Largest Desert Area Comparison (Square KM)
Compare 12 largest desert areas in sq km, from the 284k Great Sandy tract to the giant 9.2M Sahara sea of sand. Britannica approximations in a linked tool now.
Visual comparison
All values
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| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sahara Largest here at 9.2M sq km. | 9,200,000 square kilometers | North Africa | Encyclopaedia Britannica: Sahara approx 9,200,000 sq km |
| Arabian Desert 2.33M sq km of sand seas. | 2,330,000 square kilometers | Middle East | Britannica: Arabian Desert approx 2,330,000 sq km |
| Gobi 1.295M sq km cold desert. | 1,295,000 square kilometers | Central Asia | Britannica: Gobi approx 1,295,000 sq km |
| Kalahari 930,000 sq km savanna sands. | 930,000 square kilometers | Southern Africa | Britannica: Kalahari approx 930,000 sq km |
| Patagonian Desert 673,000 sq km rain shadow. | 673,000 square kilometers | Argentina | Britannica: Patagonian Desert approx 673,000 sq km |
| Great Victoria Desert 647,000 sq km red sands. | 647,000 square kilometers | Australia | Britannica: Great Victoria Desert approx 647,000 sq km |
| Syrian Desert 500,000 sq km badia lands. | 500,000 square kilometers | Middle East steppe | Britannica: Syrian Desert approx 500,000 sq km |
| Great Basin Desert 492,000 sq km cold sagebrush. | 492,000 square kilometers | US Great Basin | Britannica: Great Basin Desert approx 492,000 sq km |
| Chihuahuan Desert 453,000 sq km border desert. | 453,000 square kilometers | North America deserts | Britannica: Chihuahuan Desert approx 453,000 sq km |
| Karakum 350,000 sq km black sands. | 350,000 square kilometers | Central Asia sands | Britannica: Karakum approx 350,000 sq km |
| Taklamakan 337,000 sq km shifting dunes. | 337,000 square kilometers | China Tarim basin | Britannica: Taklamakan approx 337,000 sq km |
| Great Sandy Desert Smallest here at 284,000. | 284,000 square kilometers | Western Australia | Britannica: Great Sandy Desert approx 284,000 sq km |
About this converter
Geography references publish an area for every major desert, and the Sahara dwarfs the rest. The Sahara covers about 9,200,000 square kilometers. The Great Sandy covers about 284,000. Deserts include hot and cold types, so Antarctica and the Arctic sit outside as polar deserts by a different definition. Twelve rows span hot subtropical to cold continental deserts.
How to use it
Pick two entries and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. Try the Sahara against the Great Sandy for the full desert spread. Areas use millions friendly units too.
Areas follow Encyclopaedia Britannica approximations. Desert boundaries shift with rainfall lines, so figures round to the nearest thousand. Polar deserts use ice based definitions and sit outside this hot and cold sand and rock table. Twelve rows sample every size band. The Sahara alone outweighs the next three combined. Cold deserts like the Gobi and Great Basin prove deserts need not be hot. Rain shadow and latitude both build these dry lands.
FAQ
Largest desert here?
Sahara at about 9.2 million square kilometers. It nearly matches the Arabian plus Gobi combined twice over.
Smallest here?
Great Sandy at about 284,000 square kilometers. Gibson and Simpson deserts run smaller still.
Where are Antarctica and Arctic?
No. They use ice sheet definitions, so this sand and rock table leaves them out.
Are areas exact?
Yes. Rainfall lines move, so every figure rounds. Rankings hold even as edges shift.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica desert area entries
Last verified: 2026-10-03 · 12 entries
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