Deserts in and Near Russia: Clarifying the Geography

Russia's territory includes only limited true desert areas, primarily the northern fringes of the Gobi Desert in southern Siberia and the Caspian Depression (a semi-desert) near the Caspian Sea. Many deserts often listed as "Russian deserts"—such as the Aral Karakum, Badkhyz, Betpak-Dala, Karakum, Kyzyl Kum, and Taklamakan—are actually located in neighboring Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, China). Russia's climate is predominantly boreal, subarctic, and temperate, with vast taiga and tundra biomes rather than deserts.