Deserts take up more than one fourth of the world’s land. They are formed when an area receives less water from precipitation in the form of rain and lose more moisture through evaporation. In other words, it is a region that receives less than 250 mm per year rainfall. Lack of water hinders the growth and development of plant and animal life and makes desert a harsh places to live. Here population is negligible and vegetation is also insufficient to meet the demand. High solar radiation makes deserts an ideal place for the capture of large quantities of solar energy.
World’s Top 5 Largest Deserts
| Rank | Name | Area (Sq mi) | Location (Country/Continent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Antarctica | 5,500,000 | Antarctica |
| 2. | Arctic | 5,400,000 | Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. |
| 3. | Sahara | 3,629,360 | North Africa |
| 4. | Arabian | 899,618 | Western Asia |
| 5. | Gobi | 500,002 | Mongolia, China |
Antarctica is the largest polar desert in the world which covers an areas of 5.5 million mi². It receive an annual precipitation of only 200 mm. It is the world’s coldest place and unsuitable for living. Arctic is world’s second largest desert with annual precipitation of 50 cm (20 in).
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