World Deserts Puzzle: Geography Educational Game
World Deserts Puzzle is a small knowledge-level game designed to test your ability to place the planet's vast dry biomes on the world map. This fun geography exercise is perfect for studying the names, sizes, and locations of the 20 largest subtropical and cold winter deserts. It's an excellent free educational tool for online lessons, interactive science classes, and exciting homework assignments. Can you beat the clock in this "Minute to win it" challenge?
How to play World Deserts Puzzle
Every puzzle piece represents one of the 20 largest deserts in the world. They are generated at the top of the screen. Drag and drop the deserts onto their correct locations on the world map at the bottom of the screen. Note that the smaller the number on the puzzle piece, the larger the actual desert is!
Knowledge Achievements:
Memorise the locations of at least 5 major deserts to earn +1 Knowledge Level on Planeta 42.
Difficulty: Easy.
Did you know?
• Barren Landscapes: A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the severe processes of denudation.
• Polar Deserts: About one-third of the land surface of the world is arid or semi-arid. Surprisingly, this includes much of the polar regions, where very little precipitation occurs, leading them to be classified as "cold deserts."
• Weathering and Floods: Deserts are shaped by intense weathering processes. Large variations in temperature between day and night put incredible strains on rocks, causing them to fracture. Even though rain is rare, when it does occur, it comes in sudden downpours that can cause massive flash floods.
The 20 Largest Deserts by Area
Deserts are classified by precipitation, prevailing temperature, causes of desertification, or geographical location. Here are the 10 largest featured in the game:
1. Sahara Desert
Subtropical • 9.2M km²
Northern Africa
2. Australian Desert
Subtropical • 2.7M km²
Australasia
3. Arabian Desert
Subtropical • 2.33M km²
Western Asia
4. Gobi Desert
Cold winter • 1.29M km²
Eastern Asia
5. Kalahari Desert
Subtropical • 900K km²
Southern Africa
6. Patagonian Desert
Cold winter • 259K km²
South America
7. Syrian Desert
Subtropical • 500K km²
Western Asia
8. Great Basin
Cold winter • 492K km²
Northern America
9. Chihuahuan Desert
Subtropical • 453K km²
North America
10. Karakum Desert
Cold winter • 350K km²
Central Asia
...And the remaining top 20:
11. Sonoran Desert (Northern America), 12. Kyzylkum Desert (Central Asia), 13. Taklamakan Desert (Eastern Asia), 14. Ogaden Desert (Eastern Africa), 15. Thar Desert (Southern Asia), 16. Namib Desert (Southern Africa), 17. Dasht-e Margo (Southern Asia), 18. Atacama Desert (South America), 19. Mojave Desert (Northern America), and 20. Chalbi Desert (Eastern Africa).
