The desert of Thar
Also known as Great Indian Desert, this arid region covers about 92,200 square miles and is the seventh largest desert in the world. The name Thar has a meaning, a term for the sand ridges characteristic of this desert. About 10 percent of the desert of Thar contains sand dunes, while the rest are steep rocks, salt lake beds and meadows. Although it borders the Indus to the west, Thar is a dry subtropical zone because the monsoons that carry the rain to the rest of India bypass this region. The region has extreme temperatures ranging from freezing in winter to hovering heat of over 122 degrees Fahrenheit in summer.
The scrub forests of Deccan Thorn
The Deccan Plateau, also known as the Deccan Thorn scrubland, extends to the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnatake and also includes part of northern Sri Lanka. Less than 750 millimetres of rain fall on this dry region and there is almost no moisture from November to April. Temperatures reach more than 40 degrees Celsius during the summer months.
Kutch White Salt Desert
One of the darkest and hottest regions of India is the Kutch White Salt Desert, also known as White Rann or Great Rann of Kutch. This region covers approximately 2,898 square miles and is located in the state of Gujarat, on the western border of India with the Sind desert in Pakistan. As the name suggests, this desert is covered with layers of white salt, which gives it the surreal aspect of a snowy landscape. Average summer temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius, while in winter, the desert cools below freezing.
Spiti Valley Cold Desert
The Cold desert of the Spiti Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh is a cold desert high in the mountains that hosts rare wildlife, including snow leopards. This desert takes its name, Spiti , from its location – midfield – between Tibet and India. The area of the valley of Spiti is one of the least populated regions of India; he serves as a gateway to the most northerly regions of the country. The valley lies in the part northeast of the state and receives an abundance of sun and snow, but very little rain. During the winter months, its sparse inhabitants, essentially 35 people in a village, are essentially cut off from the rest of the country until the snow disappears.