The deserts of the entire land surface account for about 11% of the territory. There are more than two dozen uninhabitable zones for humans, which impress with their size. All of them are very poor in flora and fauna and most often have abnormal temperature indices incompatible with life.
We invite the reader to find out what it is, is the largest desert in the world .
10
Chihuahua Area of 362 thousand square meters.km
Chihuahua opens the world's ten largest deserts with a territory of 362 thousand square meters.km. It is located between two states: the US and Mexico. This is a very arid zone, where sandy plains and mountain ranges alternate. Here it is a rather hot summer with temperatures up to 40 degrees above zero. The local flora is represented by acacias, Creosote bush and numerous species of cactus. Among the animals there live the sturgeons, lizards, rodents, etc.
9
Victoria Area 423 thousand square meters.km
Victoria - Australia's largest desert with an area of 423 thousand square meters.km, which is 4% of the entire continent. The name of the desert was given by Australian researcher Ernest Giles in honor of Queen Victoria. The territory is characterized by an arid climate, so there is no agricultural activity. On the territory of Victoria, a biosphere reserve is open, where live kangaroo rats, echidna, dingo dog, wavy parrots and some kinds of venomous snakes. The flora is represented here by squat acacia, eucalyptus, feather grass, kangaroo grass and solyanka.
8
Patagonian Desert Area of 673 thousand square meters.km
Patagonian desert is located on the seventh step of the rating. The territory it occupies is 673 thousand square meters.km. It is an integral part of South America and is located on the lands of Argentina and Chile. The stony and sandy soils of the Patagonian desert are meager in vegetation. Sparse fauna is represented by such plant species as feather grass, bluegrass, milinium and oatmeal. Among the animals there live wild llama, rodents, puma, Argentine gray fox, Patagonian weasel, lizards and others. The Patagonian desert is characterized by a dry climate and fairly low temperatures.
7
Kalahari The area of 900 thousand square meters.km
Kalahari - one of the largest deserts in the world with an area of 900 thousand square meters.km. It is located in the territory of South Africa, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and is gradually increasing, because of which it began to occupy the territory of neighboring states. Kalahari is the hottest zone in South Africa. The average figures here are +29 degrees, and the lowest recorded temperature is 12 degrees above zero. The territory of the desert is rich in animal life. In the Kalahari, there are zebras, giraffes, gazelles, antelopes, hyenas, lions, leopards, honey eaters, meerkats, rodents, lizards, lizards, geckos and others.
6
Syrian Desert Area of 1 million square meters.km
The Syrian Desert takes the sixth place in the list of the largest deserts of the world. It occupies an area of 1 million square meters.km and is part of the states of Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Vegetation here is rather scarce and consists of grasses and shrubs: biyurgun, saxaul, bogalich and wormwood. Fauna is also quite poor and is represented by camels, antelopes, lizards.
5
Gobi The area of 1.3 million square meters.km
The Gobi ranks fifth among the largest deserts in the world. The total area occupied by it is 1.3 million square meters.km. The desert was divided between the states of China and Mongolia. Another name for the desert is Shamo. To prevent the expansion of the desert zone by the Chinese state, the project "Green Chinese Wall" is being implemented. The Gobi is one of the hottest and coldest places on earth. Why? The thing is that in the summer there is unbearable heat here with the indices of +58 degrees, and in the winter time of the year the mercury column can drop to a temperature of -55 degrees. In some areas, the Gobi fauna is represented by rodents, wild camels, antelopes and snakes. Among the vegetation you can find camelike thorns and saltworts.
4
The Arabian Desert The area of 2.3 million square meters.km
The Arabian desert ranks fourth in the list of the largest deserts of the world. It is located on the territory of 2.3 million square meters.km. The lion's part of the desert is in Saudi Arabia. The rest was divided among themselves by Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen. Here there are sharp temperature changes: in the daytime the indicators can reach 56 degrees above zero, and in the night fall to minus 12 degrees. For this reason, the local flora and fauna are very scarce. Among the animals you can find gazelles, barkhan cats and thorns.
3
Arctic Desert Area of 2.6 million square meters.km
Arctic Desert opens the top three in terms of area. The area occupied by the polar zone is 2.6 million km. It is part of Alaska, Russia, Canada, Denmark and Iceland. The Arctic lands are covered with rubble, stone debris and glaciers. The air temperature in the winter season here reaches minus 60 degrees. The plant world in this region is represented by mosses and lichens. The land fauna is represented by polar bears, arctic foxes and rodents. Marine fauna is inhabited by seals and walruses. Visiting a severe place and some species of birds.
2
Sahara Area 9.1 million square meters.km
Sahara is the largest desert in the world of the subtropical type. It is also one of the hottest places in the world. The total area occupied by the Sahara is 9.1 million square meters.km. Partially the largest desert is occupied by ten countries. The area is not suitable for life due to infertility of soils and high temperatures, which in places can reach +60 degrees. The peculiarity of the Sahara is that every year it increases in size. For this reason, the "green wall" project for planting trees is being implemented in Algeria. This will prevent the sands from capturing more and more new territories. The animals that live here lead a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. Among mammals in the Sahara live many species of rodents, Cape Hare, maned ram, Ethiopian hedgehog and others. Also this place is attractive for some species of birds: ostriches, guinea fowl, bird-secretary, etc.
1
Antarctic Desert Area of 13.8 million square meters.km
Antarctic desert ( Antarctica) with an area of 13.8 million square meters.km tops the list of the largest in the world. Polar snow-covered zone is remarkable not only for its vast territory, but also for the lowest temperatures on the Earth, which can exceed 80 degrees. Due to very severe climatic conditions, the local flora and fauna are rather poor. Near the coast, in the Antarctic oases, scant vegetation in the form of moss and lichen is observed. It does not meet land mammals, insects and even water bodies do not inhabit fish. In small reservoirs of the land live protozoa, represented by Kolovrats and inferior crustaceans. Among the lichens there are small mites and springtails. People inhabiting the severe Antarctic zone penguins, a large horse, white plover and yellow-tailed pintail.
