Deserts of Australia - wikipedia Deserts of Australia Deserts in Australia Deserts of Australia ( in red ), overlaid with internal boundaries and Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia ( IBRA ) biogeographic regions. Climate zones in Australia Rain days in Australia Named deserts of Australia cover 1,371,000 square kilometres ( 529,000 sq mi ), or 18 % of the Australian mainland. However, approximately 35 % of the Australian continent receives so little rain it is effectively desert. The deserts in Australia are primarily distributed throughout the western plateau and interior lowlands of the continent. By international standards, Australian deserts receive relatively high rates of rainfall. No weather station situated in an arid region records less than 100 mm of average annual rainfall. The deserts of Australia, particularly in the interior, lack any significant summer rains. Deserts are not necessarily completely devoid of vegetation, but have large areas where vegetation is very limited in height or extent. Contents 1 Deserts 1.1 Great Victoria Desert 1.2 Gibson Desert 2 Desert group 3 Climate issues 4 Ecological issues 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 8 Further reading Deserts Desert State / Territory Area ( km ) Area ( miles ) Area Rank % of Australia Great Victoria Desert Western Australia, South Australia 348,750 km 134,650 sq mi 4.5 % Great Sandy Desert Western Australia 267,250 km 103,190 sq mi 3.5 % Tanami Desert Western Australia, Northern Territory 184,500 km 71,200 sq mi 2.4 % Simpson Desert Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia 176,500 km 68,100 sq mi 2.3 % Gibson Desert Western Australia 156,000 km 60,000 sq mi 5 2.0 % Little Sandy Desert Western Australia 111,500 km 43,100 sq mi 6 1.5 % Strzelecki Desert South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales 80,250 km 30,980 sq mi 7 1.0 % Sturt Stony Desert South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales 29,750 km 11,490 sq mi 8 0.3 % Tirari Desert South Australia 15,250 km 5,890 sq mi 9 0.2 % Pedirka Desert South Australia 1,250 km 480 sq mi 10 0.016 % Great Victoria Desert Main article : Great Victoria Desert The Great Victoria Desert lies in Western Australia and South Australia. It is over 800 kilometres ( 500 mi ) wide and covers an area of 348,750 square kilometres ( 134,650 sq mi ). Gibson Desert Main article : Gibson Desert A Toyota Land Cruiser in the Gibson Desert The Gibson Desert lies in central Western Australia. The desert is about 156,000 square kilometres ( 60,000 sq mi ) in size. Most of the inhabitants of the area are Indigenous Australians. Desert group Western Desert -- a grouping of the Gibson Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, and the Little Sandy Desert. Climate issues Australia 's climate is mostly determined by the hot, sinking air of the subtropical high pressure belt. Dry conditions are associated with an El Niño -- Southern Oscillation in Australia. Vegetation in arid areas is primarily dependent upon soil type. Extensive areas are covered by longitudinal dunes. Forty percent of Australia is covered by dunes. Central Australia is very dry, averaging 150 mm of rainfall each year. Ecological issues Many introduced species have affected the fauna and flora of Australia 's desert regions. The Australian feral camel affects native vegetation. This is partly because Australian desert vegetation evolved without any major herbivores present. Uncontrolled access to more sensitive areas by four - wheel - drive vehicles is also an issue. See also Australia portal Irrigation in Australia References Jump up ^ Geosciences Australia -- Deserts ^ Jump up to : Aleshire, Peter ; Geoffrey H. Nash ( 2007 ). Deserts : The Extreme Earth. Infobase Publishing. p. 137. ISBN 1438106661. Retrieved 27 September 2015. Jump up ^ Mabbutt, J.A. ( 2012 ). `` Landforms of the Australian Desert ''. In El - Baz, F. Deserts and arid lands : Volume 1 of Remote Sensing of Earth Resources and Environment. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 78. ISBN 9400960808. Retrieved 27 September 2015. ^ Jump up to : Laity, Julie J. ( 2009 ). Deserts and Desert Environments. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 43, 45. ISBN 1444300741. Retrieved 8 November 2012. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Deserts of Australia. The Australian Landscape, A Cultural History - A four - part program exploring the way Europeans and Aboriginal people have engaged with the desert, through art, science and religion, from ABC Radio National Encarta ( Archived 2009 - 10 - 31 ) World Book World Wildlife Fund, eds. ( 2001 ). `` Simpson desert ''. WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010 - 03 - 08. CS1 maint : Uses editors parameter ( link ) Further reading Johnson, John & Catherine de Courcy. ( 1998 ) Desert Tracks Port Melbourne, Vic. Lothian Books. ISBN 0 - 85091 - 811 - 1 World deserts Desert Desertification List of deserts List of deserts by area Africa Algerian Bayuda Blue Chalbi Danakil Djurab Eastern Ferlo Farafra ( White ) Kalahari Libyan Moçâmedes Namib Nubian Nyiri Owami Richtersveld Sahara Tanezrouft Ténéré Western Asia Ad - Dahna Akshi Arabian Aral Karakum Aralkum Badain Jaran Betpak - Dala Cholistan Dasht - e Kavir Dasht - e Khash Dasht - e Leili Dasht - e Loot Dasht - e Margo Dasht - e Naomid Gurbantünggüt Gobi Hami Indus Valley Judaean Karakum Katpana Kharan Kumtag Kyzylkum Lop Maranjab Muyunkum Nefud Negev Polond Ordos Qaidam Ramlat al - Sab'atayn Rub ' al Khali Russian Arctic Registan Saryesik - Atyrau Syrian Taklamakan Tengger Thal Thar Ustyurt Plateau Wahiba Sands Australia Gibson Great Sandy Great Victoria Little Sandy Nullarbor Plain Painted Pedirka Simpson Strzelecki Sturt 's Stony Tanami Tirari Europe Accona Bardenas Reales Błędów Cabo de Gata Deliblatska Peščara Hálendi Monegros Oleshky Oltenian Sahara Ryn Stranja Tabernas North America Alvord Amargosa Baja California Black Rock Carcross Carson Channeled scablands Chihuahuan Colorado Escalante Forty Mile Gran Desierto de Altar Great Basin Great Salt Lake Great Sandy Jornada del Muerto Kaʻū Lechuguilla Mojave North American Arctic Owyhee Painted Desert Red Desert Sevier Smoke Creek Sonoran Tonopah Desert Tule ( Arizona ) Tule ( Nevada ) Yp Yuha Yuma South America Atacama La Guajira Los Médanos de Coro Monte Patagonian Sechura Tatacoa Oceania Rangipo Desert Central Desert Gibson Desert Great Sandy Desert Great Victoria Desert Little Sandy Desert Simpson Desert Strzelecki Desert Tanami Desert Polar Regions Antarctica Arctic Greenland North American Arctic Russian Arctic Project Category Commons Australia articles History Timeline Bibliography Prehistory Archaeology European Exploration Territorial evolution 1788 -- 1850 1851 -- 1900 1901 -- 1945 Since 1945 By topic Constitutional Diplomatic Economic Federation Immigration Indigenous Military Monarchy Railway Geography Climate Continent Deserts Environment issues Earthquakes Flora Fauna Forests Geology Islands Mountains Regions Protected areas Rivers Subdivisions States and territories Capitals Cities Politics Constitution Courts Elections Donations Electoral system Parties Federal budget Foreign relations Government Governor - General Human rights Intersex LGBT Transgender Intelligence and security Law Constitution Judiciary Enforcement Military Monarchy National debt Parliament Public Service Women Government leaders Government ministers Economy Agriculture Dollar ( currency ) Energy Gross state product Home ownership Public housing Household income Manufacturing Media Mining Poverty Reserve Bank Stock Exchange Superannuation Taxation Telecommunications Tourism Transportation Welfare system Society Crime Demographics Education Ethnic groups Health care Homelessness Immigration Languages Religion Women Culture Architecture Art Arts Australian English Cinema Cuisine Dance Literature Music Public holidays Radio Sport Symbols Television Theatre Outline Index Book Category Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Deserts_of_Australia&oldid=852710551 '' Categories : Deserts of Australia Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Uses editors parameter Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Català Deutsch Español Esperanto Français Galego Bahasa Indonesia ქართული Lietuvių Bahasa Melayu 日本 語 Norsk Română Русский Suomi 6 more Edit links This page was last edited on 30 July 2018, at 21 : 15 ( UTC ). 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Question: how much of australia's land mass is classified as desert
Answer: 1,371,000 square kilometres (529,000 sq mi)