Life in the Deserts Class 7 Notes CBSE Geography Chapter 9 (Free PDF Download)

Overview

The desert is a barren region characterized by extremely high or low temperatures and has little vegetation. According to the temperatures, there may be hot or cold deserts.

The Hot Desert – Sahara

• The Sahara is the largest desert on the globe.

• It covers approximately 8.54 million sq. km. The Sahara desert is found in 11 countries: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. 

• In the Sahara Desert, there are gravel plains and upland plateaus with bare rock surfaces. 

• These rock surfaces can reach over 2500 m in height in certain areas.

Climate

• The climate of the Sahara desert is extreme, blazing, and arid. 

• The rainy season is not long. The sky is clear without clouds. 

• In this case, moisture evaporates more quickly than it accumulates. 

• During the day, temperatures can rise to 50°C, warming the sand and bare rocks that in turn emit heat, making everything around warm. 

• Nights can get chilly with temperatures close to zero degrees.

Flora and Fauna

• In the desert of the Sahara, the vegetation includes cactus, date palms, and acacia. 

• Some places have oasis – green islands surrounded by date palms. 

• Camels, hyenas, jackals, foxes, scorpions, numerous varieties of snakes, and lizards are the main animal species that live here.

People

• The Sahara Desert despite its harsh climate has been inhabited by diverse groups of people, who carry out different activities. 

• These include the Bedouins and the Tuaregs. These groups are nomadic tribes rearing livestock such as goats, sheep, camels, and horses. 

• These animals supply them with milk, skins from which they make leather for belts, slippers, water bottles; the hair is used for mats, carpets, garments, and blankets. 

• They wear heavy robes to protect themselves from dust storms and warm winds. The oasis in the Sahara and the Nile Valley in Egypt supports the colonized people. Given the availability of water, people grow date palms. 

• They grow rice, wheat, barley, and beans as well. Egyptian cotton, known all over the world, is cultivated in Egypt. 

• The discovery of oil, a product in high demand all over the world, in Algeria, Libya, and Egypt, is constantly changing the Sahara desert. 

• Other important minerals found here include iron, phosphorus, manganese, and uranium. The cultural landscape of the Sahara is in a state of transformation. 

• Trucks take the place of camels in the salt trade. Tuaregs are regarded as guides for foreign tourists.

• An increasing number of nomadic herdsmen are taking their lives in the city to find jobs in oil and gas operations.

The Cold Desert – Ladakh

• Ladakh is a cold desert situated in the great Himalayas, the eastern side of Jammu and Kashmir. 

• It is surrounded by the Karakoram Range to the north and the Zanskar Mountains to the south. 

• Many rivers cross Ladakh, among which Indus is the most important. There are several glaciers in Ladakh, such as the Gangri Glacier. 

• The altitude in Ladakh ranges from around 3000m in Kargil to over 8000m in the Karakoram. 

• Because of its high elevation, the climate is extremely cold and dry. The air at this elevation is so thin that the warmth of the sun can be felt intensely. 

• Daytime temperatures in summer are slightly higher than zero degrees and nighttime temperatures are well below -30°C. 

• Ladakh lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, because of which it receives little rain, as low as 10cm each year. 

• The area is characterized by freezing winds and warm sunshine.

Flora and Fauna

• Because of the strong dryness, the vegetation is sparse. 

• There are scanty patches of grasses and shrubs for animals to graze. 

• Groves of willows and poplars are seen in the valleys. In summer, fruit trees like apples, apricots, and walnuts bloom. 

• Robins, redstarts, Tibetan snowcock, raven, and hoopoe are sighted in Ladakh. There are some that are migratory birds. 

• Ladakh animals include wild goats, wild sheep, yaks, and dogs from particular species. Livestock is raised for milk, meat, and leather.

People

• The people of Ladakh are either Muslims or Buddhists. 

• In fact, several Buddhist monasteries dot the Ladakhi landscape with their traditional ‘gompas’. 

• Well-known monasteries include Hemis, Thiksey, Shey, and Lamayuru. 

• During the summertime, people grow barley, potatoes, peas, beans, and turnips. 

• The winter climate is so severe that people indulge in celebrations and ceremonies. Women are not only employed at home and in the fields but also run small businesses and stores. 

• Leh, the capital of Ladakh, has good road and air connections. 

• Tourism is a major business with many tourists flocking from the interior of India and abroad. 

• The lives of individuals are changing as a result of modernization. 

• Throughout the centuries, the people of Ladakh have been taught to live in balance and harmony with nature. 

• Because of the shortage of resources such as water and fuel, they are used reverently and carefully.

Class 7 Geography Chapter 9 Life in the Deserts Notes - Free PDF Download

Life in the Deserts Class 7 Notes

There are some places in the world that have extreme conditions and temperatures. Sometimes these are extremely hot and sometimes cold. These regions are called deserts. They consist of low rainfall, less vegetation, and species, dry climate, etc. Based on temperature, they can be divided into two types i.e. Hot Desert and Cold Desert. We will learn two such kinds of deserts here in this article.

The Hot Desert Sahara

Check out the physical map of Africa and try to find out this desert and locate where it is situated. Then, check out the political map of Africa and find out in which countries it is situated.

(Image to be added soon)

• It is the largest desert not in Africa but the whole world.

• It has an area of 8.54 million square kilometers. 

• It spreads in almost 11 countries of Africa namely, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. 

• Do not confuse the countries Niger or Nigeria. It's Niger which consists of parts of Sahara.

• Besides the presence of sand, it also consists of plains and plateaus with rocky surfaces which can be of 2500m or more in some places.

Climate & Temperature

• Here, the climate is very hot and dry.

• The sky is cloudless and clear and the rainy season is of short duration.

• The temperature during the day is extremely hot and reaches up to 50°C or more.

• The night temperature is cold and can reach up to 0°C.

Flora and Fauna

• The prominent vegetation found here is cactus, date, palms, and acacia. 

• Some oasis can be seen with date palms around it.

• Besides these, camels, hyenas, foxes, jackals, scorpions or lizards, and snakes, etc. are the kind of species found here.

People and Other Facts

• This area is inhabited by large and various kinds of groups of people. 

• Bedouins and Tuaregs are nomadic tribes that are found here.

• They rear livestock such as camels, goats, and sheep. They got milk from them and hides as well which is used to make leather for belts, water bottles, etc. Whereas their hair is used for making carpets, clothes, mats, etc.

• The Oasis and Nile Valley serve the water demands.

• Various crops are grown here such as wheat, rice, barley, beans, etc. Besides these, date palms and cotton are also grown. Egyptian cotton is world-famous.

• Iron, phosphorus, manganese, uranium, etc. Minerals are found here.

• City life is being seen here now. Glass buildings, highways, trucks, etc. Can be seen here.

The Cold Desert Ladakh

(Image to be added soon)

• It is present in the Great Himalayas and the East of Jammu and Kashmir.

• It is a separate Union Territory in India with capital Leh.

• This region can be found in between the Karakoram range in the North and the Zanskar range in the South.

• Various rivers flow here which creates deep valleys and gorges. Indus is the most important river found here. 

• Glaciers can also be found here. Such as Gangri glacier.

• The altitude of this region varies. It can be from 3000m in the Kargil area to more than 8000m in the Karakoram.

Climate & Temperature

• It has an extremely cold and dry climate.

• The temperature during the summers in a day is just above 0°C and at night it reaches up to -30°C.

• In winters, the temperature is extremely cold and remains below -40°C most of the time.

• This region comes under the rain shadow areas of the Himalayas and it receives very little rainfall of about 10cm only.

• This area experiences both freezing winds and burning sunlight.

Flora and Fauna

• Less vegetation is found here.

• Small patches of grass and shrubs can be seen here for animal grazing.

• Groves of willows and poplars and other trees such as apple, apricot, walnuts, etc are found here.

• Redstarts, Robins, Tibetan snowcock, etc kind of common birds found here along with many other birds including migratory birds.

• Wild goats, wild sheep, yak, dogs, etc. are kind of species found here. 

• They provide milk, meat, hides, etc.

People and Other Facts

• The main religions found here are Buddhism and Islam. Buddhism has been spread to the Tibet region from this area only.

• Various Buddhist monasteries can be found here. For example, Hemis, Shey, Lamayuru, etc.

• Potatoes, barley, beans, and turnip are the crops grown here in the summer season by the people.

• People used to keep themselves busy in festivities and other ceremonies usually in the winters because of such harsh conditions present here.

• Women of this region are very hardworking and they managed the house and other works as well such as shops, farms or other businesses.

• National Highway 1A connects this region with Kashmir Valley through Zoji la pass.

• Tourism is one of the major activities and forms of livelihood here. Several tourists in this area came every year from India as well as from abroad.

• They have started living under modernization but the people here love to live with nature.