Possible Clues:

• Has backing from leaders to address radioactive assembly during the day- it's not a cool place to be in
• Mali, mostly
• Relient K song about a certain desert?
• Region whose name means "desert"
• Nightwish song about a desert?
• Desert that means 'desert' in Arabic
• Setting of 'Beau Geste'
• Largest subtropical desert
• Has backing to answer artist from sandy hotspot
• 'The ostrich roams the great ___. / Its mouth is wide, its neck is narra': Ogden Nash