15 June 2020

Quiz: How well do you know the world’s deserts?

Know your Sahara from your Atacama? Put your knowledge of the world’s deserts to the test, with this challenging (yet still fun) trivia quiz. Let's see if you can handle the heat...

3 mins

With so many desert-like parts of the world to choose from, we could’ve been here all day. For the sake of this quiz, we’ve stuck with the big hitters: the deserts we all know, love and are most likely to have visited.

Well, we say ‘know’ – but how well do you really know the deserts of the world? It’s time to find out. Good luck…

1. What exactly classifies a region as a desert?

A ‘desolate landscape which is not home to people, but only to camels’

A ‘barren area where little precipitation occurs or vegetation can grow’

A ‘large region or area that is desolate, except for it is covered in sand’

A ‘place considered geographically uninteresting’

2. Where would you find the White Desert?

Egypt

USA

Jordan

Chile

3. Can you identify this desert from just one photo?

Kalahari, Africa

Great Victoria, Australia

Namib, Africa

Great Sandy, Australia

4. North America has four major deserts, including Mojave, Chihuahuan and Sonoran. Can you remember the fourth?

Zion

Sierra Nevada

Great Basin

Tongass

5. In which US state would you NOT find part of the Mojave Desert?

Texas

California

Arizona

Utah

6. The Gobi Desert spreads across two Asian countries. Which are they?

Russia and Mongolia

China and Bhutan

Mongolia and China

China and Myanmar (Burma)

7. In which African region would you find the Kalahari Desert?

Northern

Southern

Eastern

Western

8. Is Antarctica technically classed as a desert?

Yes

Are you kidding?

Honestly, no idea

9. Can you identify this desert from just one photo?

Rangipo, New Zealand

Madagascar

Atacama, Chile

Sonoran, USA

10. According to NASA, which desert is the driest in the world?

Namib

Sahara

Nyiri

Atacama

11. Can you identify this desert from just one photo?

Danakil, Ethiopia

Pinnacles, Australia

Badain Jaran, China

Karoo, South Africa

12. All of the world's deserts fit into one of four official climate types. Which of these is NOT one of those types?

Subtropical

Polar

Arid

Coastal

13. Which desert in the biggest (by area) in the world?

Atacama

Sahara

Antarctic

Arabian

14. Can you identify this South American desert from just one photo?

Patagonian, Argentina

Tatacoa, Colombia

Médanos de Coro, Venezuela

La Guajira, Colombia

15. There is a famous desert in Uzbekistan, beginning with the letter ‘K’. Can you remember its name?

Kyzylkum

Karakum

Kazakhum

Honestly, no idea

16. Can you guess how hot the Arabian Desert can get?

Closest to 45°C

Closest to 50°C

Closest to 55°C

Closest to 60°C

17. And finally, can you name this desert – often called ‘the only desert in mainland Europe'?

Białowieża, Belarus

Tabernas, Spain

Cappadocia, Turkey

Forêt, France