Deserts and Desertification Risk
WorldPhysical EnvironmentDeserts and areas of the world at risk for desertification because of factors such as climate shift, drought, overgrazing, and land degradation. The various classifications were determined by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
USDAA map illustrates deserts and desertification risks globally, using color coding to indicate different levels of risk: moderate (blue), high (dark blue), very high (pink), and desert-dry regions (orange).
Desert - Dry Regions (Orange): North America: Southwest U.S., including parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas. South America: Coastal deserts in Peru and northern Chile. Africa: The Sahara Desert stretching across northern Africa, the Namib Desert along the southwestern coast, and parts of southern Africa. Asia: Arabian Peninsula, central Iran, and vast areas in Central Asia, including the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China. Australia: Large parts of central and western Australia. Very High Risk (Pink): North America: Parts of the western U.S., including regions in California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Africa: Bordering the Sahara Desert in countries like Algeria, Libya, and Egypt; and parts of southern Africa. Asia: Areas in central Asia, particularly in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and parts of northern China. Australia: Northern and eastern regions, adjacent to the central desert areas. High Risk (dark blue): North America: Some areas in the western U.S. South America: Areas adjacent to coastal deserts in Peru and northern Chile. Africa: Areas south of the Sahara Desert, including parts of Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan; and regions in southern Africa. Asia: Regions surrounding the very high-risk areas in central Asia and northern China. Australia: Areas surrounding the very high-risk zones. Moderate Risk (Blue): North America: Broader areas in the western U.S., including parts of the Midwest. South America: Regions in Argentina and adjacent to high-risk areas in Peru and Chile. Africa: Broader regions in the Sahel zone south of the Sahara, including Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria; and areas in eastern and southern Africa. Asia: Parts of the Arabian Peninsula, central and northern Iran, central Asia, and northern China. Australia: Surrounding the high-risk and very high-risk zones, indicating a gradual transition in desertification risk.
Moderate | High | Very High | Desert - Dry Regions | Bilibino nuclear power plant | China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR) nuclear power plant | Akademik Lomonosov nuclear power plant | Balakovo nuclear power plant | Kalinin nuclear power plant | Khmelnitski nuclear power plant | Kursk nuclear power plant | Leningrad nuclear power plant | Rostov nuclear power plant | Smolensk nuclear power plant | South Ukraine nuclear power plant | Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant | Virgil C Summer nuclear power plant | Tihange nuclear power plant | Hanul nuclear power plant | River Bend nuclear power plant | Ascó nuclear power plant | Kozloduy nuclear power plant | Almaraz nuclear power plant | St. Lucie nuclear power plant | Shin-Kori nuclear power plant | Shin-Wolsong nuclear power plant | Goesgen nuclear power plant | Trillo nuclear power plant | Temelin nuclear power plant | Vandellos nuclear power plant | Fangjiashan nuclear power plant | Ningde nuclear power plant | Clinton nuclear power plant | Cofrentes nuclear power plant | Donald C Cook nuclear power plant | Catawba nuclear power plant | Columbia nuclear power plant | Astravets nuclear power plant | Limerick nuclear power plant | Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant | Sequoyah nuclear power plant | LaSalle nuclear power plant | Byron nuclear power plant | Watts Bar nuclear power plant | McGuire nuclear power plant | Alvin W Vogtle nuclear power plant | Braidwood nuclear power plant | Comanche Peak nuclear power plant | Haiyang nuclear power plant | Nanyang nuclear power plant | Sizewell nuclear power plant | Waterford nuclear power plant | Browns Ferry nuclear power plant | Callaway nuclear power plant | Leibstadt nuclear power plant | Wolf Creek nuclear power plant | Seabrook nuclear power plant | Susquehanna nuclear power plant | South Texas nuclear power plant | Cattenom nuclear power plant | Belleville nuclear power plant | Golfech nuclear power plant | Nogent nuclear power plant | Hamaoka nuclear power plant | St. Alban nuclear power plant | Paluel nuclear power plant | Penly nuclear power plant | Barakah nuclear power plant | Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant | Shin-Hanul nuclear power plant | Emsland nuclear power plant | Peach Bottom nuclear power plant | Palo Verde nuclear power plant | Isar nuclear power plant | Saeul nuclear power plant | Grand Gulf nuclear power plant | Chooz nuclear power plant | Civaux nuclear power plant | Rajasthan nuclear power plant | Kaiga nuclear power plant | Kakrapar nuclear power plant | Madras nuclear power plant | Narora nuclear power plant | Chashma nuclear power plant | Qinshan nuclear power plant | Atucha nuclear power plant | Beznau nuclear power plant | Rivne nuclear power plant | Novovoronezh nuclear power plant | Kola nuclear power plant | Armenian nuclear power plant | Doel nuclear power plant | Bohunice nuclear power plant | Dukovany nuclear power plant | Mochovce nuclear power plant | Paks nuclear power plant | Prairie Island nuclear power plant | Wolsong nuclear power plant | Beloyarsk nuclear power plant | Robert Emmett Ginna nuclear power plant | Angra nuclear power plant | Point Beach nuclear power plant | Nine Mile Point nuclear power plant | Changjiang nuclear power plant | Hartlepool nuclear power plant | Embalse nuclear power plant | Kori nuclear power plant | Torness nuclear power plant | Monticello nuclear power plant | Cernavodă nuclear power plant | Krško nuclear power plant | H. B. Robinson nuclear power plant | Cooper nuclear power plant | Turkey Point power station | Bruce nuclear power plant | James A Fitzpatrick nuclear power plant | Surry nuclear power plant | Oconee nuclear power plant | Arkansas Nuclear One nuclear power plant | Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant | Edwin I Hatch nuclear power plant | Bugey nuclear power plant | Joseph M Farley nuclear power plant | Millstone nuclear power plant | Davis Besse nuclear power plant | Dresden nuclear power plant | Dampierre nuclear power plant | Quad Cities nuclear power plant | Gravelines nuclear power plant | Maanshan nuclear power plant | Chinon nuclear power plant | Tricastin nuclear power plant | Cruas nuclear power plant | Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant | Beaver Valley nuclear power plant | Brunswick nuclear power plant | Koeberg nuclear power plant | Shearon Harris nuclear power plant | Daya Bay nuclear power plant | Kuosheng nuclear power plant | North Anna nuclear power plant | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1.86% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4.58% | 2.91% | 9.51% | 4.95% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2.52% | 7.35% | 30.8% | 59.1% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1.22% | 5.24% | 92.9% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19.0% | 2.57% | 2.44% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2.31% | 30.5% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5.18% | 5.94% | 1.92% | 1.05% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16.5% | 11.9% | 10.8% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11.3% | 5.72% | 4.10% | 12.2% | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5.96% | 1.46% | 11.7% | 9.60% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19.6% | 5.24% | 9.49% | 20.7% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8.30% | 16.0% | 15.2% | 72.0% | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21.4% | 16.2% | 6.96% | 47.0% | 1 |