← All questionsGS1 · 2013 · Geography ·Location of Hot Deserts
MAINS 2013
GS1
10 marks

Major hot deserts in northern hemisphere are located between 20-30 degree north and on the western side of the continents. Why?

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7 min
200 words
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What the examiner wants

Explain why hot deserts lie at 20-30°N on western sides of continents.

WhyAnswer exactly what the question asks.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Subtropical high pressure: descending air of the Hadley cell is dry and stable≈35 words
  2. 2Trade winds blow offshore on western margins, bringing little moisture≈35 words
  3. 3Cold currents (Canary, California) cool the air above, causing stability and fog, not rain≈35 words
  4. 4Examples: Sahara, Sonoran/Mojave; southern analogues Namib, Atacama≈35 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

Global pressure beltsWind directionCold currentsExamplesConclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Mentioning only one cause
  • Wrong currents for each desert

Draw this

  • World map marking hot deserts and adjacent cold currents

Value addition

  • ExampleThe Canary Current along the Sahara's Atlantic coast and the California Current near the Sonoran desert.Physical geography
  • ConceptHadley cell descending limb near 30° latitude creates the subtropical high.Atmospheric circulation

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