Thar Desert facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Thar Desert Great Indian Desert
Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India
Map of the Thar Desert ecoregion
Ecology
Realm	Indomalayan
Biome	Deserts and xeric shrublands
Borders	Northwestern thorn scrub forests and Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh
Geography
Area	238,254 km² (91,990 sq mi)
Countries	India and Pakistan
States of India and provinces of Pakistan	India: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Pakistan: Punjab and Sindh
Coordinates	27°N 71°E / 27°N 71°E / 27; 71
Climate type	Hot
Conservation
Conservation status	vulnerable
Protected	41,833 km² (18%)

The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is a very dry area in the northwestern part of India and Pakistan. It covers about 200,000 km² (77,000 sq mi). This makes it the world's 18th-largest desert. It is also the 9th-largest hot desert in the world.

Most of the Thar Desert (about 85%) is in India. The rest (about 15%) is in Pakistan. In India, over 60% of the desert is in the state of Rajasthan. It also reaches into Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana. In Pakistan, it extends into the provinces of Sindh and Punjab. The part in Pakistan's Punjab province is called the Cholistan Desert.

To the north, west, and northeast of the Thar Desert is a large flat area called the Indo-Gangetic Plain. To the south is the Rann of Kutch, a salty marshland. The Aravali Range of hills forms the eastern border of the desert.

In 2023, scientists found fossils of a plant-eating dinosaur group called dicraeosaurids in the Thar Desert. These fossils are 167 million years old. This was the first time this type of dinosaur was found in India. It is also the oldest fossil of this group ever found anywhere in the world.

How the Thar Desert Formed

The Ice Age and the Desert

About 20,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum (a very cold period), a huge sheet of ice covered the Tibetan Plateau. This ice reflected a lot of the sun's energy back into space. This made the air above it much colder.

This cold air changed the weather patterns. It stopped the monsoon rains from reaching the Indian subcontinent. Without these rains, the Thar Desert grew much larger. More dust blew into the Arabian Sea. Animals like the Javan rusa deer moved into India because of these climate changes.

The Drying of the Sarasvati River

An old map showing the Sarasvati River and today's Ghaggar-Hakra river. 1 = ancient river 2 = today's river 3 = today's Thar desert 4 = ancient shore 5 = today's shore 6 = today's town 7 = dried-up Harappan Hakkra course, and pre-Harappan Sutlej paleochannels

Between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago, a river called the Ghaggar-Hakra changed its path. This river is thought to be the ancient Sarasvati River. It used to flow into a branch of the Indus River. But then it changed course. It became a system of rivers that only flowed during the monsoon season. These rivers no longer reached the sea and now end in the Thar Desert.

Around 5,000 years ago, the monsoon rains became even weaker. Even so, the Indus Valley civilization (IVC) grew in this area. Many cities like Kalibangan, Banawali, Rakhigarhi, Dholavira, and Lothal appeared along this river path.

About 4,000 years ago, the monsoons became much weaker. The Ghaggar-Hakra river dried up and only flowed sometimes. The large cities of the Harappan civilization then declined. People started living in smaller farming communities.

Geography of the Thar Desert

A NASA satellite image of the Thar Desert. The line shows the border between India and Pakistan.

A view of the Thar Desert.

The northeastern part of the Thar Desert is located between the Aravalli Hills. The desert stretches north to Punjab and Haryana. To the south, it reaches the Rann of Kutch along the coast. To the west and northwest, it meets the flat lands of the Indus River.

Much of the desert has huge, moving sand dunes. These dunes get sand from the flat plains and the coast. The sand moves easily because of strong winds. These winds blow every year before the monsoon season starts.

The Luni River is the only river in the desert. The desert gets between 100 to 500 mm (4 to 20 in) of rain each year. Almost all of this rain falls between June and September.

There are also saltwater lakes in the Thar Desert. These include Sambhar, Kuchaman, Didwana, Pachpadra, and Phalodi in Rajasthan. Kharaghoda is in Gujarat. These lakes collect rainwater during the monsoon. They dry up during the dry season. The salt in them comes from rocks in the area.

Climate of the Thar Desert

The climate in the Thar Desert is dry and subtropical. Temperatures change a lot with the seasons. In winter, it can get close to freezing. In summer, it can be hotter than 50 °C. The average yearly rainfall is between 100 and 500 mm. This rain falls during the short monsoon season, from July to September.

The desert has two main parts. The western part, called Marusthali, is very dry. The eastern part is a semidesert. It has fewer sand dunes and gets a bit more rain.

Controlling Desert Spread

Planting jojoba plants to make the desert greener in Fatehpur, Shekhawati.

Planting Acacia tortilis trees near Laxmangarh to stop sand dunes from moving.

The Indira Gandhi Canal brings fresh water to the Thar Desert.

A road in Tharparkar district, Sindh, Pakistan. There are not many highways in the Thar Desert due to the harsh weather.

The soil in the Thar Desert is dry for most of the year. This means wind can easily blow it away. Strong winds carry soil from the desert. Some of this soil lands on fertile lands nearby. The winds also cause sand dunes within the desert to move.

To stop this, people try to make the sand dunes stable. They first build small barriers with scrub plants to block the wind. Then, they plant shrubs like phog, senna, and castor oil plant. They also plant trees like gum acacia, Prosopis juliflora, and lebbek tree.

The Indira Gandhi Canal is 649 km long. It brings fresh water to the Thar Desert. It was built to stop the desert from spreading into fertile areas.

Protected Areas in the Desert

Several areas in the Thar Desert are protected to save wildlife:

In India:
- The Desert National Park in Rajasthan covers 3,162 km² (1,221 sq mi). It protects the desert's natural environment. It includes 44 villages. Animals found here include the great Indian bustard, blackbuck, chinkara, fox, wolf, and caracal. Old seashells and huge fossilized tree trunks in the park show the desert's long history.
- The Tal Chhapar Sanctuary covers 7 km² (2.7 sq mi). It is an important place for birds. It is in the Churu district of Rajasthan, 210 km (130 mi) from Jaipur. This sanctuary is home to many blackbucks, foxes, caracals, partridges, and sand grouse.
- The Sundha Mata Conservation Reserve covers 117.49 km² (45.36 sq mi). It is in the Jalore District of Rajasthan.
In Pakistan:
- The Nara Desert Wildlife Sanctuary covers 6,300 km² (2,400 sq mi). It is in Mirpur Khas District. It has the largest group of the endangered mugger crocodile in Pakistan.
- The Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary in Badin District is an important bird area. It is also a Ramsar Site, which means it is a wetland of international importance. It has 30 types of mammals, 112 bird species, 20 reptiles, and 22 important plant species.
- The Lal Suhanra Biosphere Reserve and National Park is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. It covers 65,791 hectares (254.02 sq mi) in the Cholistan Desert part of the Thar Desert.

Biodiversity: Plants and Animals

Desert Animals

Some wildlife species that are disappearing in other parts of India are found in large numbers in the Thar Desert. These include the blackbuck (a type of antelope), the chinkara (Indian gazelle), and the Indian wild ass in the Rann of Kutch. These animals are well-suited to the desert. They are smaller than similar animals in other places. They also mostly come out at night.

The grasslands in this area have not been turned into farms as quickly as in other regions. Also, a local community called the Bishnois works hard to protect these animals.

Other mammals in the Thar Desert include a type of red fox and the caracal (a wild cat). Many reptiles also live there.

The region is a safe place for 141 types of birds. These include birds that migrate (travel) and birds that live there all the time. Some examples are harriers, falcons, buzzards, kestrels, vultures, and different kinds of eagles.

The Indian peafowl (peacock) lives and breeds in the Thar region. The peacock is the national bird of India. It is also the provincial bird of Punjab (Pakistan). You can often see peacocks sitting on khejri or pipal trees in villages.

A peacock on a khejri tree.
A peafowl eating pieces of chapati in Tharparkar District, Sindh.
A male and female blackbuck.
The chinkara, or Indian gazelle, lives across the Thar Desert.

Desert Plants

Khumbi mushrooms from Tharparkar, Sindh.

The Prosopis cineraria tree, also called khejri or kandi.

The natural plants in this dry area are called "northwestern thorn scrub forest." These plants grow in small groups that are spread out. The groups become bigger and denser from west to east, where there is more rainfall.

The natural plants of the Thar Desert include these trees, shrubs, and herbs:

Trees and shrubs: Vachellia jacquemontii, Balanites roxburghii, Ziziphus zizyphus, Ziziphus nummularia, Calotropis procera, Suaeda fruticosa, Crotalaria burhia, Aerva javanica, Clerodendrum multiflorum, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Lycium barbarum, Grewia tenax, Commiphora mukul, Euphorbia caducifolia, Euphorbia neriifolia, Cordia sinensis, Maytenus emarginata, Capparis decidua, Mimosa hamata.
Herbs and grasses: Ochthochloa compressa, Dactyloctenium scindicum, Cenchrus biflorus, Cenchrus setiger, Lasiurus scindicus, Cynodon dactylon, Panicum turgidum, Panicum antidotale, Dichanthium annulatum, Sporobolus marginatus, Saccharum spontaneum, Cenchrus ciliaris, Desmostachya bipinnata, Eragrostis species, Ergamopagan species, Phragmites species, Tribulus terrestris, Typha species, Sorghum halepense, Citrullus colocynthis.

Some plants that are found only in this area include Calligonum polygonoides, Prosopis cineraria, Acacia nilotica, Tamarix aphylla, and Cenchrus biflorus.

People of the Thar Desert

The Thar people are the original people of this area. The Thar Desert is the most populated desert in the world. About 83 people live in every square kilometer. In India, the people living here are Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Muslims. In Pakistan, the people are mostly Muslims and Hindus.

About 40% of all the people in Rajasthan state live in the Thar Desert. Most people here work in farming and raising animals.

Jodhpur is the largest city in the region. It is on the edge of the desert, where there are more scrub forests. Bikaner and Jaisalmer are the biggest cities located completely inside the desert.

A girl from the Gadia Lohar nomadic tribe cooking food near Marwar.
Life in the Thar Desert.
Desert tribes near Jaisalmer, India.

Water and Homes in the Desert

In the driest parts of the desert, the only water for animals and people comes from small ponds. Some are natural (called tobas), and some are built by people (called johads). There is often not enough water in the Thar. This makes many people live a nomadic life, moving from place to place. Most permanent homes are near two seasonal streams in the Karon-Jhar hills.

Finding good drinking water underground is also hard in the Thar Desert. Much of it tastes bad because of minerals. Drinking water is usually found only very deep underground. When people dig wells that have good-tasting water, others tend to settle nearby. But digging these wells is hard and can be dangerous for the workers.

In some areas, homes are very close together.

Huts in the Thar Desert.
Johads are common water sources.
Tanks for drinking water.

Economy of the Thar Desert

Farming in the Desert

The Thar is one of the most populated deserts in the world. Most people here work in farming and raising animals.

Farmers mainly grow kharif crops. These are summer crops planted in June and July. They are harvested in September and October. Examples include bajra, pulses like guar, jowar, maize, sesame, and groundnuts.

Bajra is the main summer crop in Thar.
Mustard fields in a village in Shri Ganganagar district, Rajasthan, India.

Raising Animals

The Thari cow breed comes from Tharparkar District, Sindh. It became popular after World War I.
Cattle in the Thar Desert.

Forest Farming

Cutting branches from a khejri tree for animal food and fuel in Harsawa village.

The wood from the P. cineraria tree (khejri) burns very well and makes good fuel. Its cut branches are also good for building fences. The roots of this tree help the soil by adding nitrogen. This helps other crops grow better.

A Tecomella undulata tree in the village of Harsawa.

Desert Tourism

Desert safaris on camels have become very popular around Jaisalmer. People from India and other countries visit the desert for camel adventures. These trips can last from one day to several days. This type of tourism helps people see the unique and beautiful environment of the Thar Desert.

This tourism also provides jobs and income for many camel owners and tour operators in Jaisalmer. It also gives work to many camel trekkers in nearby desert villages. People from all over the world come to see the Pushkar ka Mela (Pushkar Fair) and the desert oases (water holes).

A camel ride in the Thar Desert near Jaisalmer, India.
Sunrise in the desert.

Industries in the Desert

The government of India started looking for oil in the Jaisalmer area in 1955 and 1956. In 1988, Oil India Limited found natural gas in the Jaisalmer basin.

History of the Thar Desert Region

The Desert National Park in Jaisalmer district has a collection of animal and plant fossils that are 180 million years old.

The historical area of Jaisalmer State was once part of a large empire ruled by the Bhati family. This empire stretched from what is now Ghazni in Afghanistan to Sialkot, Lahore, and Rawalpindi in Pakistan. It also included Bhatinda and Hanumangarh in India. This empire slowly broke apart because of many invasions from Central Asia.

Over time, the Bhati family's lands moved south. They ruled Multan, and then were pushed into Cholistan and Jaisalmer. There, Rawal Devaraja built Derawar Fort. In 1156, Maharawal Jaisal Singh founded Jaisalmer as the new capital. The state was named after this capital. On December 11, 1818, Jaisalmer became a British protectorate, meaning it was protected by the British.

The kingdom's main way of making money used to be by collecting taxes from caravans (groups of traders). But when Bombay became a big port, trade by sea largely replaced trade by land. This caused the kingdom's economy to suffer. Maharawals Ranjit Singh and Bairi Sal Singh tried to fix the economic problems, but the kingdom still became poor. To make things worse, there was a very bad drought (a long period without rain) and a famine (a time of severe food shortage) from 1895 to 1900. This happened during the rule of Maharawal Salivahan Singh. Many farm animals died, which hurt the kingdom even more since it relied on farming.

In 1965 and 1971, people moved between the Indian and Pakistani parts of the Thar Desert. About 3,500 Muslims moved from the Indian side to the Pakistani side. At the same time, thousands of Hindu families moved from the Pakistani side to the Indian side.

Images for kids

Vedic and present-day Gagghar-Hakra river-course, with Aryavarta/Kuru Kingdom, and (pre-)Harappan Hakkra/Sutlej-Yamuna paleochannels as proposed by and . See also this satellite image.