The Sahara is not the world’s largest desert. Antarctica is the world’s largest desert. Deserts are not defined by hot temperatures and sand dunes. Instead, deserts are characterized by very low rainfall and snow. These low rainfall levels lead to very low water levels in the ground. As a result, deserts are characterized by very low animal and animal populations. While Antarctica has a lot of ice in the form of ice, its cold temperatures keep the ice from turning into liquid in summer and summer. Cold temperatures also freeze water vapor in the air. The result is that Antarctica is not just a desert, it is the driest continent on earth. Because the defining feature of the desert is dryness and not heat, there are cold deserts, warm deserts, and tropical deserts. These droughts can be caused by the effects of rain shadow as mountains prevent moisture-carrying clouds from reaching the desert region. Drought droughts can also be caused by the region being too far away from any source of moisture. Finally, the low humidity that separates the desert area can be caused by cold temperatures closing the moisture into a solid form. The dangers that people associate most with tropical deserts; such as sunburn, cracked lips, thirst, and bare plains; they are the dangers facing Antarctic tourists.