Firstly, The Indian desert is the never-ending sheet of sand glittering and making different shapes throughout the landscape. The Indian deserts need and deserve a shoutout and might make people plan for visiting India. With the graceful golden sands of the Thar Desert across the Rajasthan state to the mystical valleys in Spiti and Ladakh nestled within the great Himalayas. The Indian desert will show you how different types of sands our land can give us. There are a lot of deserts in India. These are present in many states and areas.
Thar Desert
The Thar desert of India which is also called the Great Indian Desert is a huge arid region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. It covers an area of 20,000 KM2 that is 77,000 square miles. It also forms a natural boundary between two countries India and Pakistan. It is the 17th largest desert in the world, apart from this it is also the 9th largest subtropical desert in the world.
In addition, about 85% of the Thar Desert is in India. Moreover, the remaining 15% of its part is in Pakistan. It covers around 170,000 km2 that is 66,000 square miles, and the remaining 30,000 km2 that is 12,000 square miles of the desert is in Pakistan. The Thar Desert forms near about 5% (4.56% to be exact) of the total geographical area of India.
More than 60% of the Deserts are in Rajasthan. Whereas, it extends to Sindh, Punjab, Gujarat, and Haryana. The Desert has an arid part that is the Marusthali region locating in the west. Along with this it also has a semi-desert region on the east side with lesser sand dunes and a bit of more precipitation.
Desertification Control
The soil of the Thar Desert stays dry most of the time in a year and is prone to the erosion of wind. The winds with the high-velocity blow soil from the desert. On the other hand, it deposits some soil on the neighboring fertile lands, and then it results in shifting of the sand dunes within the desert. The erecting micro-windbreak barriers stable the sand dunes.
It happens with the scrub material and subsequent afforestation of the treated dunes. Along with the seedlings of shrubs likewise Phog, castor oil plant and senna trees just like Prosopis juliflora, gum acacia, and lebbek tree. The 649 km (403 miles) long Indira Gandhi Canal provides fresh water to the Thar Desert. It halts the spreading of the desert to fertile areas.
There are some local tree species that are suitable for planting in the desert. Therefore, exotic tree species were available for plantation. Some species of Eucalyptus, Acacia, cassia and other genera from Israel, US, Australia, Russia, etc. were tried in the Thar Desert. Acacia Tortilis is the most promising species for afforestation in the desert. And the Jojoba is another promising species of the economic value that is suitable for planting in deserts.
Protected Areas
There are various protected areas in the Thar Desert:
In India
The desert national park covers 3,162 km2 and represents the Thar Desert ecosystem. Moreover, It includes 44 Villages.
The Tal Chhapar Sanctuary covers an area of 7 km2 is also an important bird area. It is in Churu District, 210 km from Jaipur, in the Shekhawati region.
The Sundha Mata Conservation that Covers 117.49 km2 and it is in Jalore District.
In Pakistan
The Nara Desert Wildlife Sanctuary covers 6,300 km2.
The Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary.
Questions on Dessert
Subtropical deserts are ______ with parched terrain:
A. Hot
B. Cold
C. Normal
D. None of these
Ans. A. Hot
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