Asia: The Continent with the Most Desert Area

Asia holds the largest total desert area of any continent. Deserts cover over 30% of Asia's land surface. The Gobi Desert (Mongolia/China) is Asia's largest at ~1.3 million km² and the world's 10th largest. Other major Asian deserts include the Arabian Desert (Western Asia), Thar Desert (India/Pakistan), Taklamakan (China), Karakum (Turkmenistan), and Kyzylkum (Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan). Combined, they far exceed the desert extent of Africa, Australia, or North America.