What is the largest desert in the world and what continent is it on?

If we think of the desert, probably the first image that comes to mind is that of a huge expanse of sand, perhaps with dunes, and a sun that hits as hard as it can. Correct image, certainly, but also incomplete. In fact, there are not only sand deserts, something that we can fully understand if we consider what is considered the largest desert in the world. An answer that will undoubtedly surprise you. Do you know which is the largest desert in the world? The answer will surprise you. Although we may think that for example the Sahara is the largest desert in the world, the truth is that the definition of desert is that of a «large expanse of arid, barren and uninhabited land, characterized by annual precipitation less than 200 mm ”, a geographic location that may also have several aspects (eg sandy, rocky, dune-like, gravelly). As will be understood, therefore, the Arctic and Antarctic lands also fall into this classification Antarctica, the largest desert in the world At approximately 14 million square kilometers, Antarctica is not only the coldest place on Earth, but also the largest desert in the world. In fact, the annual rainfall is only 200 millimeters along the coast; inside, then, it rains much, much less. Obviously it is a polar type desert, let’s not forget that Antarctica is the fourth largest continent (first Asia, then Africa and then America) and almost the entire territory (98%) is covered with ice. In fact, it is the coldest and most inhospitable continent on the planet. Besides being, as mentioned, the largest desert in the world.The other largest deserts in the world The Arctic Circle would be the second largest desert and it is also completely frozen. It is the Arctic, whose extension is made up of parts of Europe, Asia, America and the Arctic Ocean ice pack, it is also evidently a polar desert. If Antarctica means “Facing the Arctic”, what does “Arctic” mean? It comes from the Greek and means: “Near the bear”, or also “North”. The reference is to the constellation Ursa Major, but also Ursa Minor, with the North Star that is firmly fixed to the geographic north, then there is also the aforementioned Sahara desert in Morocco, which with its nine million square kilometers It is the third largest desert, but the first largest hot desert on our planet. “Sahara” is a term that derives from Arabic and means “desert”, which later became a proper name: therefore, logically, “Sahara desert” would be a repetition, which would mean “desert of the desert”. It rains little in the Sahara, but in 1979 and again in 2012 it also snowed. Little, but it snowed! Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan are the countries covered by this desert. What is now the largest hot desert in the world was inhabited: about thirty thousand years ago the mountains of the Sahara they were exuberant and rich in fauna and the inhabitants were dedicated to raising cattle and hunting. The testimonies of these populations remain in the cave paintings and engravings that can still be seen today.