What deserts are there in the world? The largest deserts

Conventionally, all the deserts of the world can be grouped into several categories.

• The hottest on the planet, with a completely scorched landscape and record-breaking rapid evaporation of moisture, are subtropical deserts.
• A feature of cool coastal deserts is that, being located in the same latitudes as subtropical ones, they have a cooler average temperature due to cold winds blowing from the oceans.
• A characteristic feature of cold winter deserts is the absolute temperature difference in different seasons, from almost forty degrees of heat in the summer to twelve degrees below zero in the winter.
• The deserts of the world also include the polar regions, since almost all the moisture in these areas is contained in a state of ice.

Mojave Desert - "Sahara of the New World"

The area of ​​the famous Mojave Desert, located on the territory of three southwestern North American states - Nevada, Arizona and California - is more than 139 thousand square kilometers. It is a huge plain of dried salt lakes and sand dunes, in some places intersected by ridges of low mountains.

The Mojave Desert annually attracts crowds of tourists who come to see the Death Valley that made it famous, which local Indians once nicknamed the “Burning Land.” In fact, this is a narrow strip of desert land, the air temperature in which reached record highs on the planet - fifty-eight degrees Celsius.

Despite the unfavorable natural conditions and not very fertile soils, about two thousand plants grow in the desert and about a dozen species of animals are found. It is also home to several national parks and protected areas.

Arctic deserts - the kingdom of eternal ice and snow

A polar or ice desert, often also called the Arctic, is a desert area with extremely sparse vegetation, widespread among the ice and snow of the Arctic and Antarctic geographical zones of the planet.

This type of desert is characteristic of Greenland and the Arctic archipelago of Canada, as well as a number of other islands of the Arctic Ocean. In addition, large areas on the northern coast of the Eurasian continent and islands near Antarctica are covered with ice desert.

There are no transitional seasons in this area. During the polar night, the Arctic desert experiences a harsh and long winter, and during the polar day there is a cold and short summer. In winter, the temperature can sometimes drop to sixty degrees, while in summer it most often barely exceeds zero. During the short summer period, only small areas of land with rocky or marshy soil are cleared of snow. They grow lichens and mosses, rare flowering plants. There are also very few representatives of the animal world capable of existing in such conditions (lemmings, arctic foxes, polar bears; among birds - guillemots, penguins and some others).

Desert of the Arabian Peninsula

The vast wilderness area that occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula (about 2,590 million square kilometers) is called the Arabian Desert. It is mainly located in Saudi Arabia, but extends to other countries (Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, UAE, Oman and Yemen).

The main part of this desert area is considered hyperarid. At the same time, the temperature in it ranges from extremely high daytime temperatures during the summer (sometimes up to fifty degrees hot) and to night frosts (slightly below zero) during the winter. In the Arabian Desert there are plants and animals adapted to an exceptionally dry climate and large temperature changes. Of the large animals, oryx, gazelles, sand cats and spiny-tailed lizards are typical for this area.

Approximately a quarter of the Arabian Desert is occupied by the sandy massif of the Rub al-Khali - the largest area of ​​sand in the world.

Great Victoria - Australia's largest desert

The Great Victoria Desert is a sandy-salt marsh area with an area of ​​almost 650 thousand square kilometers, located in the central and southern parts of the Australian mainland. It is almost completely devoid of water sources. Its specific landscape is formed by sand ridges from ten to thirty meters high, which arise under the influence of strong winds.

This desert is characterized by an arid climate, extremely positive temperatures in winter and summer (from eighteen to forty degrees Celsius), the impossibility of snowfall, and frequent thunderstorms. Its traditional vegetation is eucalyptus, acacia, thorny bushes and grasses. About one hundred and twenty species of birds and a number of rare animals live here.

Red sands of Kyzylkum

The Kyzylkum desert (“red sands”), located between the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers on an area of ​​about 300 thousand square kilometers, belongs to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and partly Turkmenistan. This is a predominantly flat area, the soils of which are heterogeneous: high ridges of sand give way to salt marshes and clayey massifs, and sometimes there are rocks of low mountains.

The climate here is sharply continental. In Uzbekistan, Kyzylkum is considered the driest area. The average summer temperature is thirty degrees Celsius, winter - from zero to plus nine.

In spring, Kyzylkum blooms, covering itself with a bright carpet of short-lived flowers and herbs that disappear with the first rays of the scorching summer sun. The rest of the time, mainly shrubs (saxaul, cherkez and others) grow here. Among the animals typical for this area are jackals and steppe foxes, various species of rodents, reptiles and snakes.

Atacama is the driest desert in the world

The South American Atacama, located along the coast of Chile in close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, rightfully won the reputation of the driest desert in the world. Its total area is about 105 thousand square kilometers. Mostly its territory is located in the mountains at a very high altitude.

The amount of precipitation that falls in the Atacama Desert per year averages 10 mmHg. This is negligible compared to all other deserts. It is recognized as 50 times drier than California's famous Death Valley. In many parts of it there has been no rain for several years. The level of solar radiation here is extremely high, and the possibility of life in some areas is almost zero.

Another important feature of this desert is the rich deposits of copper ore on its territory. The world's largest open-pit mines for the extraction of this mineral are located here.

Sandy deserts cover about 20% of the land on Earth. These are huge lifeless spaces, on the territory of which an unprepared person is doomed to inevitable death. The largest desert, how the boundless abyss is capable of taking over, absorbing and destroying, but how devastatingly beautiful it is...

The largest desert on Earth

Sandy deserts are the hottest places on our planet. Basically, such natural areas are located in Africa, Australia and Eurasia. There are also places like salt desert Salar de Uyuni. Also, relatively small deserts can be found in America. Any schoolchild knows about the Sahara - it’s largest desert. In addition, it is also the hottest. The local temperature ranges from 15 to 58 degrees. The desert area is more than 9,000,000 square kilometers.

If the Sahara were in Russia, it would occupy half of the country's territory. The name of the sandy natural area mentioned above was given by the Arabs. In the Sahara today you can find about 150,000 mirages. There is even a special map with marks where you often see it – a river, a well or an oasis. The largest desert in the world extends over the territory of almost all of North Africa and occupies the area of ​​the following countries: Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Libya, Chad, Mauritania, Egypt, Tunisia, etc. Sandstorms of the Sahara can partially reach even the territory of Europe.

The largest deserts in the world: Arabian and Gobi

Listing largest deserts in the world You can’t ignore the second largest desert – the Arabian Desert. As the name suggests, the Arabian Sand Zone is located on the peninsula of the same name. It covers Saudi Arabia, a small part of Iraq, Syria, East Jordan and Egypt. In the center of the desert is Rub'al-Qali - this is one of the largest sand massifs on Earth. A significant part of the desert is uninhabited due to frequent storms and winds, large temperature changes. Daily temperatures vary from 40 to 50 degrees in summer, and from 5 to 15 in winter But there were also cases of zero temperatures.

And, of course, the no less famous zone of the Gobi sands can bear the title - largest desert. In terms of area, this natural area ranks third in the world, and first in Asia. The name of the desert comes from the Mongolian word for “waterless place.” The Gobi is located in Central Asia, covering Mongolia and part of China, which, in turn, is represented in the world as, practically, the biggest country in the world. The northern border of the desert can be called the Mongolian steppes, the southern border is the Yellow River.

The largest deserts in the world, other options

It is worth briefly mentioning other major largest deserts in the world- this is Australian, which occupies almost the entire territory of the country of the same name, and there are also speculations that it is also largest island in the world; The Kalahari is the largest desert in South Africa and the Karakum Desert, which occupies about 4/5 of the territory of Turkmenistan. But, despite its size, any desert is an equally deadly and merciless place, such as driest desert Atacaba world in South America...

Desert is an area characterized by increased heat and “hot” sand. Deserts receive negligible rainfall throughout the year. The soil is infertile, so flora and fauna cannot exist normally.

Experts estimate that deserts account for 1/3 of the entire surface of the Earth. The area in question is classified taking into account the amount of annual precipitation, the cause of desertification, temperature conditions and location.

Plants and animals that live in desert areas have a specific structure that allows them to survive in the heat. The deserts are inhabited by nomads who move around with the help of camels.

10.Great Basin Desert with an area of ​​492,097.74 square meters. km

This area is located in the United States. It is bordered by mountains to the east, the Sierra Nevada to the west, the Mojave and Monoran deserts to the south, and the Columbia Highlands to the north.

The Great Basin is considered a cold desert, receiving up to 177-304 mm of precipitation per year. The climate here is hot and dry in summer, snowy and cold in winter.

9. Syrian desert with an area of ​​517,997.62 square meters. km

This area combines the climate of steppe and desert. It is located in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula, near Syria. Its area is 518 thousand sq. km of the total land area. The desert is characterized by flat terrain with rocks.

It stretches from Syria to Saudi Arabia, including Jordan and Iraq. The landscape contains lava flows that were formed as a result of the activity of the Jebel Druz volcano.

8. Patagonian Desert with an area of ​​517,997.62 sq. km

The desert is located in Argentina, in the southern part of the country. It accounts for 518 thousand sq. km. The desert is also located in Chile. The Patagonian Desert borders the Andes and the Atlantic Ocean.

This is a winter area where the temperature does not exceed +12 degrees. At the same time, the average temperature is +3 degrees. This is a relatively windy area dominated by descending mountain air masses.

7. Victoria Desert with an area of ​​569,797.38 sq. km

There are numerous sand hills in the desert. Victoria is Australia's largest desert. It accounts for about 570 thousand sq. km. It is located between the Gawler Mountains and the country's gold mines.

Thunderstorms are considered frequent phenomena in the desert. It rains up to 20 times a year. In winter the temperature drops to +20 degrees, and in summer it exceeds 40 degrees. The total annual precipitation is 250 mm.

6. Kalahari Desert with an area of ​​932,395.72 sq. km

It is a semi-arid area located in South Africa. The Kalahari accounts for 930 thousand sq. km. It is located in such African countries as Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.

In the desert you can see red sand and an area without water. Seasonal floods with subsequent drainage of rivers, dry valleys, salty depressions are the main landscape of the area. The only river that flows through the desert is the Okavanga.

5. Gobi Desert with an area of ​​1294,994.06 sq. km

In fifth position is the Gobi Desert, located in Asia. It covered the northern and northwestern parts of China, extending to the south of Mongolia. Its area is 1.3 million sq. km. The Gobi is a "rainless" area located near the Himalayan mountain ranges, which block the rain, creating a "rain shadow".

The mountains hold back the clouds that come from the Indian Ocean. Therefore they do not reach the desert. The large Gobi area is not sandy, but bare. It is cold, and some of its areas are covered with snow caps.

4. Arabian desert with an area of ​​2,330,989.3 sq. km

The desert is located in western Asia, covering the largest part of the Arabian Peninsula. Its area is 2.3 million sq. km. The desert is located on the territory of such states as Yemen, Oman, Iraq, and Jordan. Moreover, it is located in the Persian Gulf.

Its center is considered to be Rub al-Khali. A large amount of solid sand has accumulated here. The desert has a dry climate, and the air temperature can rise to maximum limits. At the same time, seasonal cold snaps are observed at night. Up to 100 mm of precipitation falls annually, and in the driest zones of the desert - up to 40 mm per year.

3. Sahara with an area of ​​9,064,958.39 sq. km

In 3rd place is the Sahara Desert. This is the largest and hottest area in the world. Its area exceeds 9 million sq. km. The desert is located in North Africa. A large desert area consists of rocks and sand dunes.

The surface is constantly exposed to winds. At the same time, the Sahara experiences low and infrequent rainfall.

The central part of the Sahara is hyper-arid, without vegetation and precipitation. A large number of rivers often dry up, except for the Nile, the main river of the desert.

2. The Arctic with an area of ​​13,985,935.8 sq. km

The desert occupies the entire territory of the North Pole. This is the second largest desert in the world, with a length of 14 million square meters. km. The desert partially covers the territory that is under the control of Canada, Denmark, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States.

The main precipitation is snow, and temperatures in winter drop below -40 degrees. The climate is characterized by strong winds causing snow. The Arctic is constantly changing. The ice cover is constantly decreasing, which indicates global warming.

1. Antarctica with an area of ​​14,244,934.6 sq. km

This is the most extreme desert, which is located near the South Pole. It is the coldest, driest, highest and windiest continent. Throughout the desert, less than 200 mm of precipitation falls per year.

Temperatures drop to -89 degrees in winter and -15 degrees in summer. Therefore, there are no permanent inhabitants in the desert. The number of temporary residents is 5 thousand people. Most often these are scientists. The Antarctic desert accounts for 14 million sq. km. Strong reflection of the sun's rays from ice leads to sunburn and vision problems.

Among the existing deserts, the largest in area can be distinguished. There are many tropical deserts. If we take into account sandy deserts, the largest of them is the Sahara.

Large tropical deserts

The leading position in size among tropical deserts is the Sahara Desert. That's why she's called the Queen of the Deserts. The area is almost nine million one hundred thousand square kilometers, which is not much less than the territory of the United States. The location of the desert is northern Africa.

A considerable area is occupied by the Arabian Desert. From the name it is clear that it extends across the territory of the Arabian Peninsula, but also affects Jordan, Egypt and Syria, as well as Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Its territory is two million three hundred thirty thousand square kilometers. Due to frequent strong winds, sharp fluctuations in daily temperatures and dust storms, more than half of the entire desert area remains uninhabited. Surprisingly, during the day the temperature is so high that an egg can fry on the sand within ten minutes, but at night it is unbearably cold.

The Gobi Desert runs partly through China and Mongolia. If you translate its name from the Mongolian language, it will sound like “waterless place.” The area occupied by the Gobi is one million three hundred thousand square kilometers.

The Kalahari Desert occupies a slightly smaller area compared to the Gobi - about nine hundred thousand square kilometers. It extends across countries such as Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. In the Berber language, the word "Kalahari" translates to "tormenting." Local residents call this desert Karri-Karri. Its territory is not constant; it is known that it grows as a result of alluvium.

In Australia, the most significant desert is Victoria. It covers an area of ​​six hundred and forty-seven square kilometers - that's almost half of the entire continent. The desert is unusual in that, along with sandy, it is also rocky, where large areas are covered with fine gravel. The famous red dunes are also found there. Their height sometimes reaches forty meters. The Great Sandy Desert is also located in Australia. Its name is confirmed by the size of the area it occupies - four hundred thousand square kilometers. There are two more deserts in Australia, each with an area of ​​about one hundred and fifty thousand square kilometers - these are the Gibson and Simpson deserts.

Mexico and America are partially crossed by the Chihuahuan Desert. Its territory is an area of ​​four hundred and fifty thousand square kilometers. Nearby there is the Sonoran Desert, with an area of ​​three hundred and ten square kilometers. About two hundred thousand square kilometers is the territory of the Thar Desert. It extends across countries such as Pakistan and India.

The largest desert in Asia

Among Asian deserts, the Gobi Desert occupies the leading position in size. Its landscape is amazing and varied - mountains and dunes, plains and dunes. The territory is located in both Mongolia and China. The desert is waterless and extremely dry. Its vastness is captivating.

The Gobi is practically the very center of Asia. Desert areas remain completely waterless for about sixty-five million years. The dune sands of the desert make up only three percent of its area, but hamadas, in other words rocky and clayey deserts, occupy vast territories.

Africa's largest desert

As you know, the largest desert on the African continent is the Sahara. It is located in the northern part, and its territory covers states such as Egypt, Niger, Algeria and Mali. The Sahara also passes partially through the territory of Libya, Morocco and Chad, the territory of Western Sahara and Sudan. The leader in the number of mirages that arise is she. There is even a map of mirages that helps determine the places where they are most likely and most likely to appear.

It is impossible to attribute the Sahara to any one type; it cannot be categorized, but we can say that the sandy-rocky type predominates.

The largest desert in the world

Among the hot deserts of the world, the first place is undoubtedly behind the Sahara, but if we compare by area, the largest is the snowy desert of Antarctica. It is recognized not only as the largest, but also as the coldest, as well as the driest among all other deserts on the planet. It is polar in type. Its area is about fourteen million square kilometers.

This polar desert has been little studied, and no one knows what is there under the eternal ice. Scientists have been studying the fauna and flora of Antarctica for many years. Belgica Antarctica is the name of the wingless midge, which is the largest land animal in Antarctica. Its length does not exceed one centimeter three millimeters.

To study the snowy desert, scientists study ice cores—long cylinders of ice produced by drilling into the ice surface. So they manage to go back in time thousands of years and obtain information about the earth’s climate of that period.

But the coldest place on Earth is in Antarctica.
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What is a desert? This is a unique flat natural area with very poor flora and fauna. The climatic conditions in such a zone are specific and poorly suited for comfortable living and active life. On Earth there are sandy, clayey, rocky, salt and ice. What is the largest desert on the planet?

Two queens

If we talk about these zones in the usual sense, then these are endless expanses of sand, mostly bare and lifeless, heated under the scorching sun. The Sahara is the most endless, largest sand desert in the world, it is located on the African continent, its area is 9.1 million square kilometers. But on our planet there is also a huge icy one - Antarctic. It is located in Antarctica and occupies almost 14 million square meters. km! Considering that from a geological point of view, these zones in Antarctica and Africa are deserts, then the conclusion arises that the largest desert on the planet is the Antarctic. The other largest deserts in the world are the Sahara, Arabian, Gobi, Kalahari, Patagonian, Victoria, Syrian, Great American, Chihuahua, Great Australian, Karakum, Sonora, Kyzylkum and Taklamakan. This list includes the most significant deserts in the world, the area of ​​which exceeds 200 thousand square meters. km. Below is a brief summary of the most interesting facts about these natural areas.

Antarctic

As mentioned above, it is located in Antarctica, its area reaches 14 million square kilometers, only 1% of the land is free from ice, this is the largest desert on Earth. In addition, this:

• the driest place on the planet - indeed, no more than 50 mm Hg of precipitation falls here per year. Art. in the form of snow, real rain has not fallen in Antarctica for more than 2 million years. It’s a paradox, but the driest zone in the world contains the most fresh water - 70% of the world’s total supply in the form of ice blocks;
• the windiest - the wind speed here reaches 320 km/h. Such winds are called katabatic;
• the coldest - in winter the average temperature is -60°С...-70°С, in summer - from minus 20°С to minus 45°С. The lowest temperature - 91.2°C was recorded in 2013. With such indicators, a person freezes in 1-3 minutes.
• and the highest place on the planet.

This kingdom of ice does not belong to any state, there is no permanent population, only scientists and researchers agree to spend some time in such extreme conditions. Sometimes tourists come here. Before being sent to Antarctica, everyone has their wisdom teeth and appendix removed. The flora and fauna of the Antarctic desert are very scarce, but only here you can meet the largest and most beautiful penguin in the world - the emperor. The natural phenomenon of this unique place is the Bloody Waterfall, the water of which is bright red (hence the name)! Interestingly, this is a timeless zone in the literal sense, since there is no time zone on the continent.

Occupies the entire northern part of the African continent. Today its area is 9.1 million square meters. km, which is slightly larger than the area of ​​Brazil, but every year the Sahara expands to the south by about 7-10 km. There are many deserts in Africa, but the Sahara is the largest on the continent and the second largest in the world after the Arctic. It partially occupies the territory of 12 African states.

From the north it is washed by the Mediterranean Sea, from the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and from the east it is bounded by the Red Sea. The southern border of the desert is a ridge of ancient sand dunes, beyond which the more fertile land of savannah begins.

Vast areas of the Sahara are deserted; due to the hot, arid climate, lack of water and vegetation, these areas are not inhabited; settled tribes live only near rare oases, as well as in the river valleys of the Nile and Niger.

The relief of the Sahara is not only endless sandy plains, but also oases, dunes, wadis, and mountains. Interestingly, the height of the highest mountain in this desert is more than 3400 meters; in winter its peak is covered with snow. One of the local phenomena is the singing dunes, which produce sounds similar to organ music.

Acacias, wormwood, oleanders, dates, fig trees, ephedra, and citrus fruits grow in oases along the banks of the wadi. Where there is greenery, there are also animals: hares, jerboas, hedgehogs, maned sheep, antelopes, gazelles, mouflons, jackals, mongooses, hyenas, many vipers, lizards, scorpions. About 300 species of birds live in the desert.

Mirages are the main mystery of the Sahara. Suddenly, plausible images of cities, castles, armies of soldiers, ships and other visions appear before the travelers. One day, an entire caravan died trying to get to an oasis that seemed to be no further than 2-3 km away, but in fact it was at least 700 km away! Scientists have not yet found an explanation for these complex optical illusions.

Arabian

In Africa there is another large desert - the Arabian. It occupies almost 2.4 million sq. km. It lies on the Arabian Peninsula between the Red Sea and the Nile Valley. The Arabian desert is famous for its even more brutal climate than the Sahara. Sandstorms often rage here, sharp temperature changes are observed - from +55°C during the day to frost at night, precipitation is scanty and extremely rare. Therefore, there are very few plants here, only occasionally ashthorn, juniper, caperberry and date palms are found. The main inhabitants of the desert are lizards, snakes, and insects. There are also birds.

It is interesting that the Arabian Desert, under a thick layer of sand, stores countless treasures - there are very rich gold deposits here, which geologists are developing. Recently, tourism has been intensively developing here.

This is the largest desert in Eurasia. It covers an area of ​​1.3 million square kilometers, located partly in the south of Mongolia and partly in the north of China. There are incredible temperature changes here - from +60°C to -55°C depending on the time of year and day! Sometimes the surface heats up to +70°C!

The Gobi landscape is very diverse: arid rocky terrain gives way to sandy plains, followed by high dunes that turn into mountains, and periodically there are flowering oases and green groves. There is more vegetation in the north; the closer to the south, the more deserted the surrounding area. The fauna of the Gobi is quite diverse: in addition to the usual rodents, horses, gazelles, snakes, lizards and insects, there are bears and even snow leopards in the foothills.

And again Africa! In the southern part of the continent is the Kalahari Desert - the hottest on the mainland. It occupies about 900 thousand sq. km. Famous for its red sands, from the outside it seems that the sun has completely scorched this land. But that's not true. Despite the hot and dry climate, many animals somehow manage to survive here: giraffes, zebras, gazelles, jackals and hyenas, lions and leopards, rhinoceroses, many species of rodents, lizards, monitor lizards, geckos, snakes. Among the birds that live in the Kalahari are bustards, ostriches, falcons, and larks.

5 more large deserts of the world

Other major deserts of the world:

• Patagonian, occupies just over 670 thousand square kilometers. Located in South America in Argentina and Chile. It is interesting that there is no heat here as such, in winter it even snows, the desert area was formed due to very little rainfall, nature does not spoil the Patagonian Plateau with rain.
• Victoria - located in Australia, occupies about 650 thousand square kilometers, that is, almost half of the continent. This is a desert flat area, dried by the winds, mostly covered with prickly, drought-resistant spinifex trees, sometimes there are thickets of acacias, and powerful eucalyptus trees grow in the humid lowlands. When rare rain falls in the desert, it immediately transforms: it is covered with lush herbs and fragrant bright flowers. The fauna of the Australian desert is unique, represented by endemic animals that are not found anywhere else in the world. Interestingly, 9 of the 10 most poisonous snakes in the world live here.
• Syrian - located in the Middle East, its sands spread over 500 thousand square kilometers. The climate here is subtropical. In summer, average temperatures fluctuate between +29...+35°C; in winter, night frosts are not uncommon. The flora and fauna of this desert are quite poor.
• Great American - occupies just over 490 thousand square kilometers, is located in the west of the North American continent, surrounded by mountains and plateaus that block the path of moist air from the ocean.
• Chihuahua is another huge desert in North America, its area reaches 450 thousand square kilometers. It is located on the US-Mexico border and has an amazing landscape: “sky islands” are scattered throughout its territory - wide canyons with a flat bottom, surrounded by mountains with flat tops.

Victoria Desert (Australia)

One cannot help but recall the Great Sandy Desert in the northwestern part of Australia (400 thousand sq. km), the famous Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan (350 thousand sq. km), the sandy and rocky Sonora in North America (310 thousand sq. km), Kyzylkum in Central Asia (300 thousand sq. km.) and the mysterious Taklamakan in China (270 thousand sq. km.), which is called the Valley of Death.

As you can see, the largest sand deserts in the world are located in Africa, Asia, America and Australia. In Russia there are small deserts in the east of Kalmykia, in the south of the Astrakhan region, in the Volgograd region. In Europe, there are no real deserts, although some geographers mention the sandy massif Aleshkovsky Sands, located in the south of Ukraine.