Thar Desert (redirected from Rajasthan Steppe)

Thar Desert (tär, tŭr) or Great Indian Desert, extensive arid region, c.500 mi (800 km) long and c.250 mi (400 km) wide, S Asia, in NW India and E Pakistan, between the Indus and Sutlej river valleys on the west and the Aravalli Range on the east. Largely a desolate region of shifting sand dunes, broken rocks, and scrub vegetation, it receives an annual average rainfall of less than 10 in. (25 cm). The sparsely populated region has a pastoral economy. Through the extension of canals fed with Sutlej and Beas waters, irrigation has reclaimed some land for agriculture along the northern and western edges. In May, 1974, India exploded its first nuclear device in the desert in Rajasthan state.

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Thar Desert

 or Great Indian Desert

Region of hot, dry desert, northwestern India and southeastern Pakistan. Its undulating surface is composed of sand dunes separated by sandy plains and low, barren hills. Several saline lakes are found there. Covering some 77,000 sq mi (200,000 sq km), it is bordered by the Indus River plain, the Aravalli Range, and the Punjab plain.

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Thar Desert

a desert in NW India, mainly in NW Rajasthan state and extending into Pakistan. Area: over 260 000 sq. km (100 000 sq. miles)