Thar (opportunities and challenges of developing hot deserts)

Question 1

What countries does the Thar desert stretch over?

Answer 1

North-west India and into Pakistan

Question 2

What area does the Thar desert cover?

Answer 2

200,000 km^2

Question 3

What is significant about the Thar desert, in terms of population?

Answer 3

It is the most densely populated desert in the world

Question 4

What is the annual rainfall in the Thar desert?

Answer 4

100-240 mm

Question 5

What temperature can temperatures reach in July in the Thar desert?

Answer 5

53 degrees centigrade

Question 6

Describe the soil in the Thar desert

Answer 6

Sandy, not very fertile and with little organic matter

Question 7

Describe the landscape in the Thar desert

Answer 7

Sandy hills, sandy dunes, clumps of thorn forest vegetation (small trees, shrubs and grasses)

Question 8

Name four opportunities for development in the Thar desert

Answer 8

Mineral extraction
Energy
Tourism
Farming

Question 9

What from the Thar desert is used for making plaster in the construction industry?

Answer 9

Gypsum

Question 10

What does the Thar desert supply as the main source for India’s steel industry?

Answer 10

Limestone

Question 11

What are there extensive deposits of in parts of the Thar desert?

Answer 11

Coal

Question 12

What has been discovered in the Barmer district?

Answer 12

A large oilfield

Question 13

What are the conditions in the Thar desert perfect for?

Answer 13

Solar power

Question 14

What is solar power used for in Bhaleri?

Answer 14

Water treatment

Question 15

Name India’s largest wind farm, found in the Thar desert

Answer 15

Jaisalmer wind park

Question 16

How many visit the Thar desert each year?

Answer 16

Tens of thousands - especially to festivals and desert safaris, with many from neighbouring Pakistan

Question 17

What has commercial farming been made possible by?

Answer 17

Irrigation

Question 18

What do most people in the desert depend on for survival?

Answer 18

Subsistence farming
Grazing animals
Cultivating vegetables and fruit trees

Question 19

What now thrive in an area that used to be scrubby desert, after the construction of the Indira Ghandi Canal?

Answer 19

Wheat and cotton

Question 20

Name three challenges of developing in a hot desert

Answer 20

Extreme temperatures
Water supply
Accessibility

Question 21

What leads to water shortages in the Thar desert?

Answer 21

Rapid evaporation due to heat

Question 22

What causes high rates of evaporation?

Answer 22

Strong winds and high temperatures

Question 23

Why is demand for water increasing in the Thar desert?

Answer 23

Population growth
Industry development
Agricultural development

Question 24

Why is accessibility in the Thar desert a difficulty?

Answer 24

There is limited road access

Question 25

What affects roads in the Thar desert?

Answer 25

High temperatures melt the tarmac, whereas strong winds blow sand over them

Question 26

What are many places only accessible by?

Answer 26

Camel