The high plain of the Indus Plain is also called . Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Whatever seasonal rain falls is collected in tanks and reservoirs and is used for drinking and domestic purposes. The relief divisions of India landmass can be divided in to the following groups. It form barrier on Pak-Afghan border. Although some deserts are very hot, with daytime temperatures as high as 54C (130F), other deserts have cold winters or are cold year-round. It is less pronounced in desert cities than cities built in heavily forested areas. They anchor the drifting sand with a gridlike network of straw fences. The small city of Quetta was almost completely destroyed, and the adjacent military cantonment was heavily damaged. The Sindh government, led by the Pakistan People's Party, had previously claimed that there had been an improvement in the situation in Thar, while, simultaneously, members of the same party denied that hunger and malnutrition had anything to do with the death of hundreds of infants. The Indus basin soils are mostly thick alluvium deposited by rivers and are of recent origin. The upper Indus Basin includes Punjab; the lower Indus Basin begins at the Panjnad River (the confluence of the eastern tributaries of the Indus) and extends south to the coast. Corrections? For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. The uniqueness of Pakistans topography is also backed by the fact that around 10% of its total land has been covered with different types of barren lands, commonly known as deserts. The Sulaiman Mountains dominate the northeast corner, and the Bolan Pass is a natural route into Afghanistan towards Kandahar. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Topography_of_Pakistan&oldid=1117077755, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 October 2022, at 20:30. There are traditional song and dance performed by the local nomad groups. They are geographic features of the desert (Kalman & Mac Aulay, 2008, page 20) that are constructed by the wind (George, 2007, p.195) with soft, uniform layers. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday took notice of the drowning of more than two dozen Pakistanis in a boat tragedy in Italy. The thorny devil, a lizard that lives in the Australian Outback, has a system of tiny grooves and channels on its body that lead to its mouth. Camels are commonly used for transport as well as for plowing the land and other agricultural purposes. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Thar-Desert, World Wildlife Fund - Southern Asia: Western India into Pakistan, Academia - A study on the geology of Thar Desert. Cities like Phoenix, Arizona, or Kuwait City, Kuwait, have a much smaller urban heat island effect. Regional descriptions. Biology, Ecology, Earth Science, Geology, Meteorology, Geography, Human Geography, Physical Geography, Social Studies, World History. Between 8000 and 3000 BCE, for example, the Sahara had a much milder, moister climate. They have east to west in directionHimalayas, Karakoram. When rain finally comes, the seeds sprout rapidly. The suns rays beat down through cloudless skies and bake the land. Archaeologists in the Sahara have been unsuccessfully looking for the Lost Army of Cambyses ever since.Water in the DesertRain is usually the main source of water in a desert, but it falls very rarely. Tent walls are made of thick, sturdy cloth that can keep out sand and dust, but also allow cool breezes to blow through. (16 of 7 of 2017). Perrine Juillion. This desert consists of a very dry part, the Marusthali region, in the west, and a semi-desert region in the east with fewer sand dunes and slightly more precipitation. Turbans are also much longerup to six meters (20 feet)!Desert dwellers have also adapted their shelters for the unique climate. Heavy rains . Sugar cane is a very water-intensive crop mostly harvested in tropical regions. Antarctica boasts the lowest official temperature recorded on Earth: -89.2 C (-128.6 F), recorded on July 21, 1983. % Interior deserts are sometimes called inland deserts.The Gobi Desert, in China and Mongolia, lies hundreds of kilometers from the ocean. High elevations modify the climate in the cold, snow-covered northern mountains; temperatures on the Balochistan plateau are somewhat higher. Under maritime influence, precipitation increases slightly to about 6 inches (155 mm) at Hyderabad and 8 inches (200 mm) at Karachi. In Pakistan, it spreads over Punjab and Sindh starting fromTharparkar Districtin the east. These cliff dwellings, sometimes dozens of meters off the ground, were constructed with thick, earthen walls that provided insulation. The interior dunes of the desert are scarce in nutrients and water. Please select which sections you would like to print: Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Answer: Peninsular Plateau. It is located partly in Rajasthan state, northwestern India, and partly in Punjab and Sindh (Sind) provinces, eastern Pakistan. Some xerocoles avoid the sun by resting in scarce shade. In the Pakistani part of the desert, a railway line runs between Bahawalpur and Hyderabad. There are five major breeds of cattle in the Thar. The coastal plains 5. Important passes of these mountains are Khunjarab, Karakoram, Babusar. It also stores water in a manmade lake, Lake Nasser, to protect the countrys communities and agriculture against drought.Construction of the Aswan High Dam was a huge engineering project. In Arabia, Australia and North Africa reach altitudes of 100 meters and lengths greater than 100 kilometers (Araucania Geological Routes, 2017). Gobi desert. About 90 major, inhabited oases dot the Sahara. One railway line serves the southern part of the region. The amount of evaporation in a desert often greatly exceeds the annual rainfall. The 20-inch (500-mm) precipitation line, which runs northwest from near Lahore, marks off the Potwar Plateau and a part of the Indus plain in the northeast; these areas receive enough rainfall for dry farming (farming without irrigation). Most of the Balochistan plateau, especially in the west and south, is exceptionally dry. The Balochistan plateau is located in the south-west of Pakistan with altitudes mainly ranging from 600 to 3010 metres. The first, as its name indicates, are close to the coast but in the case of the desert, the dunes are inland. 1. It has also spread into India. Almost the entire continent of Antarctica is a polar desert, experiencing little precipitation. Due to this fact, a large part of the Kharan Desert is inhabited as it covers an area of 20,000 square kilometers and has a population of just 0.23 million, making one of the least populated deserts on earth. Playas, also called sinks, pans, or salt flats, can be hundreds of kilometers wide.The Black Rock Desert in the U.S. state of Nevada, for instance, is all that remains of the prehistoric Lake Lahontan. The Indus Valley Desert is located in the northern area of Pakistan. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. They usually shift a few meters a year, but a particularly violent sandstorm can move a dune 20 meters (65 feet) in a single day.Sandstorms may bury everything in their pathrocks, fields, and even towns. In countries like Yemen, artificial wadis can carry enough water for whitewater rafting trips during certain times of the year.When deserts and water supplies cross state and national borders, people often fight over water rights. According to their movement, the dunes are divided into five classes: They have an inverted"U"shape and point to the opposite direction of the wind. Nara and Tharparker Deserts 15. Areas facing reduced precipitation include areas with some of the largest deserts in the world: North Africa (Sahara), the American Southwest (Sonoran and Chihuahuan), the southern Andes (Patagonia), and western Australia (Great Victoria).In literature and in legend, deserts are often described as hostile places to avoid. The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's plea challenging his arrest in connection with the excise policy case. Question 1. WASHINGTON The majority conservative wing of the U.S. Supreme Court appear skeptical that the Biden administration has the authority to implement a federal student debt relief program that was The Desert (The Thar) 6. The Sukkur Barrage on the Indus River, completed in 1932, irrigates the southern Thar region in Pakistan by means of canals, and the Gang Canal carries water from the Sutlej River to the northwest. This evidence includes rock paintings, graves, and tools. Results. Among the migratory birds, sand grouse, ducks, and geese are common. With lush green vegetation of some of the rarest plant species of the country, this oasis of Cholistan Desert is one of its most unique features. The dry, hot weather is broken occasionally by dust storms and thunderstorms that temporarily lower the temperature. A flash flood like this can sweep away anything and anyone in its path. Plateau Mountains /Filter /FlateDecode Interior DesertsInterior deserts, which are found in the heart of continents, exist because no moisture-laden winds reach them. 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. Deserts are areas that receive very little precipitation. That distinction belongs to Death Valley, in California's Mojave Desert. Madagascar, for instance, is a tropical island in the Indian Ocean. Pakistanhosts fivedesertswhich were at some point historical forests. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). And most deserts, far from being empty and lifeless, are home to a variety of plants, animals, and other organisms. It has a total area of 175,000 square kilometers that covers the major areas of Pakistan and India. Desert plants grow far apart, allowing them to obtain as much water around them as possible. Rajasthan- Relief and Structure The main geographic feature of Rajasthan is the Aravalli Range, which runs across the state from southwest Guru Peak (Mount Abu), which is 1,722 m in height to Khetri in the northeast, for more than 850 km.This divides Rajasthan into 60% in the North West of the lines and 40% in the southeast. Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world that has all regions. In the rest of the country, temperatures reach great extremes in the summer; the mean temperature during June is 100 F (38 C) in the plains, where the highest temperatures can exceed 117 F (47 C). They are found along the Tropic of Cancer, between 15 and 30 degrees north of the Equator, or along the Tropic of Capricorn, between 15 and 30 degrees south of the Equator.Hot, moist air rises into the atmosphere near the Equator. This has happened among the states in the Colorado River Basin, which have negotiated for many years over the division of the rivers water. Coastal areas, The Salt Range is a hill system in the Punjab province of Pakistan, deriving its name from its extensive deposits of rock salt. A thick accumulation of lime often occurs at varying depths. Our country has all the features that one expects from a country. Flat areas are smooth on the map, areas with steep slopes and mountains appear more rough. Trees shed their leaves to avoid excessive moisture loss. It is also the third-largest desert in Pakistan. Mohenjo-daro is now a part of the vast Thar and Cholistan deserts.Most of Earths deserts will continue to undergo periods of climate change.Desert CharacteristicsHumiditywater vapor in the airis near zero in most deserts. When they open, they also release water vapor. Pakistan is primarily divided into six topographical areas. Question 25. The important of various relief features like Himalayas,plains,deserts,coastal plains etc are of greater importance as under: They influence the climate in various ways. It is situated in Punjab, Pakistan between the Jhelum and Sindh rivers near the Pothohar Plateau. The Gobi is also in the rain shadow of the Himalaya mountains to the south.Polar DesertsParts of the Arctic and the Antarctic are classified as deserts. Similar lush conditions existed as recently as 25,000 years ago. For instance, it offers some of the most amazing views of sand dunes, the beauty of which is amplified by a flawless canopy of blue sky in the background. Among the most prominent groups are the Rajputs, who inhabit the central Thar. The central region is known as Kalat. The parabolic dunes typically have two arms and a top that joins them. Clothing is versatile and based on robes made of rectangles of fabric. Roads and buildings were washed away, and more than 100 people died.Even in a desert, water and wind eventually wear away softer rock. But water patterns are not included in the relief features. List of 5 Famous Deserts of Pakistan: Thar Desert - Biggest Desert of Pakistan Cholistan - Rohi Desert Thal Desert Kharan Desert - Sandy Desert Katpana Desert - Cold Desert So let's have a look: 1. The Indus River, one of the great rivers of the world, rises in southwestern Tibet, only about 160 kilometers west of the source of the Sutlej River, which joins the Indus in Punjab, and the Brahmaputra, which runs eastward before turning southwest and flowing through Bangladesh. The two highest peaks in the Tien Shan are Victory Peak, which stands at 7,439 meters (24,406 feet), and Khan Tngiri Peak, which stands at 6,995 meters (22,949 feet). The Thal Desert has an approximate area of 20000 km square. The Thar Desert covers some 77,000 square miles (200,000 square km) of territory. The population density is very low due to the mountainous terrain and scarcity of water. Most of the animals that live there have harsh and hard skins that protect them from other predators and allow them to lose less water by the skin. Tien Shan also has more than 10,100 square kilometers (3,900 square miles) of glaciers. It means that the land of Pakistan is different in various regions from its type. Some areas of the Atacama are often covered by fog. Desertification usually happens in semi-arid areas that border deserts.Human activities are a primary cause of desertification. The plain is the western part of the Northern Plain in Pakistan formed by the Indus River and its tributaries. (iii) This region receives very low rainfall, below 150 mm per year. During other seasons the prevailing wind is the dry northeast monsoon. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. Roads and railways are few. Trees and other vegetation are being planted to break the force of the wind and to hold the soil. All rights reserved. They produce food in their green stems.Some desert plants, such as cactuses, have shallow, wide-spreading root systems. Thal Desert 2. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Greens vehicle, the ThrustSSC, was the first car to break the sound barrier.Wind is the primary sculptor of a deserts hills of sand, called dunes. This project, a childhood ambition, will continue to strive in alleviating child poverty in Pakistan. Many desert regions discourage visitors from hiking or camping in arroyos for this reason.Even urban areas in deserts can be vulnerable to flash floods. For example, the mountain ranges along the . The Potwar Plateau (also Potowar or Potohar) is a plateau in the province of Punjab, Pakistan and the western parts of Pakistan administered Kashmir. Other subtropical deserts include the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa and the Tanami Desert in northern Australia.Coastal DesertsCold ocean currents contribute to the formation of coastal deserts. [2] The Sutlej river, however, is mostly on the Indian side of the border. Ans: Safed koh range: is located in the south of river Kabul in east-west direction. The surface is made up of aeolian (wind-deposited) sand that has accumulated over 1.8 million years. Sometimes, rock is carved into tablelike formations such as mesas and buttes. A jackrabbits long ears contain blood vessels that release heat. They include:-. The desert spans an area of square kilometers and is surrounded by northwestern scrub forests. Most groundwater cannot be utilized, because it lies deep underground and is often saline. It is the 16th largest desert on the planet and the third largest in Asia. Along the coastal strip, the climate is modified by sea breezes. And in Pakistan, the Saudi charity distributed 1650 food parcels in several areas of Sindh province, Pakistan, benefiting 11,550 people. Fossils and artifacts show that lime and olive trees, oaks, and oleanders once bloomed in the Sahara. These soils are medium to fine in texture, have low organic content, and are highly productive under conditions of irrigation and fertilization. The region surrounding Quetta is highly prone to earthquakes. Lowest point: Sea level Thar Desert - Biggest Desert of Pakistan: Our list is top with Thar, the biggest desert of Pakistan. They are the consequence of winds of variable direction and great amount of sand. 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