Brief notes on the Hot, Tundra and Taiga, Deserts

These are semi-arid and arid regions:

Hot Deserts:

Hot deserts occur along the western coast of Peru and northern Chile, the Kalahari in South Africa, the Sahara that covers most of Northern Africa and the Great Sandy Desert of South Western Australia. The plants of these regions have various means of retaining moisture. Some have very long roots, while some have fleshy stems and thorny leaves.

There are very few animals in this region. In the semi-arid region, the animals found are African lynx, lizards, scorpions and beetles. Most important animal is camel, which can survive under the harsh conditions of deserts.

Tundra:

These regions are vast areas that are covered with snow for most year. It is too cold for anything to grow here, except for mosses and lichens during the short summer. The only animal that can survive here all the year round is the reindeer.

Other animals found are penguin, polar bear, seal, Arctic fox and the whale. These regions are found in the northernmost fringe of North America and Eurasia, the Arctic and the Antarctic. To the few inhabitants of this region the reindeer provides meat and milk as well as clothes and shoes. Most of the people migrate south during the severe winters.

The Taiga:

This is a broad belt of Coniferous forests extending from 550 N latitude up to the Arctic Circle. It runs across the northern parts of North America and Russia. The region has short warm summers and long cold winters. There is low rainfall mainly occurring in summer. These are forests of evergreen conical trees with needle-shaped leaves and very little undergrowth.

Lumbering is the main occupation and allied industries like paper; pulp and synthetic fibers have developed. In the southern regions, barley, oats and potatoes are grown. In the colder northern regions, hunting and trapping are important activities in winter. Because of the abundance of wood, log houses are a common sight.

The Tundra:

The Tundra region extends northwards from the Arctic Circle. It includes the polar ice caps, Greenland and the northernmost fringes of Canada and Eurasia. Apart from the permanently frozen regions of Greenland and Antarctica, the other areas too are extremely cold.

Summer temperatures are rarely above 10’ C Precipitation is less than 25 cm in the form of snow in winters. During the short growing season, the ground is covered with grass and flowering plants.