NCERT Class 7 Geography Chapter 9 Notes cover all the topics in a precise and simplified way. NCERT Class 7 Geography Chapter 9 Notes are easy to understand and learn for the exams. NCERT Class 7 Geography Chapter 9 Notes are very helpful in a quick revision for the chapter – Life in the deserts.
NCERT Class 7 Geography Chapter 9 Notes
A Desert is an arid region that has extreme temperature conditions, very little rainfall, and very little vegetation. Depending upon the temperature conditions, a desert can be hot and cold.
The Hot Desert – Sahara
>>Largest hot desert in the world.
>>Area about 8.5 million sq km.
>>Touches 11 countries in the northern part of Africa.
(Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara)
>>Sahara desert includes a large stretch of sands, gravel plains, and elevated plateaus with bare rocky surfaces.
| Climate – Very hot and very dry. Days are very hot and nights are very cold. |
| Flora – Cactus, Date palms, acacia, and some small thorny shrubs. |
| Fauna – Camels, Hyenas, Jackals, Foxes, Scorpions, and a variety of snakes and lizards. |
| Minerals – Petroleum, Iron, Phosphorus, Manganese, and Uranium. |
Nomadic People – Bedouins and Tuaregs
>>Rear livestock such as goats, sheep, camels, and horses.
>>Animals provide them with milk, meat as food.
>>Animal Skins are used to make leather for belts, slippers, water bottles.
>>Animal Hair is used for mats, carpets, clothes, and blankets.
>>Wear long heavy robes as protection against dust storms and hot winds.
>>Lives of people are changing and they are moving towards a settled life.
Settled People
>>They live near Oases and along the Nile River.
>>Cultivate crops like rice, wheat, barley, and beans
The Cold Desert – Ladakh
Location – In the Himalayan Region and on the eastern side of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mountain Ranges – the Karakoram in the North, the Zanskar in the South.
Altitude – About 3000 m in Kargil and more than 8000 m in the Karakoram.
Rivers – Indus, Zanskar, Shyok, etc.
Glaciers – Gangri Glacier is one of the important glaciers.
Climate – Due to its high altitude, the climate is extremely cold and dry.
Temperature
Summer Season – Just above 0 degrees during the daytime and well below -30 degrees during night time.
Winter Season – Below -40 degrees for most of the time.
Rainfall – Very little rainfall as low as 10 cm.
Flora – Scanty patches of grasses and shrubs, willows, and poplars. Fruit-bearing trees such as Apple, Walnut, Apricot bloom in summers.
Fauna – Chiru (Tibetan Antelopes), Wild goats, wild sheep, yaks, and special kinds of dogs. Animals are reared for milk, meat. The hair of goats and sheep is used to make woolens.
Several species of birds are sighted in Ladakh. Robins, redstarts, Tibetan snowcock, raven, hoopoe, and some migratory birds are found here.
People of Ladakh
>>People follow either Buddhism or Islam.
>>Cultivate barley, potatoes, peas, beans, and turnip during the summers.
>>People keep themselves engaged in festivities and ceremonies during winters.
>>Ladakhi women are very hard-working as they work in farms, homes and also run small businesses and shops.
Tourism in Ladakh
The Capital of Ladakh is Leh which is well connected by Road and Air. National Highway 1A connects Srinagar to Leh through Zozila Pass.
People from India and abroad visit Ladakh for
(1) The culture of Ladakh – Ceremonies, and festivities
(2) Buddhist Monasteries
(3) Trekking to see the meadows and glaciers.
(4) Scenic beauty of mountains
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