CBSE NCERT Class VII (7th) | Social Studies | GeographyChapter : Life in the DesertsCBSE NCERT Solved Question AnswerQ.1 Define a desert. The desert is an arid region characterized by extremely high or low temperatures, low rainfall and scanty vegetation. Depending on the temperatures, there can be hot deserts or cold deserts. Q.2 Write a short note on landforms of the Sahara desert. The Sahara desert covers a large part of North Africa. It is the world’s largest desert. It is covered with vast stretches of sands, gravel plains and elevated plateaus with bare rock surface. Q.3 Discuss the climate of the Sahara desert. The climate of the Sahara desert is scorching hot and parch dry. It has a short rainy season. The moisture evaporates very fast. The temperatures during the day may be as high as 50 degrees Celsius. The nights may be freezing cold with temperature around zero degrees. Q.4 What do you know about the flora and fauna of the Sahara desert. Vegetation in Sahara desert includes cactus, date palms and acacia. In some places there are oases. Camels, hyenas, jackals, foxes, scorpions, many varieties of snakes and lizards are the prominent animal species living there. Q.5 Name the countries which the Sahara desert touches. The Sahara desert touches eleven countries. These are Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia and Western Sahara. Q.6 Discuss the lifestyle of the people of the Sahara desert. The Sahara desert is inhabited by various groups of people. Bedouins and Tuaregs are two such nomadic tribes rearing livestock such as goats, sheep, camels and horses. These animals provide them with milk, hides, hair etc. The people wear heavy robes as protection against dust storms and hot winds. Q.7.What kind of crops do people grow in Sahara desert? People grow date palms around the oasis. Crops such as rice, wheat, barley, beans are also grown. Egyptian cotton, famous worldwide is grown in Egypt. Q.8 Which all minerals are found in the Sahara desert? Oil is found in Algeria, Libya, and Egypt. Other minerals of importance that are found in the area include iron, phosphorus, manganese and uranium. Q.9 How is oasis formed? Depressions are formed when the wind blows away the sands. In the depressions where the underground water reaches the surface, an oasis is formed. These areas are fertile. People may settle around these water bodies and grow date palms and other crops. Tafilalet Oasis in Morocco is a large oasis with an area of about 13,000Q10 Describe the cultural changes experienced by the people of the Sahara in the recent times. The cultural landscape of the Sahara is undergoing change. Gleaming glass cased office buildings tower over mosques and superhighways crisscross the ancient camel paths. Trucks are replacing camels in the salt trade. Tuaregs are seen acting as guides to foreign tourists. More and more nomadic herdsmen are taking to city life finding jobs in oil and gas operations. Q.11 Write a note on Ladakh. Ladakh is a cold desert lying in the Great Himalayas on the eastern side of Jammu and Kashmir. The Karakoram Range in the north and the Zanskar mountains in the south enclose it. Several rivers flow through Ladakh, Indus is the most important among them. The rivers form deep valleys and gorges. Several glaciers are found in Ladakh, for example the Gangri glacier.. Q.12 Discuss the climate of Ladakh. Due to its high altitude, the climate is extremely cold and dry. The air at this altitude is so thin that the heat of the sun can be felt intensely. The day temperatures in summer are just above zero degree and the night temperatures well below 30°C. It is freezing cold in the winters when the temperatures may remain below 40°C for most of the time. As it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, there is little rainfall, as low as 10 cm every year. The area experiences freezing winds and burning hot sunlight. Q.13 Discuss the flora and fauna in Ladakh. Due to high aridity, the vegetation is sparse. There are scanty patches of grasses and shrubs for animals to graze. Groves of willows and poplars are seen in the valleys. During the summers, apples, apricots and walnuts bloom.Robins, Redstarts, Tibetan snowcock, raven and hoopoe are common species of birds. The animals of Ladakh are wild goats, wild sheep, yaks and special kinds of dogs. Q.14 Name some of the monasteries in Ladakh. Several Buddhist monasteries dot the landscape of Ladakh with their traditional “gompas”. Some famous monasteries are Hemis, Thiksey, Shey and Lamayuru. Q.15 Name the capital of Ladakh. The capital of Ladakh is Leh. It is well connected both by road and air. The national highway 1A connects Leh to Kashmir valley through the Zoji La pass. Q.16 Discuss the lifestyle of the people of Ladakh. During the summer season people are busy cultivating barley, potatoes, peas, beans and turnip. The climate in the winter months is so harsh that people keep themselves engaged in the festivities and ceremonies. The women work not only in the house and fields but also manage a small business and shops. Q.17 Discuss the tourism industry in Ladakh. Tourism is a major activity with several tourists coming in from within India and abroad. Visits to the gompas, treks to see the meadows and glaciers witnessingceremonies and festivities are important activities.