Geo Ch11 - Life in desert regions

Desert

• A region which generally receives less than 25 cm of rainfall in a year.

• Two types - hot and cold deserts

• General characteristics

  • Very dry

  • Sparse vegetation

  • Extremes of temperature

Hot deserts

found in tropical regions

Cold deserts

found either in high altitudes of the temperate regions or in high latitudes, such as the polar regions.

The Sahara Desert

• Largest desert in the world

Location

• Area of about 8.54 million sq km

• Covers almost the whole of northern Africa

• Spreads out over 5500 km from east to west and 1900 km from north to south.

• Extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east.

• Bounded by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlas Mountains in the north, and merges into the Savanna grasslands in the south

The Land

• Emi Koussi (3415m) in the Tibesti Range is the highest peak

• Ahaggar is another important range

• Bilma and Kufra are some of the larger oases

• Nile and Niger rivers flow along the eastern and southern borders of the desert respectively

• Lake Chad on the southern border is the only freshwater lake.

Erg, Reg, Hamada

• 1/4th of it is covered with vast stretches of sand known as erg

• Shifting sand dunes are also common

• There are extensive areas of pebbles and gravel known as reg

• Large areas of smooth,bare bedrocks known as hamada

• Formed by the action of strong winds which blow away all the sand particles

Climate

• Generally hot and dry.

• The highest temperature in the world (58*C) has been recorded here at Al-Azizia in Libya

• Temperature ranges from below freezing point on winter nights to about 55*C during the daytime in summer.

• Humidity is very low and the skies are cloudless

• Rainfall is scanty and greatly variable

• Northern part receives some rainfall in winter.

• The southern part receives some rainfall in summer.

Natural vegetation and wildlife

• Thorny bushes, and shrubs

• Cactus and acacia trees are the main species

• Date palms are found near the oases.

• Plants have long roots, thick barks, and small leathery leaves to reduce transpiration

• Desert wildlife 

  • Antelopes, gazelles, hares, rodents, desert foxes, hyenas, snakes, lizards

  • Some types of insects.

Human activities

• Main occupations

  • Animal rearing, cultivation of crops, trading, and mining

• Animal herders - raise camels, sheep, and goats.

• Cotton - an important commercial crop in the Nile Valley

• Aswan High Dam provides abundant irrigation water

• The desert is rich in minerals like iron ore, copper, manganese, and uranium

• Fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas are found in abundance

• Hence, mining and oil drilling are important occupations

Agriculture

• Cultivation of crops is practiced in the Nile Valley in Egypt and in the oases

• Cereals such as wheat, maize, barley, and millet

• Veggies and fruits like figs, olives, and apricots

• Farmers - fellahin

Nomadic tribes

• Tuaregs and Bedouins are important nomadic tribes who move from place to place along with their animals in search of water and pastures. The animals provide them with milk, meat, and hides. They live in temporary shelters (or) tents and often exchange their animal products with agricultural ones at the oases

Transport

• Camel - ship of the desert,most important animal in the Sahara. Replaced by motorways now, but still used for carrying goods

• Many parts of the Sahara and now connected by air

• In Egypt, the Nile, and its canals provide good inland waterways

• The seaports of the Sahara are a part of the Mediterranean-Suez Canal route

Cities

• Cairo is the capital of Egypt, and the largest city in the Sahara

• Giza, famous for its pyramids and sphinx, is a major tourist centre

• Timbuktu in mali is an import ant trading post

• Port Said and Alexandria in Egypt and Tripoli, the Libyan capital, are big ports on the Mediterranean Sea

Life of the people

• very difficult

• have to adapt to harsh physical conditions

• wear loose and cotton clothes

• houses have thatched roofs, are thick-walled, and have small windows

• When traveling over long distances, carry water in goat/camel skin containers

• recently, mining and oil exploration have increased their economy

• gradually changing to a modernised one

Ladakh

A cold desert

Location

• located in the eastern part of J&K

• lies to the north of the Himalayas

• bounded by the Karakoram Range in the north and Zaskar Mountains in the south

The Land

• Cold and barren

• Known as Moonland or Broken Moon - indicates how remote it is

• K2 (8611m) second highest peak in the world, located in the Karakoram range

• The Ladakh Range - Average height: 6000m - does not have any major peak

• Several mountains passes provide access to Ladakh - E.g - Karakoram, Zoji La

The Land - Waterbodies

• Drained by River Indus, Shyok, Zaskar, Nubra and Suru

• These rivers have cut the rocky desert surface

• There are many glaciers in the region (Most common - Karakoram Range)

• Pangong Tso - huge lake which extends into China

• Tso Moriri - another beautiful lake

Climate

• Extreme climate

• Low humidity

• Negligible rainfall

• Heavy Snowfall

Natural Vegetation and wildlife

• Sparse vegetation

• Stunted treed - found in valleys

• Higher slopes - grasses and shrubs

• Wildlife - chiru (Tibetan antelopes), wild goats , sheep, yak, kiang (Tibetan wild ass)

• Birds - pigeon, carrion crow, chukar, golden eagle

Human Activities

• Animal rearing, agriculture and tourism - main occupations

• Handicrafts like weaving and carpet making are also done

• A few minerals like Sulphur and Borax are also found

Animal Rearing

• Yaks, goats and sheep - raised in mountain pastures

• Yak- provides milk, wool, hair - very useful

• Sheep and goat - reared for milk and wool

• Pashmina wool - collected from goats

• Famous for shawls, blankets and carpets

Agriculture

• Lower slopes of valleys

• Crops grown from May to September

• Wheat, barley, vegetables, apples, apricots, walnuts and grapes are grown

Tourism

• Tourism - important economic activity

• The government promotes tourism by organising the Sindhu Festival in June annually

Transport and Cities

• Only a few motorable roads 

• Leh is the most important town in Ladakh and of the administrative, and commercial headquarters of the region. It is connected to the Kashmir Valley by a road which passes through the Zoji La. Another road, which passes through the Khardung La, connects Leh to Srinagar. The Manali-Leh road is one of the highest motorable roads in the world,

• Kargil is another important town

• Both Leh and Kargil have air services

Life of the people

• Houses are built in small clusters along the streams where farming is possible or along the few roads in the region

• They are made of sun-dried bricks and have flat roofs

• The government of India has taken a lot of measures to make Ladakh liveable

• Transport and communication systems are being developed, irrigation facilities are being tapped, and tourism is being promoted on a large scale

People

• People of Eastern Ladakh 

  • Tibetan Buddhists

  • Common language - Ladakhi

  • A number of Buddhist Monasteries called gompas

• People of Western Ladakh

  • Mostly Muslims

  • Common language - Balti