The Most Beautiful Deserts in the World
GettyGobi, Mongolia
Claim to fame: Asia's largest desert, the fifth-largest in the world, crosses two countries, China and Mongolia.
GettyMojave, Southwest U.S.
Claim to fame: Even though this famous dry spot holds Joshua Tree and Death Valley national parks, the Mojave is the smallest desert in North America.
GettySahara, Africa
Claim to fame: The largest hot desert in the world, at 3.5 million square miles, crosses 11 countries in northern Africa.
GettyAtacama, South America
Claim to fame: Crossing the borders of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina, the Atacama is the driest non-polar desert in the world, with an average of .004 inches of rainfall each year.
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GettyBardenas Reales, Spain
Claim to fame: One of only a few deserts in Europe, these Spanish badlands look otherworldly, with lunar-like plateaus and deep gullies.
GettyArctic Polar Desert
Claim to fame: This is the second-largest desert in the world, and nine to ten months a year, it receives no sunlight (much like its polar desert compadre, Antarctica).
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GettyNamib Desert, Namibia
Claim to fame: You mean besides being the dystopian set for Mad Max: Fury Road? The ochre-colored dunes are home to desert elephants that travel 40 miles a day in search of food.
GettyArabian Desert, Middle East
Claim to fame: The Arabian desert (pictured outside of Dubai) covers eight countries and contains one of the largest continuous bodies of sand in the world.
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GettyAntarctica
Claim to fame: Antarctica's the world's biggest desert?? Believe it: It doesn't rain or snow much on the continent, and when it does, the snow doesn't melt—it just collects to form ice sheets. Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys also holds the world record for coldest desert in the world.
GettySonoran, Southwest U.S.
Claim to fame: Making up much of the U.S.-Mexico border, the Sonoran is the hottest desert in North America, with temperatures regularly reaching 118 degrees in the summer.
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GettyWhite Desert, Egypt
Claim to fame: Wind-carved rocks in the shape of giant mushrooms are scattered throughout this desert, known locally as Farafra, located five hours southwest of Cairo.