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DESERTS

Q1. What is a desert?
Large areas of land covered by sands and sand dunes.

Q2. How much of earth's landed surface is covered by sandy deserts?
One third.
Q3. What are the geographical features of deserts?

1. Sands spread across huge areas.

2. Receive less than 250mm/10 inches rainfall.

3. Unfit for vegetation and human habitation.

4. Excessive temperature - a normal phenomenon.

5. High daytime temperature and low and very low temperatures.

6. Cloud free skies.

7. Contains fossils and minerals.

Q4. What are the types of deserts?

1. Cold    2. Montane    and    3. Rain Shadow.

Q5. What are Cold deserts?
Also called Polar deserts. Precipitation is snow. Antartica, the largest Cold desert, spread over 14 lakh SQKM of which 96% is covered by Ice sheets of an average thickness of 1.6 Kms and has only 2 to 4% of barren land.
Q6. What are Montane deserts?
Are arid (dry and barren) places at high altitudes. EG: North Himalayas in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir in KUNLUN mountains and Tibetan plateau.
Q7. What are rain shadow deserts?
These deserts form on the plain below some tall mountains. The tall mountains block the movement of clouds beyond it. The side of the mountain getting the cloud and the precipitation is called "Windward" and the other side, which is dried up is called the "Leeward" side which is known as rain shadow deserts.
Q8. Which is the largest desert in the world?
Sahara - 90 lakh SQKM spread across Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisi
Q9. Where is Atacama desert and what is it famous for?
Chile in South Americ It is abundant with saline minerals, specially Sodium Nitrate, which is used in explosives and fertilizers.
Q10. Which desert in Africa is famous for housing one the world's largest Diamond mines at Orapa?
Kalahari Desert - 9 lakh SQKM - spread across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa's Kalahari Game Reserve. Orapa is in the NE Kalahari where the world's largest diamond mines is situated.
Q11. What connection the Kalahari desert has with film world?
The famous English comedy film 'GODS MUST BE CRAZY" was entirely shot here.
Q12. Where is Namib Desert?
Namibia - 50000 SQKM - and also spread partly in SW Angol One of the oldest desert.
Q13. What is the famous National Park located in Namib desert?
Namib Naukluft National Park - one of the oldest and largest.
Q14. Where is Gobi desert?
Spread across China - Mongoli A cold desert. 12,95,000 SQKM.
Q15. India has a large desert. What and where is it?
THAR desert. 2 lakh SQKM - also called "Great Indian Desert". Lies mostly in Rajasthan and also parts of Haryana, Punjab and Gujarat And also in Punjab and Sind province of Pakistan.
Q16. What are the districts of Rajasthan covered by Thar desert?
Jodhpur, Bikaner, Churu, Ganganagar, Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jalore.
Q17. Which two districts of Rajasthan are entirely and in proper Thar desert?
Bikaner and Jaisalmer.
Q18. What are the wild life found in Thar Desert?
Great Indian Bustard, Black Buck, Indian Gazelle, Indian Wild Ass.
Q19. Which rare specie of animal is found only in the Thar Desert - in the Rann of Kutch?
The Indian Wild Ass for which a National Park is provided for.
Q20. Gibson desert of Australia is named so because of an unfortunate incident. What is it?
Lies in Central Australi 155000 SQKM - It is named so because, Alfred Gibson - who attempted to cross this desert but perished enroute in 1874.
Q21. Where is Arabian Desert?
This desert stretches from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and Oman to Jordan to Iraq, spread over 23,30,000 SQKM.
Q22. What is "Empty Quarter"? What is special about it?
It is called "Rub-al-Kahli" locally in Saudi Arabia meaning "Great Sandy Desert". It is one of the world's largest continuous stretch of sands, FIELD - the largest oil field in the world are located here. This region is called the Empty Quarter.Q.23 Which is the world's largest cold desert? Antartic
Q23. Which is the world's largest hot desert?
Sahar
Q24. Which desert is considered as the oldest?
Namib desert - lies mostly in Namibia and partly in Angol
Q25. What is the name of the community living in Thar Desert, India?
Bishnoi.
Q26. What is "Sahara Pump Theory"?
Which explains the various phases by which African flora and fauna have left that continent to penetrate into the middle east and possibly the rest of the world.
Q27. What is a Sand Dune?
They are of elliptical or crescent shaped mounds of loose sand formed by wind action. A dune has a gentle slope on the windward side and steep slope on the leeward side.
Q28. Where is the highest sand dune in the world?
CERRO BLANCO - 2080 mts/6791 feet s.l in Sechura Desert,Peru.
Q29. What is a Dust Devil?
A phenomenon mostly associated with dry plains with loose soil. A dusty whirlwind about 100 feet in height and few feet in dia, with a low pressure at the center.
Q30. What are Tropical deserts?
Hot deserts like Sahara, Arabian, Australian and Thar deserts, where the temperatures are beyond 58 degree celcius.
Q31. Which deserts are called Mid Latitude deserts?
Temperate deserts like Gobi and other minor deserts in Great Britain, US and the Turkistan deserts.
Q32. What are High Altitude deserts?
Polar and cooler deserts - Antartica where the temperature falls to minus 88 degree celcius or even below.
Q33. What is a Sand Storm?
A phenomenon associated with sandy desert conditions, where the sand is lifted to a considerable height by strong wind and swept forward in a great cloud.
Q34. What is a Loo, related to deserts?
Sandstorm during summer in Rajasthan deserts.
Q35. What is an Oasis?
A fertile span found in a desert where water and plants are available.
Q36. Which sea coast desert is called "The Coast of Hell" and "Skeleton Coast"and why?
Atlantic sea coast of Namibia desert in East Africa due to the hot and humid conditions.
Q37. Where is Mojave Desert?
California, US
WORLD'S LARGEST DESERTS
1.Sahara9000000Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Sudan, Tunisia.
2.Arabian2330000Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait Qatar, UAE
3.Gobi1300000Mongolia, China
4.Kalahari900000Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Southern Africa.
5.Patagonian670000Argentina, Chile.
6.Great Victorian647000Australia.
8.Syrian520000Syria, Jordan, Iraq.
9.Great Basin492000United States of America.
10.Chihuahuan450000Mexico and USA.
11Great Sandy400000Australia
12.Karakum350000Turkmenistan.
13.Colorado Plateau337000USA
14.Sonoran310000Mexico and USA.
15.Kyzylkum300000Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
16.Taklamakan270000China.
17.Thar200000India, Pakistan.
18.Gibson155000Australia.
19.Simpson145000Australia.
20.Atacama140000Chile, Peru.
21.Namib81000Namibia, Angola.
22.Dasht-e-Kavir77000Iran.
23.Mojave65000USA.
24.Dasht-e-Lut52000Iran.
25.Nubian50000Sudan.