Chapter 10. Life in the deserts-Addtional Questions with Solutions Geography Class 7 In English

Additional - Question:

Que: How many countries are touched by the Sahara desert? Name them.

Ans: The Sahara desert touches eleven countries—Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya,

Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.

Que: What are the two characteristic features of a desert?  

Ans: The climate of a desert is either very hot and dry or very cold and dry.

The vegetation is sparse.

Que: Mention the day and night temperatures of the Sahara desert.

Ans: The day temperature—It may soar as high as 50°C.

The night temperature—Nearing zero degrees

Que: What vegetation is found in the Sahara desert?

Ans: Vegetation in the Sahara desert is comprised of cactus, date, palms, and acacia. Green islands with date palms can be seen near the oases.

Que: Name the two nomadic tribes living in the Sahara desert.

Ans: The Bedouins and Tuaregs.

Que: Name the animals reared by the Bedouins and Tuaregs.

Ans: Goats, Sheep, Camels and horses.

Que: What do these animals provide them?

Ans: These animals provide them with milk and hides.

Que: Name the countries associated with the discovery of oil

Ans: Algeria, Libya and Egypt.

Que: Ladakh is made up of two words. Mention these words with their meaning.

Ans: The two words with which Ladakh is made up of are La meaning mountain pass and Dak meaning country.

Que: Where is Ladakh located?

Ans: Ladakh is located in the Great Himalayas, on the eastern side of Jammu and Kashmir.

Que: Name an important river that flows through Ladakh.

Ans: Indus.

Que: Why is there little rainfall in the Ladakh desert?

Ans: It is because the Ladakh desert lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas.

Que: Name the birds which are common in the Ladakh desert.

Ans: Robias, redstarts, Tibetan snowcock, raven and hoopoe.

Que: What is the use of the hair of the sheep and goat in the cold desert of Ladak?

Ans: The hair of the sheep and goat is used to make woolens.

Que: Why do people hunt Chiru or the Tibetan antelope?

Ans: People hunt the Chiru or the Tibetan antelope for its wool known as Shahtoosh

Que: Name some famous monasteries of Ladakh

Ans: Hemis, Thiksey, Shey and Lamayuru.

Que: Which National Highway connects Leh to Kashmir valley and through which pass?

Ans: The National Highway A connects Leh to Kashmir valley through the Zojila pass.

Que: Name the four passes which Manali-Leh highway crosses.

Ans: Rohtang La, Lungalacha La, Baralacha La and Tanglang La.

Que: Describe the Climate of the Sahara desert. 

Ans: The Sahara desert experience scorching hot and parch dry climate. The rainy season occurs for the short time. The sky is cloudless and clear. Days are extremely hot. The temperatures during the day may rise as high as 50°C. The nights may be freezing cold with temperatures nearing zero degrees.

Que: Mention the summer and winter activities of the people of the Ladakh desert.

Ans: In the summer season the people of the Ladakh desert are busy in cultivation work. They grow crops such as barley, potatoes, peas, beans and turnip. The climate during winters is very harsh and people keep themselves engaged in festivities and ceremonies. The women manage the house and fields with great efficiency. They also manage small businesses and shops.

Que: Describe the flora and fauna found in the Sahara desert

Ans: Flora. The Sahara desert has vegetation such as cactus, date palms and acacia. In some places there are oases where one can see green islands with date palms. Fauna. The animals found in the Sahara desert are camels, hyenas, jackals, foxes, scorpions, several varieties of snakes and lizards.

Que: Describe the people of the Sahara desert Also write about their activities. 

Ans: The Sahara desert experiences a harsh climate. Despite that various groups of people such as the Bedouins and Juaregs live here. These are nomadic tribes who pursue different activities. They rear animals such as goats, sheep, camels and horses. They get jnilk and hides from these animals. They prepare leather from hides. This leather is used in making belts, slippers, water bottles. They use the hair of these animals in making mats, carpets, clothes and blankets. The people of the Sahara desert wear heavy robes to protect themselves from the dust storms and hot winds.

The oasis in the Sahara desert and the Nile valley in Egypt support the settled population. Since water is available, people grow date palms. They also grow rice, wheat, barley and beans.

The Sahara is undergoing change with fast speed. Tuaregs, the nomadic tribe, are now acting as guides to foreign tourists. More and more nomadic herdsmen are migrating to cities in search of jobs in oil and gas operations.

Que: Describe the flora and fauna found in the Ladakh desert.  

Ans: Flora—Vegetation is scanty in the Ladakh desert. There are scanty patches of grasses and shrubs. Groves of willows and poplars are seen in the valleys. During the summers, fruit trees such as apples, apricots and walnuts grow.

Fauna. Several species of birds are found in the Ladakh desert. Robins, redstarts, Tibetan snowcock, raven, and hoopoe are common. The animals found in this region are wild goats, wild sheep, yak, and special kinds of dogs.