Published on: 2026-10-03
Unusual Geography and Earth Science
Which of these landmasses is technically classified as a desert, even though it is covered in massive amounts of ice and snow?
Correct
A desert is defined by how little precipitation it receives rather than how hot it is. Greenland qualifies as a polar desert because it gets very little rain or snow throughout the year. The Gobi Desert is a cold desert, but it lacks the massive ice sheets of Greenland. The Sahara is the poster child for hot, sandy deserts, so it is definitely not covered in ice. The Arabian Desert is another classic hot, arid landscape that stays far too warm to be an icy wasteland.