The Thar Desert is one of the major hot deserts in the world. It stretches across north-west India and Pakistan. The desert covers an area of about 200,000 square km, mostly in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
Rainfall in the Thar Desert is low - typically between 120 and 240mm per year - and summer temperatures in July can reach 53°. Much of the desert is sandy hills with extensive mobile sand dunes and clumps of thorn forest vegetation, a mixture of small trees, shrubs and grasses. The soils are generally sandy and not very fertile, as there is little organic matter to enrich them. They drain quickly so there is little surface water. |
The Thar Desert faces a number of challenges for the future:
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