Land and the People

Reference Notes
Life in Desert
Meaning of a Desert: - A desert is a region having extreme temperature conditions with very
low amount of rainfall and scanty vegetation.
Deserts are categorised as Hot deserts and Cold deserts.
Meaning of a Hot Desert: - Hot and dry landscape covered with a layer of land having very
scanty vegetation is known as a hot desert.
Meaning of a Cold Desert: - Cold and dry landscape that experiences low temperature, low
atmospheric humidity and scanty vegetation is known as a cold desert.
Bases Sahara- The Hot Desert Ladakh- The Cold Desert

The Sahara is world's largest and hottest desert on Ladakh is a small region which is
the earth. In Arabic, the word Sahara means desert. known as one of the coldest deserts in
the world
Location ⮚ Sahara Desert covers almost the entire ⮚ Ladakh is situated in the
Northern part of Africa. Himalayan range in the
⮚ It lies between Atlantic Ocean in the west, northern part of India (earlier
Red Sea in the east, Mediterranean Sea in it was in north-eastern part of
the north and huge mounds of sand dunes in Jammu Kashmir).
the south. ⮚ Ladakh is surrounded by lofty
⮚ It is also bounded by a chain of mountains and high mountain ranges.
in the north called Atlas Mountain. ⮚ Its elevation(height) is about
3520 m above the sea level.

River ⮚ The only source of water in Sahara Desert is ⮚ The main river of Ladakh is
the Nile River (longest river of the world). the Indus.

Climate ⮚ The Sahara is a region of hot and dry ⮚ Ladakh is situated at a very
climate with clear sky. Sand dunes are quite high altitude (height from the
common in this region. sea-level) and is covered with
⮚ The average annual rainfall is less than 20 snow for many months.
cm. ⮚ The temperature is very low
⮚ It is very hot during the day and whereas the for a major part of the year.
nights are cool. The day temperature is ⮚ The average annual rainfall is
about 43 degrees Celsius and temperature at only 8 cm because it lies in the
night goes down to about 10 degrees rain shadow area of the
Celsius. Himalayan ranges.
Vegetation ⮚ As a result of high temperature and low ⮚ Vegetation is very scanty and
rainfall, the vegetation cover is scanty or is found only in valleys and
almost nil, except near the Nile River sheltered areas.
valley. ⮚ Only those plants grow here
⮚ The Sahara is sparsely covered with which require very little water.
vegetation like grasses, shrubs and bushes. ⮚ Willow trees which are mainly
⮚ Plants have long roots that reach deep into used for making cricket bats
the soil to absorb moisture. The important are found in this area.
trees are cactus and date palm.

Animals ⮚ Some of the animal species found in the ⮚ The common animals of the
Sahara Desert are fox, jackal, sand fox and Ladakh Desert are sheep,
camel. mountain goat and yak.
⮚ Numerous reptiles found here are frogs,
snakes, crocodiles, etc.
⮚ Insects that inhabit this desert are scorpions,
spiders, etc.

Population ⮚ The north-western part of Sahara is known ⮚ Population is mainly

as Rocky desert. Most of the land is barren concentrated near the river
and uninhabited. Density of population is banks.
low. ⮚ A majority of the people
⮚ Population is mainly concentrated near the follow Buddhism.
water bodies like oasis. People prefer white ⮚ In earlier times, this region
and loose clothes to bear the heat was accessible only through
some passes like Karakoram
pass and Zojila pass. With the
opening of Srinagar-Leh Road,
this area has been opened to
the rest of the world.

Crops ⮚ The cultivation of crops is possible around ⮚ Agriculture is the main

the oases. occupation of the people in
⮚ Major crops are wheat, maize, barley, Ladakh. About 85% of the total
millets, beans, etc. population is engaged in it.
⮚ Low rainfall and poor soil
permit the growth of only a
single crop in the short
summer season. In the winter
season, the land is covered
with snow.
 ⮚ The important crops are
barley, millets and beans.
⮚ People also grow fruits like
apple, walnut and apricot.

Few More Interesting Features

Sahara- The Hot Desert
.

The highest recorded temperature is about 58 degree Celsius at Al-Aziziyah in Libya in the
northern part of the Sahara.

Camel-The Ship of the Desert

The camel has a hump at the back to store fat with which it can live without food for several days.

Uses of Date Palm tree

Date is most common fruit in the Sahara Desert. Both animals and people eat dates.
The sap of date tree is used to make wine.
The seeds of date fruit are crushed and used as fodder for camels and goats.
The leaves and trunks are also used for making baskets, ropes and doors.

Ladakh- The Cold Desert

Yak- One of the most important animals

It gives milk.
It is used for transportation.
It has a thick fur to protect it from extreme cold.
 Mountain Goat
The soft wool of the mountain goat is used for making expensive pashmina shawls.

Life in Temperate Grassland

Meaning of Temperate Grasslands: -

The grasslands which are found between sub-tropical and sub-polar regions are known as
temperate grasslands.

They are known by different names in different continents, for example,

❖ The Prairies in North America,

❖ The Pampas in South America,
❖ The Steppes in Asia and Europe,
❖ The Downs in Australia and
❖ The Veld in Africa.

The grasslands are more common in temperate zone where climatic conditions are moderate.
The temperate grasslands provide good pastures and ideal conditions for animal rearing.

Bases The Prairies The Velds

Location ⮚ The grasslands in the North America are ⮚ The grasslands in the South
known as the Prairies. Africa are called Velds. ‘Veld’
⮚ They cover a large area of USA and is the Dutch word which
Canada. means ‘fields.
⮚ They cover the southern part
of Africa. It lies between the
Drakensberg Plateau in the
east and merges with the
Kalahari Desert in the West.
⮚ It is also known as the high
veld because it is located in
the plateau surface.
River ⮚ This area is drained by the River ⮚ The main rivers are the
Mississippi and its tributaries. The basin Limpopo and the Orange.
is very fertile and important for
agriculture.

Climate ⮚ The prairies have a continental type of ⮚ A veld has a moderate type of
climate. Summers are hot and winters are climate as it is situated near the
cold. coast.
⮚ The temperature in summers goes as ⮚ The summers are short and
high as 38 degrees Celsius and in winters warm. The winters are long and
it is as low as - 40 degree Celsius. cool.
⮚ The rainfall is not sufficient here. ⮚ Rainfall is low. Droughts are
common in this area. The
climate gets cooler as the
height increases.

Vegetation ⮚ Different types of grasses can be found ⮚ Due to the dry climatic
here as the rainfall is not sufficient for conditions, plants do not grow
the growth of trees here. That is why grasses are
⮚ In some places, grass grows taller than a the dominant vegetation of the
man. veld.

Animals ⮚ The common animals here are jackal, ⮚ The common animals here are
rabbit, deer, dog, etc. lion, leopard, cheetah, giraffe,
⮚ Large herds of bison are also found in elephant.
the prairies.

Resources/Land ⮚ The population is mainly concentrated ⮚ The veld grasslands are rich in
around wheat growing areas or rivers. various minerals like gold,
⮚ The Prairies are very well connected diamond and coal. Coal mines
with all modern means of transportation. are common in Johannesburg.
The grasslands have been cleared for ⮚ The diamond mines of
agriculture, construction of transport Kimberley are well known on
route and settlements due to the increase the Western border of the veld.
in population. ⮚ The Agro-based and mineral-
⮚ This has resulted in serious problems of based industries are also
soil erosion leading to drought common here.
conditions. ⮚ The veld area has reduced
drastically due to the
development of towns, cities,
industries, etc. Natural
environment in the veld
 grasslands is also disturbed
because of rapid development.

Agriculture ⮚ A large part of Prairies is now being ⮚ Agriculture is not possible in

converted into agriculture land. The the veld as it is a plateau area
main crops are wheat, corn, oat, etc. and the soil is infertile.
⮚ Extensive farming: - In this type of ⮚ In addition, there is a lack of
farming, the farms are big in size and the availability of water. Hence
work is mostly done with the help of there is the low agriculture
machines. Modern methods of production here.
cultivation and high-yielding (giving
large quantity) variety of seeds are used.
Hence, Prairies have become famous as
‘the granaries of the world’.
⮚ Mixed Farming: - Mixed farming
means the growing of crops and rearing
of animals at the same farm.

Bases The Amazon Basin Ganga - Brahmaputra Basin

Location ⮚ Amazon Basin is the largest river basin ⮚ The Ganga is the major river of
in the world. It lies in South America. Indian sub-continent. The two
⮚ About two-third of the region lies in big rivers of India, Ganga and
Brazil and also occupies parts of Peru, Brahmaputra join together in
Ecuador and Columbia. Bangladesh and form the
⮚ It is the world's largest and thickest world's largest delta, known as
tropical evergreen or rainforest. Ganga- Brahmaputra Delta.
⮚ It is a part of the northern plains
of the Indian sub-continent.
⮚ It lies to the south of the
foothills of the Shiwalik.
⮚ It is a vast low-lying plain,
covering a distance of about
2,500 km.
River ⮚ The Amazon is the second longest river ⮚ This plain is drained by three
in the world, next to River Nile. rivers of India, the Indus, the
⮚ In respect of the volume of water, it is Ganga and the Brahmaputra,
the world's biggest river. that deposit all their fine
alluvium here.
 ⮚ The distributaries of rivers
form a network of water
channels and finally drain into
the Bay of Bengal.
⮚ The northern plain includes the
states of Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal
and Assam.
⮚ These rivers carry a huge
amount of sediments with
them, which make the soil of
this plain very fertile.

Climate ⮚ The climate of the Amazon basin is hot ⮚ The climate of Ganga-
and humid. Brahmaputra basin is hot and
⮚ The area receives heavy rainfall humid.
throughout the year due to its location in ⮚ Rainfall is heavy but mainly
the equatorial region. concentrated during the three
months of the monsoon, that is
June, July and August.
⮚ The average rainfall is about
200 cm.

Vegetation ⮚ The Amazon Basin is known for its ⮚ The Ganga-Brahmaputra basin
rainforests. The trees here are very tall is covered with tropical
and thick. deciduous forest. But now,
⮚ There are several layers of vegetation. this area has been completely
The topmost layer of foliage is known as converted to farms and
canopy. Below this, there are two more settlement.
layers of foliage consisting of shrubs and ⮚ The lowest part of the Ganga
bushes. delta is covered with
⮚ The forests are so dense that sunlight mangrove trees.
hardly reaches the ground. ⮚ These forests are dominated by
⮚ This region has vast and varied species a plant specie locally known as
of plants like rubber tree, the cinchona, Sundari and that is why this
the brazil nut and the quebracho. area is named as Sunderban.

Animals ⮚ The Amazon Basin is rich in wildlife. ⮚ The Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta

Most of the animals are arboreal is the home of various kinds of
(adapted to living on trees) like apes and wild animals.
lemurs. ⮚ The most common ones are the
⮚ Reptiles and amphibians, such as snakes, one-horned rhinoceros and the
lizards and frogs are found here. Bengal tigers.
 ⮚ Colourful birds and butterflies are also ⮚ The most important wildlife
common. sanctuary, the Sunderban
Wildlife Sanctuary, is located
here.

Resources/Land ⮚ With the discovery of new world, people ⮚ Agro-Based industries, like
from Europe migrated to South America textiles and sugar, etc., are
or Amazon basin. common in this region.
⮚ In the past few decades due to increase in ⮚ Towns and cities, of Haridwar,
population, many rainforests have been Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna and
cleared for various purposes. Guwahati are located on or
⮚ People are moving towards this area near the river banks, and are
because of economic potential of the developing at a very fast rate.
Amazon basin.
⮚ Vast forest areas are cleared for setting
up camp areas (lumbering camps) and
constructing roads.

Agriculture ⮚ The most important food crop is manioc ⮚ The soil of the Ganga-
or cassava. The other crops which are Brahmaputra basin is very
found here are coffee, maize, cocoa, fertile and suitable for the
Brazil nut etc. cultivation of various crops
like rice, wheat, sugarcane,
jute and tea.

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