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 | Value | Aden Protectorate, United Kingdom | Afghanistan | Albania | Algeria, France | Anglo Egyptian Sudan, United Kingdom | Angola, Portugal | Antarctica | Argentina | Austria | Bahamas, United Kingdom | Basutoland, United Kingdom | Bechuanaland, United Kingdom | Belgian Congo, Belgium | Belgium | Bhutan | Bolivia | Brazil | British Guiana, United Kingdom | British Honduras, United Kingdom | Brunei, United Kingdom | Bulgaria | Burma | Cameroons, United Kingdom | Cameroun, France | Canada | Ceylon | Chile | China | Colombia | Costa Rica | Cuba | Cyprus, United Kingdom | Czechoslovakia | Denmark | Dominican Republic | Dominion of Pakistan | East Bengal, Dominion of Pakistan | East Germany | Ecuador | Egypt | El Salvador | Eritrea, United Kingdom | Ethiopia | Falkland Islands, United Kingdom | Federation of Malaya, Malaysia | Fiji, United Kingdom | Finland | France | French Equatorial Africa, France | French Guiana, France | French Indochina, France | French Somaliland, Franch | French West Africa, France | Gambia, United Kingdom | Gaza, All-Palestine Government | Gold Coast, United Kingdom | Greece | Greenland, Denmark | Guatemala | Haiti | Honduras | Hungary | Iceland | India | Indonesia | Iran | Iraq | Ireland | Israel | Italian Somaliland, Italy | Italy | Jamaica, United Kingdom | Japan | Jordan | Kenya, United Kingdom | Kergeulen Islands, France | Kuwait, United Kingdom | Lebanon | Liberia | Libya, France | Libya, United Kingdom | Luxembourg | Madagascar, France | Martinique, France | Mauritius, United Kingdom | Mexico | Mongolia | Morocco, France | Mozambique, Portugal | Nepal | Netherlands New Guinea, Netherlands | Netherlands | New Caledonia, France | New Hebrides, France and United Kingdom | New Zealand | Nicaragua | Nigeria, United Kingdom | North Borneo, United Kingdom | North Korea | Northern Rhodesia, United Kingdom | Norway | Nyasaland, United Kingdom | Panama | Papua and New Guinea, Australia | Paraguay | Peru | Philippines | Poland | Portugal | Portuguese Guinea, Portugal | Portuguese Timor, Portugal | Puerto Rico, United States | Qatar, United Kingdom | Réunion, France | Romania | Ruanda-Urundi, Belgium | Samoa, New Zealand | Sarawak, United Kingdom | Saudi Arabia | Sierra Leone, United Kingdom | Solomon Islands, United Kingdom | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, United Kingdom | South Korea | South West Africa, Union of South Africa | Southern Rhodesia, United Kingdom | Spain | Spanish Guinea, Spain | Spanish Morocco, Spain | Spanish Sahara, Spain | Sultanate of Muscat and Oman | Surinam (Dutch Guiana), Netherlands | Svalbard, Norway | Swaziland, United Kingdom | Sweden | Switzerland | Syria | Taiwan, China | Tanganyika, United Kingdom | Thailand | Togo, France | Togo, United Kingdom | Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom | Trucial Oman, United Kingdom | Tunisia, France | Turkey | Uganda, United Kingdom | Union of South Africa | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) | United Kingdom | United States | Uruguay | Venezuela | West Germany | Yemen | Yugoslavia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.86% | 86.8% | 96.8% | 96.1% | 44.6% | 62.6% | 79.6% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4.58% | 2.91% | 9.51% | 4.95% | 40.7% | 96.3% | 63.9% | 93.9% | 92.1% | 74.7% | 81.9% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2.52% | 7.35% | 30.8% | 59.1% | 99.4% | 99.8% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2.31% | 30.5% | 99.3% | 94.7% | 99.7% | 99.0% | 57.6% | 39.5% | 97.1% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5.18% | 5.94% | 1.92% | 1.05% | 99.4% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16.5% | 11.9% | 10.8% | 66.1% | 98.4% | 44.1% | 98.8% | 96.3% | 97.9% | 88.9% | 31.0% | 98.6% | 79.1% | 9.35% | 71.8% | 97.8% | 97.1% | 95.5% | 85.4% | 86.6% | 94.1% | 66.5% | 80.5% | 94.9% | 99.1% | 83.9% | 27.1% | 98.6% | 94.7% | 99.5% | 94.7% | 61.2% | 97.9% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11.3% | 5.72% | 4.10% | 12.2% | 99.6% | 99.7% | 99.7% | 99.0% | 96.8% | 95.8% | 99.6% | 97.6% | 97.7% | 96.5% | 98.4% | 83.8% | 83.4% | 98.7% | 97.1% | 99.5% | 99.6% | 99.0% | 99.5% | 99.1% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1.22% | 5.24% | 92.9% | 89.0% | 83.4% | 99.9% | 99.1% | 59.3% | 82.7% | 85.5% | 43.3% | 92.1% | 85.9% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5.96% | 1.46% | 11.7% | 9.60% | 98.5% | 99.4% | 99.2% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19.6% | 5.24% | 9.49% | 20.7% | 99.1% | 98.2% | 91.2% | 95.0% | 76.4% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19.0% | 2.57% | 2.44% | 83.2% | 98.3% | 39.5% | 99.2% | 74.5% | 21.3% | 21.9% | 92.0% | 94.9% | 36.6% | 98.5% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8.30% | 16.0% | 15.2% | 72.0% | 65.5% | 99.2% | 1.73% | 98.0% | 3.14% | 99.6% | 98.6% | 58.7% | 94.7% | 93.1% | 94.4% | 33.4% | 66.3% | 62.0% | 95.5% | 69.8% | 3.35% | 42.6% | 93.8% | 94.2% | 4.67% | 98.8% | 99.1% | 21.8% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21.4% | 16.2% | 6.96% | 47.0% | 99.8% | 99.8% | 98.8% | 99.6% | 99.8% | 6.32% | 90.3% | 98.1% | 97.9% | 95.6% | 96.5% | 98.4% | 95.5% | 84.6% | 99.0% | 99.7% | 98.9% | 3.27% | 4.58% | 99.5% | 87.0% | 94.9% | 99.5% | 98.5% | 95.5% | 98.7% | 97.4% | 99.8% | 99.7% | 96.5% | 96.1% | 99.5% | 98.5% | 14.7% | 99.2% | 96.0% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||