Question

Give reasons:
People of the Sahara desert wear heavy robes.

Answer 1

Hint: One of the primary purposes of any clothing is to provide insulation. It is widely recognized that the number one priority in survival is to maintain our core body temperature. By insulating the body from the ambient temperature, clothing helps with this.

Complete answer:
The people of the Sahara desert wear loose-fitting, long, heavy robes, and head wrappings. The loose-fitting cloth prevents sweat from evaporating quickly and allows the air to circulate, hence help the body to retain fluids. These clothes also protect people living in deserts from hot winds and dust storms. Wearing multiple layers of clothing will provide insulation for these people and protect them from the ambient heat. Even if their skin temperature may be higher than ours, it is not so hot that their core body temperature is raised by it, and they need to protect themselves from this issue. At the same time, all those layers of fabric absorb the perspiration from people’s bodies and wick it away from the skin. In order to evaporate, the water in this perspiration needs to absorb a large amount of heat. As it does, it cools the air trapped inside the multiple layers of fabric in the robe and creates an environment that is cooler than 37°C for the person wearing the robe.

Note: Another important aspect of these robes is that they are traditionally white in color. White color reflects more sunlight than any other color; this keeps the fabric from absorbing the sun’s heat. If the fabric absorbs more heat from the sun, it would make the wearer much hotter. By using white, people can keep themselves cooler.