Games / Deserts
Deserts Quiz
Deserts cover about a third of Earth's land surface. This quiz marks each major desert on the world map — see a name, click where it lies.
Last updated July 2026
The Major Deserts
The best-known deserts span every inhabited continent:
Sahara — North Africa, the largest hot desert on Earth.
Arabian Desert — filling most of the Arabian Peninsula.
Gobi Desert — the cold desert of Mongolia and northern China.
Kalahari and Namib — southern Africa.
Atacama — the driest place on Earth, on the Pacific coast of South America.
Great Victoria — the largest of Australia's deserts.
Why Deserts Form Where They Do
Most of the world's great deserts sit in two bands near 30° north and 30° south of the equator.
There, air that rose at the equator descends again — warm, dry, and squeezing out little rain. That single pattern explains the Sahara, the Arabian, the Kalahari, and the Australian deserts. Others, like the Atacama and the Gobi, are dry because mountains block moist air (a "rain shadow") or because they sit far inland, out of reach of the sea.
The largest hot desert is the Sahara in North Africa; the largest desert overall is Antarctica, a cold polar desert. Most hot deserts sit near 30° north or south, where dry descending air creates bands of arid land — the Sahara, Arabian, Kalahari, and Australian deserts all fall along these latitudes.
Quiz tip: The Sahara is the largest hot desert at roughly 9 million km², but the largest desert of all is Antarctica — a cold, dry polar desert.
Largest hot desert
Sahara
Largest overall
Antarctica (cold)
Driest
Atacama
Typical latitude
~30° N / S
Deserts in this quiz
12
Deserts in this quiz
Arabian Desert, Atacama Desert, Gobi Desert, Great Victoria Desert, Kalahari Desert, Karakum Desert, Mojave Desert, Namib Desert, Patagonian Desert, Sahara, Sonoran Desert, Thar Desert.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the largest desert in the world?
By the strict definition (a region with very little precipitation), Antarctica is the largest desert — a cold polar desert. The largest hot desert is the Sahara in North Africa, at about 9 million km².
What is the driest desert on Earth?
The Atacama Desert on the Pacific coast of South America is the driest, with some weather stations having never recorded rain.
Why are most deserts near 30 degrees latitude?
Near 30° north and south, dry air that rose at the equator descends and warms, producing bands of very low rainfall — which is where the Sahara, Arabian, Kalahari, and Australian deserts formed.
Is the Gobi a hot or cold desert?
The Gobi is a cold desert. Sitting far inland in Mongolia and northern China at high elevation, it has freezing winters despite its very low rainfall.
Is the deserts quiz free?
Yes — it runs free in your browser with no download or signup. Sign in with Google to save your score.