Deserts are arid regions, generally receiving less than ten inches of precipitation a year, or regions where the potential evaporation rate is twice as great as the precipitation. The world's deserts are divided into four categories. Subtropical deserts are the hottest, with parched terrain and rapid evaporation. Although cool coastal deserts are located within the same latitudes as subtropical deserts, the average temperature is much cooler because of frigid offshore ocean currents. Cold winter deserts are marked by stark temperature differences from season to season, ranging from 100° F (38° C) in the summer to 10° F (–12° C) in the winter. Polar regions are also considered to be deserts because nearly all moisture in these areas is locked up in the form of ice.

3. The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world,
spanning over 3.6 million square miles and
running through several countries in Northern
Africa including Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Chad,
Mauritania, Western Sahara, Sudan, Mali,
Algeria and Tunisia. It’s name, ‘Sahara’, is
derived from the Arabic word for ‘desert’. The
hottest temperature ever was recorded in the
Sahara Desert - an astonishing 58 degrees
Celsius. The vast majority of the Sahara is a
large expanse of sand, though some mountain
ranges and grasslands.

5. The Wadi Rum consists of 278 square
miles (720 square kilometers) of desert
wilderness. Commonly called ‘The Valley
of the Moon’, Wadi Rum refers to the
protected southern Jordan valley that cuts
through variable colored granite and
sandstone mountains. The valley sand
varies in color from light tan to brick red.
Valley terrain also differs throughout the
area, appearing either as flat and wide or
as deep, narrow crevices between rock
formations

7. Salar de Uyuni is the worlds
largest salt flat, spanning 10,582
km2 (4086 m2) in southwestern
Bolivia. The Salar de Uyuni is
an incredible landscape, unlike any
other desert, featuring vast
expanses of glistening white salt.
Underneath the cemented salt are
large reservoirs of lithium-rich
brine. In fact, the area is home to
70% of the world’s lithium
reserves.

9. Namib Desert, Namibia Covering an
area of 81,000 km sq (31,274 sq mi),
the Namib is a coastal desert, situated
along the southwestern coast of the
African continent. Stretching over
2000km (1200mi), the Namib crosses
Angola, Namibia and South Africa.
Characterized by its red sand dunes,
that can reach heights of up to 1200ft
(365m) or more, the Namib Desert is
considered to be particularly old, even by
geological standards.

11. Death Valley is a desert valley
situated within the Mojave Desert.
Aptly named due to its harsh
conditions, it is the lowest, hottest
and driest place in the United
States. The lowest point is 282ft
(82m) below sea level, and the
highest temperature ever recorded was
56.7 degrees Celcius in 1913.
Interestingly, Mount Whitney, the
highest point in the United States, is
only 84 miles to the East .

13. The Atacama Desert, covering a total area
of 105,000 sq km (40,541 sq mi),
stretches 1000km (600mi) from southern
Peru into northern Chile. Said to be the
driest place on Earth, it receives almost no
rainfall whatsoever. In fact, certain parts
of the desert may not experience rainfall for
hundreds of years. As a result of these
harsh conditions, particularly in the lower
Atacama Desert, plant and animal life is
almost non-existent. The northern coastal
areas, however, do receive a little more
rainfall, and as a result, are less arid.

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