Case Study of Human Uses of the Desert in Ledcs

Case study of Human uses of the desert in LEDCs

The desert has a population density of over 80 people per km2. (Other deserts have population densities below 10 per km2). There are many mobile sand dunes, and sandy hills.

Location

The Thar Desert is one of the world's major hot deserts and covers 200,000km² mostly in India. It is in a state called Rajasthan. The state of Rajasthan is in the North-West of India. It borders Pakistan on its West.

Climate

Summer temperatures reach as high as 53˚C and as low as 4 ˚ C on a winters night. This is because there are very few clouds in the sky to act as a blanket and trap the heat of the day. The annual rainfall is quite low only about 120-240mm per year which is why it is very dry and humid.

Vegetation

Much of the desert is sandy hills with extensive mobile sand dunes and clumps of thorn forest vegetation, a mixture of small trees, shrubs and grasses. The soils are generally sandy and not very fertile, as there is little organic matter to enrich them. They drain quickly so there is little surface water.

Irrigation and commercial farming

 Irrigation in parts of the Thar Desert has revolutionised farming in the area.

 The main form of irrigation in the desert is the Indira Gandhi Canal. The canal was constructed in 1958 and has total length of 650km. Two of the main areas to benefit are centred on the cities of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, where over 3,500 km squared of land is under irrigation.

 Commercial farming in the form of crops