You may think you know the desert because you’re familiar with the definition: arid land with next to no vegetation, typically warm and with little rainfall—but what do you really know about the desert? People may think of deserts as empty vacuums full of heat, but you know that nothing could be farther from the truth. Deserts support fascinating, robust ecosystems of plants, mammals, reptiles, birds, and insects.
Despite their sometimes cruel conditions, people have found home and respite in desert climates. Nomadic Bedouins in the Negev and the artist communes in Taos, New Mexico know the same thing you do: deserts are endlessly fascinating.
Whether you have a soft spot for sandy deserts like the Sahara in Northern Africa, or like exploring the Mojave closer to home, these desert trivia questions and answers will scratch your itch for the wild west.
Still itching for a geography adventure? Try out our other quizzes like Explorers, Landmarks & Monuments, and Rainforest trivia. Who said you can’t travel from your chair?
What is the world´s largest subtropical desert?
Kalahari
Patagonian
Sahara
Gobi
The Atlas mountains can be found in which desert?
Simpson
Sahara
Patagonian
Gobi
What feature defines a desert?
Location
Size
Lack of rain
Temperature
In the desert, a haboob is a what?
Oasis
Mountain range
Dust storm
Sand dune
The city of Riyadh is in which desert?
Sahara
Arabian
Gobi
Atacama
How many deserts are there in Brazil?
1
5
9
7
Which continent is the Mohave desert in?
Europe
Asia
North America
Australia
The Hispid Cotton Rat lives in the deserts in which continent?
South America
North America
Australia
Asia
Which novel by Michael Ondaatje features a desert?
The French Patient
The English Patient
The German Patient
The Spanish Patient
The Shepherd’s tree can be found in which desert?
Kalahari
Mojave
Gibson
Great Sandy desert
What War was fought in the Arabian desert in the 1990s?
Arabian War
Saudi War
Gulf War
Desert War
Kuwait can be found in which desert?
Arabian
Gobi
Kalahari
Sahara
What cactus can be found in the Sonoran desert?
Tank
Spade
Bucket
Barrel
How many million years old approximately is the Namib desert?
55
10
20
35
Approximately how many species of plants grow in the Sahara?
1200
2000
200
800
What do camels store in their humps?
Fat
Water
Their young
Eggs
The Patagonian desert is in which continent?
South America
India
Asia
North America
Which country in the Sahara has the largest sand dune?
Tunisia
Egypt
Lybya
Sudan
The Patagonian desert ins in which country?
Brazil
Argentina
Chile
Peru
The desert town of Alice Springs is in which country?
USA
Egypt
Mexico
Australia
The Ghost Town Bodie is in which desert?
Sonora
Mojave
Gibson
The Great Sandy
The Atacama is what sort of desert?
Both
Cold
Hot
Neither
When were camels introduced to the Sahara?
200AD
1066
1901
1600
The Falkland Current affects which desert?
Gobi
Sahara
Mojave
Patagonian
The Great Basin is what type of desert?
Hot and Dry
Arid
Cold
Semiarid
What percentage of the Great Basin Desert is made of sand?
1
10
5
20
The Kavir desert is in which continent?
South America
Australia
Africa
Asia
The Campaign Desert Storm was fought in which Desert?
Mojave
Arabian
Gobi
Sahara
A dust devil is a what?
Lizard
Sand storm
Snake
Scorpion
Which sea separates the Sahara from the Arabian deserts?
Red
Mediterranean Sea
Baltic
black clothing
The Chinkara lives in which desert?
Gobi
Atacama
Thar
Gibson
Approximately what is the maximom temperature of the Patagonian desert in degrees?
2
22
32
12
The city of Windhoek is located in which desert?
Gibson
Namib
Kalahari
Simpson
Which is the only desert made entirely of water?
Antarctica
Patagonian
Sahara
Arabian
In a desert an erg is a what?
Bird
Camel
Expanse of sand
Oasis
T E Lawrence is better known as what?
Lawrence of the Sudan
Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of India
Lawrence of the Sahara
The Gibson desert is in which Australian state?
Northern Territories
Western Australia
New South Wales
Queensland
The Spiny Mouse is a desert creature from which continent?
South America
Australia
North America
Africa
The word ‘desertification’ describes what?
Writing about deserts
Building deserts
Expanding deserts
Someone who studies deserts
What plants are mostly found in the Sahara?
Pine
All of the above
Cactus
Oak
The Sahara is in which part of Africa?
East
South America
West
North
What best locates the Sahara desert?
None of these
Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Capricorn
Equator
The Gobi desert is doing what?
Staying the same size
Shrinking
Expanding
We don’t actually know
NASA used the Atacam to do what ?
To test a lunar rover design.
For emergency shuttle landings.
A rocket target area.
To test weather instruments
What is the best way to drink your urine for a water source?
Filter it.
Boil it
Purify it in a solar still
Drink it straight.
Yardangs refer to desert what?
Cities
Cacti
Sculpted landforms
Towns
The novel Dune is set where?
Arabian desert
On another planet
Sahara
Atacama desert
The Addax lives in the desert, what is it?
Bird
Antelope
Lizard
Snake
In a desert water is usually found where?
Underground
In lakes
There is none
In the clouds
How many native plant species can be found in the Sonoran desert?
1000
1500
500
2000
What is the main source of income for people living in the Thar desert?
Fishing
Agriculture
Commerce
Manufacturing
What plant is the symbol for the desert?
Cactus
Ivy
Daffodil
Rose
The Silk Road is in which desert?
Simpson
Mojave
Sonora
Gobi
Edwards Airforce Base is in which desert?
Mojave
Great Basin
Sonora
Gibson
Which metal can be found in the Great Sandy Desert?
Gold
Iron
Copper
Zinc
The secretary bird is native to which desert?
Sahara
Patagonian
Kalahari
Sonoran
The Fennec lives in which desert?
Sahara
Gibson
Great Sandy
Sonora
The Death Valley Mine is in which desert?
Gibson
The Great Sandy
Mojave
Sonoran
The town of Tshane can be found in which desert?
Gobi
Arabian
Kalahari
Sahara
What desert occupies much of Botswana?
Arabian
Kalahari
Sahara
Namib
Iraq extends into which desert?
Gobi
Thar
Arabian
Sahara
Approximately what percentage of Turkmenistand does the Karakum desert occupy?
60
80
70
50
Which desert beetle is considered sacred in Egypt?
Tarab
Harab
Scarab
Farab
The Simpson desert is also known as what desert?
Red
Blue
Yellow
Green
How high can a sandstorm reach?
half a mile
1 mile
1.5 miles
2 miles
Which minimalist composer wrote The Desert Music?
John Adams
Steve Reich
Peter Heath
Philip Glass
Who was the first explorer to have crossed the Great Sandy desert?
Peter Warburton
Alex Warburton
Stanley Warburton
Charles Warburton
A dromedary (in a desert) is a what?
Camel
Bird
Snake
Lizard
Which wind is often thought to be responsible for the formation of the world’s deserts?
Pacific winds
Trade winds
Gulf winds
Atlantic winds
In the desert a mirage is a what?
Mountain range
Reflection of the sky on the sand
Sea
Lake
How much of the world is covered with deserts?
two fifths
three fifths
one fifth
4 fifths
In what country is the Chihuahuan desert located?
Chile
Peru
Mexico
Argentina
The Gobi desert is in which country?
Russia
China
India
Australia
Which river runs through the Sahara Desert?
Nile
Congo
Zambeze
Niger
Bactrian camels have how many humps?
2
1
3
4
The Libyan desert is part of which larger desert?
Kalahari
Sahara
Arabian
Namib
Parts of Texas lie in which desert?
Sonora
The Chihuahuan Desert
The Great Basin
Mojave
What language is mostly spoken around the Sahara?
French
English
Hindi
Arabic
Which is the world’s largest, coldest desert?
Black Rock
Antarctica
Simpson
Gobi
What is mined in the Thar desert?
Gold
Coal
Silver
Diamonds
The cactus is native to which continent?
Australia
Europe
North America
Asia
Dromedary camels have how many humps?
3
2
4
1
The smartest time of day to travel in the desert is
Throughout the day so you can see
Never travel; always stay in one place and wait for help
Morning and evening
Throughout the night when it is coolest
The Chihuahuan desert is in which continent?
South America
Australia
North America
Asia
Which desert has some elephants?
Gobi
Simpson
Sonoran
Namib
The Kogara people live in which desert?
Sonora
MoJave
Gobi
Great Victoria Desert
What is the dominant language of the Arabian desert?
English
Arabic
Spanish
French
The great Indian bustard can be found in which desert?
Thar
The Great Sandy
Sahara
Gibson
The prickly Pear is a form of what?
Fruit
Bird
Cactus
Desert rat
The Joshua Tree can be found in which desert?
Sonoran
Patagonian
Simpson
Mojave
What mountain range borders the Atacama?
Alps
Himalayas
Andes
Atlas
The Sahara desert is what?
hot
cold
depends on the season
Both hot and cold
The Arabian is what sort of desert?
Neither
Hot
Both
Cold
How many countries does the Sahara span?
15
10
6
12
Libya can be found in which desert?
Gobi
Sahara
Mojave
Sonoran
The city of Khara-hot is in which desert?
Mojave
Atacama
Gobi
Patagonian
The Great Victorian desert is in which continent?
North America
Asia
South America
Australia
The Death Stalker is a desert what?
Snake
Bird
Lizard
Scorpion
How many deserts are there in the USA?
4
15
10
20
Over how many days is the Marathon des Sables run?
6
8
7
3
Parts of Iraq lie in which desert?
Gobi
Syrian
Sahara
Namib
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