What is the name of Asia's second largest desert, located across China and Mongolia?

The Gobi Desert is known as Asia's second largest desert, spanning northern China and southern Mongolia. It covers an area of approximately 1.3 million square kilometers (500,000 square miles) and is characterized by its harsh climate, which includes cold winters and hot summers, along with a variety of landscapes such as sand dunes, mountains, and steppes.

The Gobi is significant not only for its size but also for its role in historical trade routes, such as the Silk Road, which connected the East and West. Its ecosystem supports unique flora and fauna, adapted to the arid conditions, making it an area of interest for both scientists and explorers.

In contrast, the Taklamakan Desert, while also large, is primarily located in western China and is considered the largest desert in the region, thus not fitting the criteria for the second largest. The Karakum Desert lies in Turkmenistan and is separate from the greater context of Asia's deserts. The Aral Sea Desert is a less commonly referred term and does not accurately represent a specific desert region, as it refers to the drastically shrinking Aral Sea area which has led to desertification but is not classified as a traditional desert.