Which desert is the largest cold desert on Earth?

Antarctica is the largest cold desert on Earth, even though much of it is covered by ice rather than sand. It qualifies as a desert because it receives very little precipitation, often less than 200 millimeters of water equivalent per year in many places. Its size is about 14 million square kilometers, making it larger than any other desert type. The continent’s cold temperatures mean water is locked up as ice for most of the year. The Antarctic Dry Valleys are among the driest places on Earth.