Deserts of Asia, Landforms of Asia


Several significant deserts stretch across Asia and the Middle East. Here we highlight of the map and brief description of the major ones, including the Arabian, Gobi, Karakum, Kyzylkum, Takla Makan and Thar.

Arabian Desert
The Arabian Desert is a vast desert wilderness stretching from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and from Oman to Jordan and Iraq. This desert is located in the Middle East, and we have additional details and map at this link:

Gobi Desert
The Gobi Desert is the largest desert in Asia, covering 500,000 square miles. Extending from northern China into Mongolia, the Gobi Desert receives an average of 7 inches of rainfall each year because the Himalaya mountains block rain clouds from reaching the region.

Kara Kum Desert
The Kara Kum covers 135,000 square miles, nearly 70 percent of Turkmenistan's land. Because of the desert's location along the Caspian Sea, the weather in Karakum is milder than many Asian deserts, which typically experience frigid winters and scorching summers.

Kyzyl Kum Desert
Crossing over Kazakhstan into Uzbekistan, this 115,000 square mile desert features a wide variety of flora and fauna. Though the area only receives 4 to 8 inches of rain per year, the rain occurs during the region's cooler period so the water does not dissipate quickly and supports large migratory game.

Takla Makan Desert
China's largest desert extends over 123,550 square miles. Composed primarily of shifting crescent sand dunes, the Takla Makan is one of the largest sandy deserts in the world. Despite the inhospitable and unpredictable nature of the desert sands, the Chinese government erected a road across the desert in the mid-1990s.

Thar Desert
Covering 77,000 square miles in India and Pakistan, the Thar Desert is Asia's only subtropical desert. Primarily occupying the Indian state of Rajasthan, the Thar receives up to 20 inches of rain per year, primarily during the monsoon period from July to September, and most crops are grown during this rainy season.

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This page was last modified on November 17, 2015.