Correct Answer - Option 3 : Ladakh
Deserts are arid ecosystems that receive fewer than 25 centimetres (10 inches) of precipitation a year.
There are two types of desert-
-
Hot desert- They are hot arid areas with little rainfall, extreme temperature, and sparse vegetation. Generally, the deserts that are found in the tropical and sub-tropical regions between 15 degrees and 30 degrees north and south of the equator are hot deserts. The highest temperature goes to over 50°C.
-
Cold desert- They have hot summers but extremely cold winters. These deserts are found in high, flat areas, called plateaus, or mountainous areas in temperate regions of the world. The mean winter temperature is between -2 to 4°C.
- The Cold Desert Cultural Landscape of India is situated in the Himalayas and stretches from Ladakh (in the state of Jammu and Kashmir) in the north to Kinnaur (in the state of Himachal Pradesh) in the south.
- The region constitutes a Cold Desert biome with harsh climatic conditions, which can be attributed to two factors. One is its location on the leeward side of the Himalayas, which makes it a rain-shadow zone inaccessible to the annual southeastern monsoon winds that sweep the rest of the country, thus creating desert conditions with low levels of precipitation.
- Second is its very high elevation (ranging from 3000 – 5000m)that adds to the coldness in its environment. A huge seasonal variation is seen in the climatic conditions, ranging from short and dry summers with harsh sunlight (maximum temperature reaching up to 36˚C during the day) to long, windy, and freezing winters (minimum temperature touching -32˚C at night). Blizzards, snowstorms, and avalanches are common. The soil is not very fertile and the climatic conditions allow very short growing seasons making it a bare landscape. Water resources are minimal and comprise glacier-fed streams.
- Ladakh is also known as ‘land of the passes’.
- Its topography is barren and the population is sparselyinhabited along the river banks of different valleys namely Indus, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar, and Suru.
Hence, the correct answer is Ladakh.
-
Shimla: Located in the middle ranges of the Himalayas, Shimla is a lovely hill station. It is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. Shimla's geographical location is responsible for its pleasant climatic conditions. The Siwalik region has hot summers (March to June), with temperatures rising above 100 °F (38 °C), cool and dry winters (October to February), and a wet season (July to September), with rains brought by the southwestern monsoon. As elevations increase farther north, the climate becomes wetter and cooler. In the Great Himalayas, winters are bitterly cold and snowy, with temperatures dropping below 0 °F (–18 °C).
-
Srinagar:is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, a region of the disputed Kashmir region administered by India as a union territory.It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. Srinagar has a humid subtropical climate. The valley is surrounded by the Himalayas on all sides. Winters are cool, with daytime temperature averaging to 2.5 °C (36.5 °F), and drops below freezing point at night. Moderate to heavy snowfall occurs in winter.
