Flashcards
Vii Geography Revison
Cards in this deck (18)
- 1Desert- A region which generally receives less than 25 cm of rainfall in a year.
- Of two types - **hot** and **cold** deserts
- Hot deserts are found in tropical regions
- Cold deserts are found either in high altitudes of the temperate regions, or in high latitudes, such as the polar regions.
- General characteristics
- Very dry
- Sparse vegetation
- Extremes of temperature - 2The sahara desert🌞
- 3Location- Largest desert in the world
- Area of about 8.54 million sq km
- Covers almost the whole of **northern Africa**
- Spreads out over 5500 km from east to west and 1900 km from north to south.
- Extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east.
- Bounded by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlas Mountains in the north, and merges into the Savanna grasslands in the south - 4The land- 1/4th of it is covered with vast stretches of sand known as *erg*
- **Shifting sand dunes are also common**
- There are extensive areas of pebbles and gravel known as *reg*
- Large areas of smooth, bare bedrocks known as *hamada*
- Formed by the action of strong winds which blow away all the sand particles
- **Emi koussi (3415m) in the Tibesti Range is the highest peak**
- **Ahaggar is another important range**
- **Bilma and Kufra are some of the larger oases**
- **Nile and Niger rivers flow along the eastern and southern borders of the desert respectively**
- Lake Chad on the southern border is the only freshwater lake. - 5Climate- Generally **hot** and **dry.**
- Highest temperature of the world (58*C) has been recorded here at Al-Azizia in Libya
- Temperature range from below freezing point on winter nights to about 55*C during the daytime in summer.
- Humidity is very low and the skies are cloudless
- Rainfall is scanty and greatly variable
- Northern part receives some rainfall in winter.
- Southern part receives some rainfall in summer. - 6Natural vegetation and wild life- **Thorny bushes, and shrubs**
- **Cactus and acacia trees are the main species**
- **Date palms are found near the oases.**
- Plants have long roots, thick barks, and small leathery leaves to reduce transpiration
- Desert wildlife
- Antelopes, gazelles, hares, rodents, desert foxes, hyenas, snakes, lizards
- Some types of insects. - 7Human activities- Main occupations
- Animal rearing, cultivation of crops, trading, and mining
- Animal herders - raise camels, sheep, and goats.
- **Tuaregs and Bedouins are important nomadic tribes who move from place to place along with their animals in search of water and pastures. The animals provide them with milk, meat, and hides. They live in temporary shelters (or) tents and often exchange their animal products with the agricultural ones at the oases**
- **Cultivation of crops is practised in the Nile Valley in Egypt, and in the oases**
- Cereals such as wheat, maizes, barley, and millets
- Veggies and fruits like figs, olives, and apricots
- **Cotton important commercial crop in the Nile Valley**
- Farmers - ***fellahin***
- **Aswan High Dam provides abundant irrigation water**
- The desert is rich in **minerals** like iron ore, copper, manganese, and uranium
- **Fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas are found in abundance**
- Hence, mining and oil drilling are important occupations - 8Transport and cities- **Camel is called the ship of the desert, and the most important animal in the Sahara**
- Now it has been replaced by **motorways**, but still camels are still used for carrying goods
- Many parts of the Sahara and now connected by **air**
- In Egypt, the Nile, and its canals provide good **inland waterways**
- The seaports of the Sahara are a part of the **Mediterranean-Suez Canal** route
- **Cairo** is the **capital of Egypt,** and the **largest city** in the **Sahara**
- **Giza, famous for its pyramids and sphinx, is a major tourist centre**
- **Timbuktu** in Mali is an important trading post
- **Port Said** and **Alexandria** in Egypt and **Tripoli,** the Libyan capital, are big ports on the **Mediterranean sea** - 9Life of the people- Houses have
- Thatched roofs, thick walled, and with small windows
- They carry water in containers made from goat or camel skin which keeps the water cool
- Mining activities, and oil exploration have enabled them to develop their economy and import their requirements. - 10Ladakhâť„âť„
- 11Location- Located at the eastern part of **Jammu & Kashmir**
- Bounded by the **Karakoram Range** in the north and the **Zaskar Mountains** in the south
- The **Ladakh Range** runs throughout the region - 12The land- Ladakh is a **cold** and **barren** desert
- Often called Moonland ****or the **Broken Moon** which indicates how remote and inaccessible it is.
- **K2 (8611m), the world's second highest mountain peak, lies in the Karakoram Range.**
- Ladakh range has an average height of 6000m, and doesn’t have any major peaks.
- There are several mountain **passes** which provide access to Ladakh. **Karakoram** and **Zoji La** are the biggest ones
- **River Indus and its tributaries Shyok, Zaskar, Nubra, and, Sura**
- These rivers have cut deep valleys in the otherwise rocky desert
- **Pangong Tso is a huge lake in Ladakh which extends to China**
- **Tso Moriri** is another lake in this region - 13Climate- Extreme climate
- Humidity is very low
- Since Ladakh lies to the north of the Himalayas, it falls within the **rain shadow area** of the mountain ranges
- The **south-west monsoon** winds, upon reaching the himalayas, cause a lot of rainfall on its southern slopes. When these winds come to Ladakh, there's no moisture left so no rain.
- During winter, there is heavy snowfall in the region. - 14Natural vegetation and wildlife- Vegetation is sparse in Ladakh
- Some stunted trees
- Willow, cypress, elm, juniper, and poplar
- Found in the valleys, and the lower slopes
- Higher slopes have **grasses** and **shrubs**
- The wildlife
- Tibetan antelopes **(chiru)**, wild goats, sheeps, yaks, and Tibetan wild ass **(kiang)**
- Birds like pigeon, carrion crow, chukar, and golden eagle are common in Ladakh - 15Human activities- Main occupations
- Animal rearing, agriculture, and tourism
- **Yaks, goats, and sheep are raised on the mountain pastures**
- Yak provides people with milk, wool and hair, and is a very useful animal.
- Sheep and goats are mainly reared for milk, meat, and wool
- Ladakh is famous for excellent shawls, blankets, and carpets
- **Agriculture is practised in the valleys and the lower slopes**
- Crops are grown in the summer season, from May to September, when the temperature is comparatively high
- **Wheat, barley, vegetables, and, fruits like apples, apricots, walnuts, and grapes**
- In winter, as they cannot do agriculture, they engage themselves in **handicrafts** like weaving and carpet making
- Few minerals like sulphur and borax are found
- Ladakh does not have any large industry
- **Tourism is an important economic activity**
- Stark mountainous landscape of this place, the gompas, and the festivities attract tourists, domestic and international
- **Sindhu Festival** which is celebrated every **June** - 16Transport and cities- Only a few **motorable roads**
- **Leh is the most important town in Ladakh and of the administrative, and commercial headquarters of the region. It is connected to the Kashmir Valley by a road which passes through the Zoji La. Another road, which passes through the Khardung La, connects Leh to Srinagar. The Manali-Leh road is one of the highest motorable roads in the world,**
- **Kargil is another important town**
- Both **Leh** and **Kargil** have air services - 17Life of the people- Houses are built in small clusters along the streams where farming is possible or along the few roads in the region
- They are made of **sun-dried bricks** and have **flat roofs**
- People of Eastern Ladakh
- **Tibetan Buddhists**
- Common language - **Ladakhi**
- Number of Buddhist Monasteries called **gompas**
- People of Western Ladakh
- Mostly Muslims
- Common language - **Balti**
- Government of india has done a lot of measures to make Ladakh live-able
- Transport, and communication system is being developed, irrigation facilities is being tapped, and tourism is being promoted on a large scale - 18Gradation- Levelling of the Earth’s surface by natural processes is called gradation
- Caused by two forces
- Internal forces
- Acts from within the Earth towards the surface
- Eg - Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes
- External forces
- Acts on the surface of the Earth
- Eg - running water, moving ice, wind, and waves
- Collectively called the agents of gradation
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- Flashcards on Vii Geography Revison, created by Girija J on 05/03/2024.
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- Girija J
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