The Sahara Is Not in the U.S.—America's Largest Desert Is the Great Basin

False. The Sahara Desert is in North Africa, spanning 11 countries. It is the world's largest hot desert (9.2M km² / 3.6M sq mi).

Largest Desert in the United States

Great Basin Desert — ~492,000 km² (190,000 sq mi), covering most of Nevada, western Utah, and parts of Oregon, Idaho, California.

• Type: Cold winter desert (rain shadow of Sierra Nevada).
• Character: Sagebrush steppe, playas, mountain ranges (Basin and Range province).
• Notable: Great Basin National Park, Bonneville Salt Flats, Black Rock Desert.

Other Major U.S. Deserts

• Mojave: 124,000 km² (Death Valley, Joshua Tree) — hottest, lowest.
• Sonoran: 310,000 km² (AZ, CA, Mexico) — most biodiverse, saguaros.
• Chihuahuan: 360,000 km² (mostly Mexico; extends into TX, NM, AZ).

The Great Basin is larger than the Mojave and Sonoran combined—and it's entirely within U.S. borders.