Discover the world’s largest deserts across 10 countries—from Algeria’s vast Sahara to Mongolia’s Gobi—where endless sandscapes tell timeless stories.

URUMQI — Nestled deep in the heart of the Taklimakan Desert, often referred to as the "place you can enter but can't exit" in the Uygur language, lies an extraordinary botanical garden.

First, the large size of the desert poses the greatest challenge. It covers about 76 percent of the desert area in Xinjiang and about 49 percent of the national desert area.

Camels are pictured at the "desert gate" scenic area in Alaer, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 12, 2025. The "desert gate" scenic area, covering an area of 14 hectares ...

Travelers along Interstate 40 are being made aware of the temporary closure of the John Wilkie Safety Roadside Rest Area in the Mojave Desert.

China reduced its total area of rocky desert by 1.93 million hectares between 2011 and 2016, according to data released Thursday by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.