Final answer:
The second largest desert city in the world is found in the Kalahari Desert in southwest Africa. Cities like Taghit in Algeria, situated in the Sahara, are examples of desert oases that support urban life. The Empty Quarter, while being the largest sand desert, is primarily known for its oil reserves.
Step-by-step explanation:
The second largest desert city in the world is located in the Kalahari Desert, which is situated in southwest Africa. The Kalahari is the second largest of Africa's deserts, known for its vast and arid landscapes. One of the notable desert cities in the region is Taghit, a Saharan oasis city in Algeria, surrounded by sand dunes and leveraging underground water sources to sustain its population. The Sahara Desert itself, much larger than the Kalahari, contains many oases where the majority of desert dwellers reside. In contrast, the Rub' al Khali, or the Empty Quarter, is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world and is found in Southern Southwest Asia, notable for being rich in oil rather than known for urban development. While this question specifically asks about the second largest desert city, which refers to a city in the Kalahari, it is important to consider other vast desert regions such as the Sahara, Rub' al Khali, Gobi, Taklimakan, and the Kara Kum in Turkmenistan, which also have sparse populations due to their harsh environmental conditions.