CLASS: VII
SUBJECT:
SOCIAL
SCIENCE
CHAPTER –9
NAME OF
THE BOOK
OUR
ENVIRONME
NT
LIFE IN THE DESERTS
E-Content by
Ramachandra G Deshpande
TGT Social Science
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya
Haveri, Karnataka
OBJECTIVES
• After the completion of this chapter
the students will be able to
• Differentiate the climate ,flora and
Fauna of Cold desert and Hot
Deserts
• Identify and locate Cold and Hot
Deserts on the outline map of the
world.
• Identify the characteristics of Desert
areas.
Life in the deserts
• Introduction: In the 5th Chapter you
studied about water and its
importance. It is difficult for
everyone to live in places where
there is no water to drink, where
there is no grass for their cattle to
feed and where there is no water to
help the crops to grow.
• Today, we learn about the places as
hot as fire and some as cold as ice
Desert
• Now you will be
easily identify by
seeing the picture
i.e. Desert.
• Meaning: It is an
arid region
characterized by
extremely high or
low temperature
and has scarce
vegetation.
Identify
the picture
Characteristics of the
Deserts
• 1. Low Rainfall
• 2. Scanty
Vegetation.
• 3. Extreme
temperature
• Two types of
Deserts
• 1. Cold Desert.
• 2. Hot Desert
Types of
Deserts
Hot desert
• The Sahara Desert
Location
In which
continent
Sahara
Desert is
located.
Sahara desert
In which
part of
Africa
Sahara
desert is
located
Interesting facts about
Sahara
Desert
1. It has an area of
around 8.54 Million
sq. Km.( India has
an area of 3.28
Million sq. km.)
2. It is the largest
desert in the world.
3. The highest
temperature
recorded in Al
Azizia in Sahara.
4. Sahara touches
eleven countries
Identification of 11 countries
• Algeria
• Chad
• Egypt.
• Libya.
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Morocco
• Niger
• Sudan
• Tunasia
• Western Sahara
fact about Sahara
• The present day sahara
once used to be a lush
green plain. Cave
paintings in Sahara
desert show that there
used to be rivers with
crocodiles, Elephants,
Lions,
giraffes,Ostriches,
Sheep, Cattle and
goats, were common
animals. But the change
in climate has changed
it into a very hot and dry
region.
Climate of
Sahara
• 1. Scorching
hot and parch dry.
• 2. Sky is cloudless and clear.
• 3. The Moisture evaporates faster
than it accumulates.
• 4. Days are unbelievably hot.
• 5. The temperature during the day
bare rocks, which in turn radiates
heat making everything around hot.
• 6. The nights may be freezing cold
with temperatures nearing zero
degrees.
Flora and Fauna
• Vegetation in
Sahara
includes• Cactus, Date
palms and
Acacia
Animals found in the
Sahara
• Camels
• Hyenas
• Jackals
Prominent animal species
• Foxes
• Scorpions
• Varieties of snakes
• Lizards
OASIS
• In some places there
are oasis.
• Meaning: A fertile land
in a desert where
water is found.
• Formation:
Depressions are
formed when the wind
blows away the
sands. In the
depressions where
underground water
reaches the surface
an oasis is formed.
People
• Despite of
harsh climate
various
groups of
people
inhabited in
the Sahara
Desert.
• They are:
• Bedounis
• Tuaregs.
Bedounis and Tuaregs
• These groups are
nomadic tribes
rearing livestock's
such as goats,
sheep, camels
and horses
• These animals will
provide them with
meat, milk and
hides.
• They prepare
belts, slippers,
water bottles,
Products prepared
• Hair is used for
mats , carpets,
clothes and
blankets.
• They wear heavy
robes as
protection
against dust
storms and hot
winds.
Crops grown by
the people of
• The oasis in the
Sahara and the Nile
Sahara
Valley in the Egypt
supports settled
population.
• The people grow
crops like: Rice,
Wheat, Barely, and
beans also.
• They grow cotton
also. Egyptian cotton
is famous in the
world.
Discovery of oil.
• A discovery of oil- a
product in great
demand throughout
the world, in
Algeria, Libya and
Egypt is constantly
transforming in the
Sahara desert.
Minerals found in
Mauritoni
Africa.
• Iron
a
• Phosphorous. Nigeria
• Crud oil
Libya
• Uranium. Niger
Change of cultural land
scape of Africa
• The cultural land
scape of Sahara is •
undergoing change.
• Gleaming glass
•
ceased office
buildings tower over
mosques and super
highways 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
operation.
THE COLD DESERT
LADAKH
THE COLD DESERT
• Ladakh is the
LADAKH
cold desert lying • Ladakh is also
in the Great
known as
Himalayas
• “Khapachan”
• Meaning of
which means
Ladakh: It is
“Snow Land”
made up of Two
letters
• “ LA” means
mountain pass.
• “DAK” means
country.
In which continent
Ladakh is situated
Asia
India
LOCATION OF
LADAKH.
Location and boundaries of
Ladakh
• It is lying in the great
Himalayas on the
eastern side of
Jammu and
Kashmir.
• Boundaries: The
Karakorum range in
the north.
• The Zanskar
Mountains in the
south
Boundaries
• It extends from
Siachen glacier in
the Karakoram
range to the north
to the main great
Himalayas to the
south
• The eastern end
of Ladakh Aksai
chin plains under
Chinese control
Rivers
• Several rivers flow
through Ladakh .
• Indus being the most
important among
them.
• Shyok and Nubra
are other rivers
• The rivers form deep
valleys and gorges. A narrow valley with steep slides
and river running through it.
Glaciers
Meaning: The
mass of ice moves
slowly down a
valley.
Several glaciers
are found in
Ladakh. for
Example the
Gangri glacier
Climate of Ladakh
• The air at this altitude is
• The altitude in
so thin that the heat of the
Ladakh varies from
sun can be felt intensely
about 3000m in
Kargil to more than
8000 m in
Karakoram.
• Due to its high
altitude, the climate
is extremely cold
and dry.
Climate
• 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* for
most of the time.
Rainfall
• You will be
• As it lies in the
surprised to know
rain shadow of
that if you sit in
Himalayas, there s the sun with your
little rainfall .
feet in the shade,
• It gets as low as
you may suffer
10 cm every year.
both sunstroke
and frost bite at
• The area
the same time.
experiences
freezing winds and
burning hot
sunlight.
Flora and Fauna
• 1. Due to high
aridity, the
vegetation is sparse.
• 2. There are scanty
patches of grasses
and shrubs for
animals to graze.
• Groves of willows
and poplars are seen
in the valleys.
Preparation of Cricket bats
• The finest
cricket bats
are made
from the
wood of the
willow trees
Fruits grown in Ladakh
During the
summers ,
some fruit trees
grows. such as
1.Apples, 2)
Apricots and
3) Walnuts.
• We will find
different type of
birds in Ladakh
• 1 Hoopoe
• 2. Raven
• 3. Robin
Species of birds.
Birds
• Redstarts
• Tibetan snow
cock
Animals of Ladakh
• The animals of
Ladakh are: 1)
Wild Goats
• 2.) Wild Sheep
• 3)Yak 4) Special
kinds of dogs
• Animals reared to
provide for the
milk, meat and
hides.
• Yak’s milk is
used to make
cheese and
butter.
• The hair of the
sheep and goat
is used to
make woolens.
Endangered species
• The chiru or the
Tibetan Antelope
is an endangered
species.
• It is hunted for its
wool Known as
“Shahtoosh”
• Which is light in
weight and
extremely warm.
Cultivation of crops
• In the summer
season the
people are busy
in cultivating –
• Barely,Potatoes
peas, beans, and
turnip
• The Climate in
winter months is so
harsh that people
keep themselves
engaged in
festivities
and
Drass
, one of
the coldest
ceremonies.
inhabited
places on the
earth is
located in
Ladakh
Climate of Ladakh
Leh
• Leh is the capital of
Ladakh is well
connected both by
road and air.
• The National
Highway 1A
connects Leh to
Kashmir Valley
through the Zoji la
Pass.
Leh highway crosses four
• Rohtang la
passes.
• Baralacha la
• Lungalacha la
• Tangland la.
• The high way
opens only
between July and
September when
snow is cleared
from the road.
Life of the people
• Life of the people
is undergoing
change due to
modernization.
• But the people of
Ladakh have over
the centuries
learned to live in
balance and
harmony with
nature.
They are using resources
like water and fuel with
reverence and care.
Nothing is wasted.
Women at work
• The women are
very hardworking.
They work not
only in the house
and field, but also
manage small
business and
shops.
People of Ladakh
• The people here are
either Muslims or
Buddhists.
• The main religious
groups are Muslims
46%. Tibetan
Buddhists 40%,
Hindus 12% and
others 2% .
• Several Buddhists
monasteries are
there in Ladakh.
• Their traditional
monasteries
called Gompas.
Famous
Monasteries
• Hemis.
• Thiksey.
• Shey.
• Lamayuru.
Tourism
The govt. of India encouraged tourism in
Ladakh
• Tourism is a major
activity with
several tourists
streaming in from
within India and
abroad.
• Visits to the
gompas, treks to Buddhist monasteries
see the meadows found in Ladakh are called
GOMPAS
and glaciers.
FESTIVALS AND
• Ladakh people
CEREMONIES
Witnessing
several
ceremonies and
activities.
THANK YOU ALL
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Credits to all those who have
provided images freely without
royalty.
E-Content by
Ramachandra G Deshpande
TGT Social Science
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya
Haveri, Karnataka