |
21 | Guban Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Somalia_BMNG.png/100px-Somalia_BMNG.png) | 00,175,000 175,000 | 00,067,568 67,568 | Eastern Africa | Somalia/Somaliland |
22 | Namib Desert | Cool coastal | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Namib_desert_MODIS.jpg/100px-Namib_desert_MODIS.jpg) | 00,160,000 160,000 | 00,061,776 61,776 | Middle Africa Southern Africa | Angola, Namibia, and South Africa |
23 | Margo Desert | Subtropical |
| 00,150,000 150,000 | 00,057,915 57,915 | Southern Asia | Afghanistan |
24 | Registan Desert | Subtropical |
| 00,146,000 146,000 | 00,056,371 56,371 | Southern Asia | Afghanistan |
25 | Atacama Desert | Mild coastal | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Atacama.png/100px-Atacama.png) | 00,140,000 140,000[4] | 00,054,054 54,054 | South America | Chile and Peru |
26 | Danakil Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/The_Danakil_Desert.png/100px-The_Danakil_Desert.png) | 00,137,000 137,000 | 00,052,896 52,896 | Eastern Africa | Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia |
27 | Mojave Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Mojave-Sonoran.gif/100px-Mojave-Sonoran.gif) | 00,124,000 124,000[6][7] | 00,047,877 47,877 | Northern America | United States |
28 | Chalbi Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Chalbi_Desert_Satellite.jpg/100px-Chalbi_Desert_Satellite.jpg) | 00,100,000 100,000 | 00,038,610 38,610 | Eastern Africa | Kenya |
29 | Columbia Basin | Cold winter | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Level_IV_ecoregions%2C_Columbia_Plateau.png/100px-Level_IV_ecoregions%2C_Columbia_Plateau.png) | 00,083,139 83,139[4] | 00,032,100 32,100 | Northern America | Canada and the United States |
30 | Kavir Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Kavir.png/100px-Kavir.png) | 00,077,000 77,000[8] | 00,029,730 29,730 | Southern Asia | Iran |
31 | Ferlo Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Ferlo_Desert.jpg/100px-Ferlo_Desert.jpg) | 00,070,000 70,000 | 00,027,027 27,027 | Western Africa | Senegal |
32 | Ladakh Desert[9] | Cold winter | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Zanskar_Range_02.jpg/100px-Zanskar_Range_02.jpg) | 00,059,146 59,146 | 00,022,836 22,836 | Southern Asia | India |
33 | Lut Desert | Subtropical | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Dasht-e_Lut_Iran_2006-02-28_ISS012-E-18779.jpg/100px-Dasht-e_Lut_Iran_2006-02-28_ISS012-E-18779.jpg) | 00,052,000 52,000[8] | 00,020,077 20,077 | Southern Asia | Iran |
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