Page 37 - SST Class 05

6 Saudi Arabia : The

Land of Desert

Desert and I

There is a large desert, called Thar, in India. A desert is a place where little or no water is available, so life is
very tough there. Due to excessive wastage of water in our country, there is evidence to show that some
more areas are turning into desert. Many of our cities are already going dry. If we continue to waste water,
we should be ready to face tough times ahead.

A desert can be completely dry or it may receive very little rainfall, less than 25 cm per

annum. Due to this, vegetation is very sparse. A desert may be cold or hot. It may be
rocky or sandy. In India, Ladakh is a cold rocky desert, while the Thar is a hot and
sandy desert.
If a desert is supplied and irrigated with water, and trees are grown, then it can be

made green and fertile, as has been done in some parts of the Arabian and Thar
deserts.

Mostly deserts are located near the Tropics, between 20° and 30° on both sides of the
Equator. They are generally located in the western parts of the continents. Deserts
cover about one-fifth land area of the world.
The Antarctic Desert (in Antarctica) is the largest cold desert. Other important deserts

include the Sahara and Kalahari (in Africa), the Colorado (in North America), the
Arabian, Gobi and Thar (Asia), the Australian Desert (in Australia), and Atacama
Desert (in South America).

The Arabian Desert is located in the Arabian Peninsula. The Tropic of Cancer passes
through it. Saudi Arabia is located here, which we shall study in this lesson.

Saudi Arabia

Location

Saudi Arabia is located in the Arabian Peninsula, the world’s largest peninsula. It is a
desert, of which Saudi Arabia occupies nearly four-fifth. It is bordered by the Red Sea

Saudi Arabia : The Land of Desert 37