Previous Year Question

The Kalahari Desert is situated in Southern Africa, with most of its extent lying in Botswana. It also extends into parts of Namibia and South Africa. Botswana lies approximately between 18°S and 27°S latitudes, so the Kalahari lies entirely in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Kalahari is not everywhere an extremely arid sandy desert like the Sahara in the conventional sense. Seasonal rainfall allows grasses, shrubs and scattered trees to grow over many parts of it. For this reason, it is also described in several geographical accounts as a semi-arid sandy region. Nevertheless, because of its aridity, sandy surface and limited surface water, it is classified among the major desert regions of the world.

In contrast, the Gobi Desert lies in Mongolia and northern China, the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico and the south-western United States, and the Sahara Desert in northern Africa. All three are situated in the Northern Hemisphere.