Summary notes
Characteristics of Deserts:
- It is a region characterized by extremely high or low temperature
- Someplace is as hot as fire
- Someplace as cold as ice
- Having very low rainfall and scant vegetation
Types of Deserts:
On the basis of temperature, there are two types of deserts:
- Hot desert
- The Sahara Desert in Africa
- Cold desert
- The Ladakh desert
The Sahara Desert
History of Sahara Desert:
It was once to have lush green plants. The cave painting of Sahara desert shows, there were rivers with crocodiles, elephant, lion, ostrich, sheep, and goats.
The following are the characteristics of the Sahara Desert at present:
- It is the world largest desert having 8.54 million square KM( India' areas is only 3.2 Million Square KM)
- It is spread into 11( eleven) countries:
- In the North: Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia
- In the eastern: Sudan
- In the central Part: Chad, Niger
- Western Side: Western Sahara, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco
- Surface features:
- Sand
- Plains
- Elevated Plateaus
- Bare rocky surface
The climate in Sahara:
- Hot day temperature: 50 degrees C.
- Cold day temperature goes below: 0 degrees C
- The sky is clear and cloudless
- Moisture evaporates faster than it accumulated.
Flora and Fauna:
- Vegetation:
- Cactus, date palms.
- Animals:
- Camels, Hyenas, Jackals, Foxes, Scorpions, Snakes, and Lizards.
People:
- Bedousing and Tuaregs are the nomadic Tribes.
- Goats, sheep, and Camels are important livestock.
Minerals: Iron ore, Petroleum, Phosphorous, Manganese, and Uranium are important minerals.
What is Oasis?
Larges areas where water is available in the desert are called Oasis.
How the Oasis formed?
Depression is formed and the winds blow aways the sands. In the depression, underground water reaches the surface and Oasis is formed. These areas are fertile.
The Ladakh-A cold desert
Ladakh= La( means Mountains) + Dak( means country)
Ladakh lies in the great Himalayas;
- Easter side: Jammu and Kashmir
- North: Karakoram Range
- South: Zaskar
Indus is the main river and it forms deep valley & gorges.
Altitudes:
- Kargil: 3000 metres
- Karakoram: 8000 Metres
Exercises
Q1. What are the two types of deserts found in the world?
Answer.
The two types of desert:
- Temperate desert
- Tropical desert
Q2. In which continent is the Sahara desert located?
Answer.
- In Africa
Q3. What are the climatic conditions of the Ladakh desert?
Answer.
The climatic condition of Ladakh desert is Temperate
Q4. What mainly attracts tourists to Ladakh?
Answer.
The following attracts tourists to Ladakh:
- To visit Gompas( Buddhists Monasteries)
- For trecking to see meadows
- For trecking to see glaciers
- To see ceremonies and festival
Q5. What type of clothes the people of the Sahara desert wear?
Answer.
People of the Sahara desert region wears heavy Robes as it protects from the dust storm and hot winds.
Q6.Name the trees that grow in Ladakh.
Answer.
Due to high aridity and high altitude, vegetation is sparse. But during summer, trees such as apple, walnuts, and apricots are found.
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