Life in Desert

Life
Life inin desert

desert
Desert :It is an arid
region characteriesed
by extremely high or
low temperatures and
has scarce vegetation.
By- PIYUSH SINHA

THE HOT DESERT – SAHARA
• The Sahara desert touches eleven
countries. These are Algeria, Chad,
Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania,
Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia and
Western Saharahese rocky surfaces
• May be more than 2500m high at
some places.
The Sahara Desert • It has an area of around 8.54
millionsq. km
CLIMATE
• The climate of the Sahara desert is scorching hot and
parch dry. It has a short rainy season. The sky is
cloudless and clear. Here, the moisture evaporates
faster than it accumulates. Days are unbelievably hot.
• The temperatures during the day may soar as high as
50°C, heating up the sand and the bare rocks, which in
turn radiates heat making everything around hot.
• The nights may be freezing cold with temperatures
nearing zero degrees
FLORA AND FAUNA
• Vegetation in the Sahara desert
includes cactus, date palms and
acacia.
• In some places there are oasis –
green islands with date palms
surrounding them.
Oasis in the Sahara • Camels, hyenas, jackals, foxes,
Desert scorpions, many varieties of
snakes and lizards are the
prominent animal species living
there.
PEOPLE
• The Sahara desert despite its harsh climate has been inhabited by various
groups of people, who pursue different activities. Among them are the
Bedouins and Tuaregs. These groups are nomadic tribes rearing livestock such
as goats, sheep, camels and horses. These animals provide them with milk,
hides from which they make leather for belts ,clothes and blankets. They wear
heavy robes as protection against dust storms and hot winds.
• The oasis in the Sahara and the Nile Valley in Egypt supports settled
population. Since water is available, the people grow date palms. Crops such
as rice, wheat, barley and beans are also grown. Egyptian cotton, famous
worldwide is grown in Egypt.
• .The cultural landscape of the Sahara is undergoing change. Gleaming glass
cased office buildings tower over mosques and superhighways crisscross the
ancient camel paths. Trucks are replacing camels in the salt trade. Tuaregs are
seen acting as guides to foreign tourists. More and more nomadic herdsmen
are taking to city life finding jobs in oil and gas operations. snakes and lizards
are the prominent animal species
THE COLD DESERT - LADAKH
• Ladakh is a cold desert lying in the Great Himalayas, on the eastern side of
Jammu and Kashmir The Karakoram Range in the north and the Zanskar
mountains in the south enclose it. Several rivers flow through Ladakh, Indus
being the most important among them. The rivers form deep valleys and
gorges . Several glaciers are found in Ladakh, for example the Gangri glacier.
• The altitude in Ladakh varies from about 3000min Kargil to more than 8,000m
in the Karakoram . Due to its high altitude, the climate is extremely coldand
dry. The air at this altitude is so thin that theheat of the sun can be felt
intensely. The day temperatures in summer are just above zero
degreeand the night temperatures well below –30°C. It is freezing cold in the
winters when the temperatures may remain below –40°C for most of the time.
The area experiences freezing winds and burning hot sunlight. You will be surprised to
know that if you sit in thesun with your feet in the shade, you may suffer from both
sunstroke and frost bite at the same time.
FLORA AND FAUNA
• Due to high aridity, the vegetation is sparse. There are
scanty patches of grasses and shrubs for animals to graze.
Groves of willows and poplars are seen in the valleys.
During the summers, fruit trees such as apples, apricots
and walnuts bloom. Several species of birds are sighted in
Ladakh. Robins, redstarts, Tibetan snowcock, raven and
hoopoe are common. Some of these are migratory birds.
The animals of Ladakh are wild goats, wild sheep, yak and
special kinds of dogs. The animals are reared to provide
for the milk, meat and hides. Yak’s milk is used to make
cheese and butter. The hair of the sheep and goat is used
to make woollens
PEOPLE
• In the summer season the people are busy cultivation
barley, potatoes, peas, beans and turnip. The climate in
winter months is so harsh that people keep themselves
engaged in festivities and ceremonies. The women are
very hard working. They work not only in the house and
fields, but also manage small business and shops. Leh, the
capital of Ladakh is well connected both by road and air.
• Life of people is undergoing change due to modernisation.
But the people of Ladakh have over the centuries learned
to live in balance and harmony with nature. Due to scarcity
of resources like water and fuel, they are used with
reverence and care. Nothing is discarded or wasted.

Life in Desert

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Life

Life inin desert

By- PIYUSH SINHA

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