World Deserts Quiz

Deserts are regions defined by extremely low precipitation, not necessarily by heat or sand. The world's largest desert is the Antarctic Desert (about 14.2 million sq km), followed by the Arctic Desert (about 13.9 million sq km), and then the Sahara (about 9.2 million sq km) - The world's largest hot desert. Other major deserts include the Arabian Desert, Gobi Desert, Patagonian Desert, Great Victoria Desert (Australia), Syrian Desert, Chihuahuan Desert, and Atacama Desert.

Desert Ecosystems

Despite their harsh conditions, deserts are not lifeless. They support specialized plants (cacti, succulents), animals (camels, scorpions, fennec foxes), and human populations (Bedouin, Tuareg, Aboriginal Australians). The Atacama Desert in Chile and Peru is so dry that some areas have had no rainfall in recorded history. The Namib Desert in Namibia is considered the world's oldest desert, having been arid for at least 55 million years. Deserts are expanding in many areas due to climate change and desertification. Explore more with our mountain ranges map quiz, world oceans map quiz, and world climate zones map quiz.