Pakistan is an amazing country for tourism in every way. It has many beautiful mountain ranges, hidden tourist gems, amazing hill stations, and historical places in the world. Because the country has so much natural beauty, it was recently named the best place to visit in the world. The uniqueness of Pakistan’s landscape is also shown by the fact that around 10% of the country is made up of deserts and other types of empty land. The deserts of Pakistan can be found in different parts of the country. They are best known for their unique features, which also make them different from each other. In this blog, we’ll look at some interesting facts about Pakistan’s vast, barren, and strange lands.
Here we go!
Let’s start by writing down the names of some of Pakistan’s most well-known deserts:
- Thar Desert
- Cholistan Desert
- Thal Desert
- Kharan Desert
Thar Desert, the Largest Desert of Pakistan
The Thar Desert, also called the Great Indian Desert, is one of the biggest deserts on Earth. Also, it is on the border between India and Pakistan. Moreover, it is a huge, dry area with rolling sandhills that takes up a quarter of a million square kilometers of the subcontinent. The Thar desert covers a big part of the Indian states of Punjab and Gujrat, as well as the Pakistani province of Sindh. To give a number for this fact, about 85% of the desert is in India and 15% is in Pakistan.
Another amazing thing about Thar is that around 30 million people live there, even though it is a harsh desert. This makes it one of the most populated, easily approachable, and least hostile deserts in the world. It is often called the “Friendly Desert” because of these things. Most of the people who live in this country are farmers who follow both Islam and Hinduism. This makes the area more culturally diverse, and people here have many colorful events all through the year. A big part of Thar’s population is made up of nomads, who make their living through gardening and mostly take care of animals.
Thar is also home to some of Pakistan’s most interesting animals, which have learned to live in the hot, dry desert. Some of the rarest animals and birds, like the Blackbuck, Chinkara, Bishnois, red fox, peacock, peafowl, eagles, harriers, falcons, buzzards, kestrel, and vultures, can be seen grazing on the thorny bushes and wandering around in this vast desert.
Cholistan Desert
The Cholistan Desert, also called Rohi by the people who live there, is one of Pakistan’s most well-known deserts. It is on the outskirts of Bahawalpur, which is one of the most well-known towns in Punjab. Most of the people who live on this barren area of 16,000 square kilometers are semi-nomadic. They move from place to place in search of food, cover from the harsh weather, and food for their animals.
Cholistan is known for making a lot of well-known things, like cotton and wool goods, beautiful handwoven blankets and rugs, and different kinds of gold and silver jewelry. The cottage industry in the Cholistan Desert is the main source of income for the area. The famous Cholistani Khussas are just one of the hand-made things that are made there. Aside from those who live in villages, most nomads make their living from livestock. They raise animals to sell, milk, or shear for their wool.
Thal Desert
Thal is another very well-known desert in Pakistan. It is in the Jhang area of western Punjab. From north to south, the desert is 305 kilometers long and has a lot of very different natural features. For example, it has some of the most beautiful views of sand dunes, which are made even more beautiful by the clear blue sky in the background. Cyclones of wind also happen often in the desert.
Thal is not at all like what we usually think of when we think of a desert. In fact, it is covered with lush green plants during the months of February and March, when local farmers grow hara choliyan (green beans) on the desert land. But when harvest time is over, the desert goes back to being a bare, empty place.
Kharan Desert
The Kharan Desert is a sandy, hilly desert in the south-western part of Pakistan. It is in the province of Balochistan. The desert is about 36,000 square kilometers big, which makes it one of Pakistan’s biggest deserts. The climate in the desert is known for being dry and hard, with high temperatures and very little rain. It is home to many plants, trees, and animals that have adapted to living in the desert, such as the famous Kharan camel, which was born and raised there.
Pakistan’s second nuclear test, called Chagai-II, was done in this area on May 30, 1998. The land is not good for farming because it doesn’t get enough water. Most of what they do is gardening and agriculture. Most of the land is dry, greyish-brown sand that spreads out.
Alexander the Great went through this part of the world. He went through the historic Khyber Pass to get to the Indus Valley. After defeating Porus in the 4th century BC, he went back to Babylonia and went through the Kharan desert. He did this to compare himself to Cyrus the Great, who had also gone through the desert.
Katpana Desert
The Cold Desert is near Skardu in the Gilgit-Baltistan area of northern Pakistan. There are big sand dunes in the desert that are sometimes covered in snow in the winter. The Katpana Desert is one of the largest deserts in the world. It is located 2,226 meters (7,303 feet) above sea level.
The desert goes from Khaplu Valley in Ladakh to Nubra, but the major part is in Skardu Valley. Furthermore, the part that gets the most visitors is near Skardu Airport.
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