Taklamakan Desert is situated in
- A.Western Asia
- B.Southern fringe of Sahara in Africa
- C.South America
- D.Central Asia
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, Central Asia. The Taklamakan lies in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang in north-western China, in the heart of Central Asia.
The Taklamakan is a cold, sandy desert ringed by high mountains: the Kunlun to the south, the Tian Shan to the north and the Pamirs to the west. These ranges block moist winds, so the basin gets very little rain, and its dunes keep shifting. Ancient Silk Road traders avoided its centre and travelled through oasis towns such as Kashgar, Khotan and Turpan along its edges. The Gobi Desert lies further east, across Mongolia and northern China.
A is wrong because the deserts of Western Asia are those of Arabia, such as the Rub al Khali, and the Syrian Desert.
B is wrong because the southern fringe of the Sahara is the Sahel, a semi-arid belt, not the Taklamakan.
C is wrong because South America's deserts are the Atacama in Chile and the Patagonian Desert in Argentina.
Exam tip: Taklamakan, Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, between the Kunlun and the Tian Shan.
Practice Questions
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- B.Gulf Stream
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- B.Manipur, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
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- A.10 nautical miles
- B.12 nautical miles
- C.14 nautical miles
- D.15 nautical miles
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