Deserts Are Not Mainly on Eastern Continental Sides

No. The world's major deserts are predominantly located in continental interiors (rain shadows) or on western coasts (cold-current deserts), not eastern sides.

Why Eastern Coasts Are Usually Wet

In the tropics and subtropics, trade winds blow from east to west, carrying moisture from oceans onto eastern continental margins. This creates rainforests (Amazon, Congo, Southeast Asia) or humid subtropical zones (US Southeast, East Asia, East Australia).

Where Deserts Actually Form

• Subtropical high-pressure belts (30°N/S): Sahara (N. Africa), Arabian (W. Asia), Kalahari (S. Africa), Australian Outback (interior), Chihuahuan/Sonoran (N. Mexico/SW US) — sinking dry air.
• Rain shadows: Atacama (W. South America, Andes block Amazon moisture), Great Basin (W. US, Sierra Nevada/Cascades block Pacific moisture), Patagonian (S. Argentina, Andes block westerlies).
• Cold coastal currents: Atacama (Humboldt Current), Namib (Benguela Current), Moroccan/Western Sahara (Canary Current) — stabilize air, suppress rain.
• Continental interiors: Gobi (Central Asia, far from oceans), Taklamakan (China), Turkestan deserts.

Exceptions on Eastern Sides

Small rain-shadow deserts exist on eastern margins where mountains block moisture: Great Sandy Desert & Simpson Desert (central/western Australia, but eastern relative to some ranges), Sechura Desert (Peru coast—actually western). These are minor compared to the global pattern.

Bottom line: Deserts cluster where moisture is blocked or air descends—mostly interiors and western coasts.