Places like Jaipur and Udaipur are well known for their forts. Hot in the day and cool at night. Rajasthan has several national parks which are home to animals including nilgai, camel, blackbuck, Indian wild ass, and chinkara. © 2020 . Then the dunes stabilized, soil formed, and vegetation took now shape. Water is a scarce resource in the Thar. Besides, there are Indian spiny-tailed lizards, saw-scaled vipers, Asiatic wildcats, and white-footed fox. The dunes are in continual motion and take on varying shapes and sizes. Camels are commonly used for transport as well as for plowing the land and other agricultural purposes. Hot in the day and cool at night. Most of the desert is covered by huge shifting sand dunes that receive sediments from … Among those the Tharparkar breed is the highest yielder of milk, and the Kankre breed is good both as a beast of burden and as a milk producer. Most groundwater cannot be utilized, because it lies deep underground and is often saline. In June, July, and August, this desert has no rain. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Thar-Desert, World Wildlife Fund - Southern Asia: Western India into Pakistan, IndiaNetzone - Geography of India - Thar Desert. The Thar area has a tropical desert climate. The Thar Desert can be found in the northwestern region of India. The Thar desert is the seventeenth-largest desert and the ninth-largest subtropical desert in the world. Mean Temp: 59 °F. Well in the Thar (Great Indian) Desert, western Rajasthan, India. (And Which Foods to Avoid), Can Squirrels Eat Raisins? Undulating sand dunes in the Thar (Great Indian) Desert. It is one of the major hot deserts of the world with the highest population density. In the summer there is little to no rain. The temperature can fall below freezing in the winter and rise as high as 50 degrees Celsius during the summer season. Climate of desert For Class 4 Series: Social Studies Success Buy online from www.goyal-books.com. There are five major breeds of cattle of which Tharparkar breed yields the highest quantity of milk, and the Kanker breed is suitable both as a beast of burden and as a milk producer. The Thar desert is surrounded by Satluj River Basin, Rann of Kachchh, Aravali Range of hills and Indus River Basin. These plants are stunted, thorny, or prickly shrubs. How are They Formed and Types of Coastal Landforms, How Do Birds Mate? Alkaloids, used for making medicine and oils for making soap are also extracted. Like any other natural features, it also needs protection and conservation from excessive human intervention and exploitation. Test your knowledge. During the summers the days are hot and the nights are cold. The Thar desert is the world’s most populated desert with a population density of 83 people per square kilometer. As strong winds started lifting sand and build-up particles from alluvial sediments and deposited them in the region, the actual formation of the desert began. Flora. The Thar Desert experiences a subtropical desert climate and high pressure. Climate:-The climate in the desert is extreme. It is located partly in Rajasthan state, northwestern India, and partly in Punjab and Sindh (Sind) provinces, eastern Pakistan. It is located at the coordinates of 10 0 Typically, as with many deserts, the temperature can vary dramatically between daytime and nighttime hours. Among the most prominent groups are the Rajputs, who inhabit the central Thar. The canal begins at the Harike Barrage—at the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas rivers in the Indian Punjab—and continues in a southwesterly direction for some 290 miles (470 km). One million years ago, the river Sarasvati used to flow through this region to the Indian Ocean. In contrast, the Sahara desert has the lowest population density, with one person per square kilometer. The Thar Desert is one of the most fragile ecosystems of India. The thinly populated grasslands support blackbucks, chikara (gazelles), and some feathered game, notably francolins (partridges) and quail. “The Thar is a climatic desert,” said Ninad Munagi, another researcher at the WII. Good aquifers have been detected in the central part of the desert. As crops fail and livestock wither and die, tribal communities that have survived for centuries are breaking apart. The Thar Desert covers some 77,000 square miles (200,000 square km) of territory. The months of April, May and June are the hottest ones during the day. The days are sweltering, and nights are cooler. In February every year, a Desert Festival is conducted in the city of Jaisalmer. Earth Eclipse. Under the agreement, waters of the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers are to be made available to the Indira Gandhi Canal mainly to irrigate portions of the Thar in western Rajasthan. These are small hills formed by the wind blowing over the sand in the desert. The Thar’s desert sands overlie Archean (early Precambrian) gneiss (metamorphic rocks formed between 4 billion and 2.5 billion years ago), Proterozoic (later Precambrian) sedimentary rocks (formed about 2.5 billion to 541 million years ago), and more-recent alluvium (material deposited by rivers). The desert vegetation is mostly herbaceous or stunted scrub; drought-resistant trees occasionally dot the landscape, especially in the east. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... What is the largest desert in the world? Dust storms and dust-raising winds, often blowing with velocities of 87 to 93 miles (140 to 150 km) per hour, are common in May and June. Natural vegetation of Thar Desert is composed of following tree, … The desert cities of Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Jaisalmer are a must-visit for tourists. Most of the desert’s inhabitants reside in rural areas and are distributed in varying densities. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. See the forecast as a table or graph. Ultimately, the river dried forever. It is a large arid region with a landscape dominated by sand dunes varying in size from 52ft (16m) in the North to 498ft (152m) in the south. Apart from coal-based thermal power, generation of electricity from wind power is also carried out in the Thar desert. The Sukkur Barrage on the Indus River, completed in 1932, irrigates the southern Thar region in Pakistan by means of canals, and the Gang Canal carries water from the Sutlej River to the northwest. Water supply. Best time to visit the Thar Desert is in the cool months of October-February. (Albinism), Can Squirrels Eat Almonds? The summer days are really hot and the nights are cool but the winter days are warm and the nights are cold. The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is located in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, to the west of the Aravalli Mountain Range. Extreme temperatures - temperatures in the Thar Desert can exceed 50°C in the summer months. In June, July, and August, this desert ha… The Thar Desert experiences scorching summers. Older dunes, however, are in a semi-stabilized or stabilized condition, and many rise to a height of almost 500 feet (150 metres) above the surrounding areas. 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