The four types of deserts are coastal, subtropical, polar and cold winter or semi-arid. Deserts cover more than 20 percent of the Earth’s surface. A desert is defined as an extreme environment that receives between 1 and 15 inches of precipitation annually.Continue Reading
The most common deserts are subtropical deserts that are hot and dry. These deserts are located in North America, Asia, South America, Australia and Africa.
Polar deserts are located in the Antarctic and Arctic regions. These have no permanent human residents and receive very little precipitation.
Cold winter deserts are commonly known as semi-arid deserts. They have dry summers and cold winters with little snow or rainfall.
Coastal deserts are found on the western coasts of different continents between 20° to 30° latitude. These deserts have long, warm summers and cool winters.Learn more about Earth Science