Lesson plan 12 - Hµ Thu Hoµ - Chieng Sinh Upper Secondary School The World’s Largest Deserts Desert Location square miles square kilometers Sahara northern Africa 3,500,000 9,065,000 Gobi Mongolia/northeastern China 500,000 1,290,000 Patagonian Argentina 260,000 670,000 Rub al Khali southern Arabian Peninsula 250,000 650,000 Great Sandy northwestern Australia 150,000 390,000 Great Victoria southwestern Australia 150,000 390,000 Chihuahuan Mexico/southwestern United States 140,000 360,000 Takla Makan northern China 140,000 360,000 Sonoran Mexico/southwestern United States 120,000 310,000 *These area figures are estimates because the boundaries of deserts are not always clear. Do you think of a desert as a hot, dry place where sand stretches as far as you can see? The Sahara in North Africa is like that, but most deserts are not. All deserts are dry, but some deserts are very cold. Plants and animals live in most deserts. People have learned to live in deserts all over the world. Lesson plan 12 - Hµ Thu Hoµ - Chieng Sinh Upper Secondary School Great Sandy Desert, Australia Deserts get very little rain. But trees, shrubs, and wildflowers can grow in some desert areas. One such area is the Great Sandy Desert in Australia. Lesson plan 12 - Hµ Thu Hoµ - Chieng Sinh Upper Secondary School Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China is the coldest desert in the world. Desert Oasis An oasis is fertile ground with water in a desert. At an oasis, plants such as these palm trees can grow and people can refill their water supplies. . miles square kilometers Sahara northern Africa 3,500,000 9,065,000 Gobi Mongolia/northeastern China 500,000 1,290,000 Patagonian Argentina 260,000 670,000. clear. Do you think of a desert as a hot, dry place where sand stretches as far as you can see? The Sahara in North Africa is like that, but most deserts are