Case Study: The Thar Desert

Question 1

location

Answer 1

It stretches acrossnorth-west India and into Pakistan.

Question 2

what are the 4 activities that occur in the Thar desert?

Answer 2

• subsistence farming
• irrigation and commercial farming
• mining
• tourism

Question 3

name a tribe within the Thar desert and their farming methods

Answer 3

tribes such as the Baluchis and Koli tribe are Nomadic Pastoralists and use shifting cultivation to farm their sheep, goats and camels as there is limited plants for the animals to eat.

Question 4

when was the Indira Gandhi Canal built?

Answer 4

1958

Question 5

what is the Indira Gandhi Canal’s total length?

Answer 5

650km

Question 6

what has the Indira Gandhi Canal meant?

Answer 6

commercial farming is now possible in the form of crops such as wheat and cotton

Question 7

what 5 minerals are found in Rajasthan?

Answer 7

• Gypsum
• Feldspar
• Phospherite
• Kaolin
• Limestone

Marble is also found here

Question 8

where in the desert has tourism become particularly popular?

Answer 8

Jaisalmer

Question 9

how do local people get involved with tourism?

Answer 9

since desert safaris on camels are especially popular, local people will work as guides or look after the camels

Question 10

what are the 3 challenges faced?

Answer 10

• water management
• soil erosion
• population pressure

Question 11

how is water management a problem?

Answer 11

excessive irrigation has resulted in salinisation

Question 12

what has caused soil erosion?

Answer 12

over cultivation and overgrazing have caused leaching and erosion of the soil

Question 13

where is population density highest within the desert?

Answer 13

in the east (over 50 people per square km), putting a huge strain on the natural resources that are already limited

Question 14

what 2 tree types are used in sand dune stabilisation?

Answer 14

Ber tree and Khejiri

Question 15

how does sand dune stabilisation work?

Answer 15

blocks of trees are planted to reduce the impact of wind and water on the sand dunes and also to provide shade for crops to be grown in between the trees

Question 16

what are the management problems within the LEDCs?

Answer 16

there isn’t enough money to support larger projects and so the only management occurring is on a fairly small scale. tribes are too poor to undertake initiatives such as reducing herd numbers and increasing animal quality in order to combat overgrazing.

Question 17

How big is the desert?

Answer 17

The desert covers anarea of 200,000 km squared.

Question 18

What percentage of the desert is in India?

Answer 18

About 85% of the Thar Desert is in India of which 60% is in Rajasthan.

Question 19

Why is tourism popular in Jaisalmer?

Answer 19

Jaisalmer Fort

Question 20

What is Jailsalmer’s population?

Answer 20

600,000-grown by almost 1/3 over last 10 years

Question 21

What has happened to the camel population in the last decade?

Answer 21

It has reduced by half in under a decade due to the lack of vegetation.

Question 22

What things are being done in an effort to manage the desert?

Answer 22

• That desert national prk-3000 square km
• Government funded Desert Development Programme (started in 1977) which aims to restore the ecological balance of the region.

Question 23

How many people live in the Thar desert?

Answer 23

30 million people. It is the most populated desert in the world.