The Great Victoria Desert is the largest desert in Australia, spanning over 700 kilometers across Western Australia and South Australia. It is characterized by numerous small sand hills, grassland plains, and salt lakes. Unlike many of the world's famous sandy deserts, the Great Victoria is surprisingly well-vegetated, dominated by spinifex grass and marble gum trees. It was named by the British explorer Ernest Giles in 1875 after Queen Victoria. The desert is a protected area and is home to many unique Australian animals, such as the sandgoanna, the dingo, and the crest-tailed mulgara. Interestingly, during the 1950s, the remote Emu Field within the desert was used by the British government for atmospheric nuclear weapons testing. Today, much of the desert is managed by Indigenous communities, and it remains one of the most pristine and undisturbed arid regions on the planet.