Geography

101 Desert Trivia Questions To Burn Through

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

You can do better

Not bad

Great!

Playing trivia is not only a fantastic way for our family to bond but also a tremendous opportunity for personal growth. Trivia challenges help us learn countless fascinating facts!

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