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World Cluster21 Verified Questions
World Mountain Ranges, Major Plateaus & Hyper-Arid Deserts GK Questions & Answers
The physical geography of the continents is dominated by young fold mountain chains, elevated continental plateaus, and hyper-arid desert systems shaped by tectonic movements and atmospheric circulation. The Andes in South America form the longest continental mountain range on Earth, extending over 7,000 kilometres along the Pacific subduction zone and peaking at Mount Aconcagua (6,961 m). In North America, the Rocky Mountains span 4,800 kilometres, while the Alps dominate European orography. The Tibetan Plateau, often designated the "Roof of the World", represents the highest and largest plateau on Earth, averaging over 4,500 metres in altitude across 2.5 million square kilometres, functioning as an engine for the Asian monsoon. Global deserts are distributed across subtropical high-pressure belts and rain-shadow zones. The Sahara Desert in North Africa is the world's largest hot desert, covering 9.2 million square kilometres. The Atacama Desert in Chile is the driest non-polar desert, created by the Humboldt Current and Andean rain shadow, whereas the Gobi Desert in Central Asia constitutes a classic mid-latitude cold desert.
High-yield conceptual summaries for competitive exams and rapid revision.
The Andes range (7,000 km) is the longest continental mountain system, formed by the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate.
The Tibetan Plateau is the world's highest and most expansive plateau (~4,500 m average elevation), driving Asian monsoonal thermodynamics.
The Sahara Desert is the largest subtropical hot desert on Earth, sustained by the descending limb of the Hadley atmospheric circulation cell.
The Atacama Desert in Chile represents the driest non-polar region globally due to the cold offshore Humboldt (Peru) Current and rain-shadow effect.
The Gobi Desert is a prominent rain-shadow cold desert situated in Mongolia and northern China, sheltered from monsoonal air masses by the Himalayas.
Showing 21 Curated Questions21 Total in Bank
1ID: GK-WGEOG-00594
easyDeserts Plateaus
The Sahara Desert, the largest hot desert in the world, covers large parts of which continent?
Verified Explanation
The Sahara Desert spans across approximately 9.2 million square kilometers in North Africa, covering countries from Egypt and Sudan to Morocco and Mauritania.
In 'Sahara India Real Estate Corp. Ltd. v. SEBI' (2012), the Supreme Court laid down which constitutional doctrine allowing courts to temporarily defer media publication of active court proceedings to ensure a fair trial?
Verified Explanation
In the Sahara case (2012), the Supreme Court formulated the 'Doctrine of Postponement' (preventive relief), allowing high courts and the apex court to pass orders temporarily deferring media coverage of sub-judice proceedings if reporting poses a real and substantial risk of prejudice to a fair trial under Article 21.
3ID: GK-WGEOG-00137
hardDeserts Plateaus
The "Tassili n'Ajjer" plateau in the Algerian Sahara is globally celebrated in archaeology and geomorphology for what?
Verified Explanation
Tassili n'Ajjer provides vivid pictorial evidence of the "Green Sahara" (African Humid Period) that existed between 10,000 and 5,000 BCE.
4ID: GK-WGEOG-00254
easyDeserts Plateaus
The Sahara Desert, the largest hot desert on Earth spanning over 9 million square kilometers, covers large parts of which continent?
Verified Explanation
The Sahara Desert spans 11 countries across Northern Africa, from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east.
5ID: GK-WGEOG-00501
mediumClimate Zones
Which hot, oppressive wind originates in the Sahara Desert and sweeps across North Africa and Southern Europe as a desert gale?
Verified Explanation
The Sirocco is a Mediterranean wind that arises in the Sahara and reaches hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe, carrying atmospheric reddish dust.
6ID: GK-CITY-00172
hardGlobal Sobriquets & Epithets: Big Apple, Eternal City, City of Canals
Which ancient trading city in Mali on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert is historically known in Western literature as the 'City of 333 Saints' and 'The Pearl of the Desert'?
Verified Explanation
Timbuktu (Tombouctou) in Mali is renowned as the 'City of 333 Saints' for the numerous Sufi scholars and saints buried there during the Songhai and Mali Empires.
7ID: GK-OCEN-00046
hardOcean Currents, Topography & Marine Ecology
Which cold eastern boundary ocean current flows southward along the north-western coast of Africa, contributing directly to the aridity of the Western Sahara?
Verified Explanation
The Canary Current is a broad, slow-moving cold current that branches off the North Atlantic Current, flowing southward past the Iberian peninsula and north-west African coast toward Cape Verde.
8ID: GK-WGEOG-00496
mediumClimate Zones
The dry, dusty trade wind known as the 'Harmattan' blows across West Africa from which geographical source?
Verified Explanation
The Harmattan is a dry, northeasterly trade wind that carries fine desert dust from the Sahara over West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea between November and March.
9ID: GK-CTRY-00646
hardAfrican Nations
What is the capital and largest city of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, located on the Atlantic coast of the Sahara?
Verified Explanation
Nouakchott was chosen in 1958 as the capital of newly independent Mauritania, transforming from a small coastal fishing village into the nation's primary metropolis.
10ID: GK-RECD-00598
easyWorld Superlatives Geo
Covering an expansive area of over 9.2 million square kilometres across North Africa, what is the largest non-polar hot desert on Earth?
Verified Explanation
The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world (third largest overall after the cold polar deserts of Antarctica and the Arctic), spanning 11 North African nations.
11ID: GK-WGEOG-00005
easyDeserts, Plateaus & Valleys
Which is the largest hot desert in the world, covering much of North Africa?
Verified Explanation
The Sahara Desert spans over 9.2 million square kilometers across 11 North African nations.
12ID: GK-WGEOG-00059
easyDeserts Plateaus
Which is the largest hot desert in the world, covering over 9 million square kilometers across North Africa?
Verified Explanation
The Sahara stretches across 11 nations from the Atlantic Ocean eastward to the Red Sea.
13ID: GK-WGEOG-00204
easyDeserts Plateaus
Which vast subtropical desert covering roughly 9.2 million square kilometers across North Africa is the largest hot desert on Earth?
Verified Explanation
The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, spanning Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia.
14ID: GK-WGEOG-00324
easyDeserts Plateaus
Covering approximately 9.2 million square kilometres across Northern Africa, which is the largest non-polar hot desert on Earth?
Verified Explanation
The Sahara Desert spans 11 countries across North Africa, roughly matching the entire land area of the United States or China.
15ID: GK-WGEOG-00354
easyDeserts Plateaus
The largest hot desert in the world, spanning approximately 9.2 million square kilometers across northern Africa, is the:
Verified Explanation
The Sahara Desert covers most of North Africa, making it the largest hot desert and third-largest desert overall behind Antarctica and the Arctic.
16ID: GK-RECD-00018
easyGeographical & Earth Records
Which is the largest hot desert in the world?
Verified Explanation
The Sahara Desert spans roughly 9.2 million sq km, comparable in size to the entire United States or China.
17ID: GK-RECD-00063
easyWorld Superlatives Geo
What is the world's largest hot desert by surface area, covering approximately 9.2 million square kilometers across North Africa?
Verified Explanation
The Sahara spans eleven North African countries from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.
18ID: GK-RECD-00241
hardWorld Superlatives Geo
What is the largest desert on Earth by total geographic surface area (covering approximately 14.2 million square kilometers / 5.5 million square miles)?
Verified Explanation
Because a desert is defined climatologically by low precipitation (<250 mm/year), the Antarctic Desert is the largest on Earth (14.2M sq km), followed by the Arctic Desert (13.9M sq km) and Sahara (9.2M sq km).
19ID: GK-RECD-00361
easyWorld Superlatives Geo
By total surface area, which geographical region is the largest desert in the world (covering approx. 14.2 million sq km)?
Verified Explanation
Deserts are defined by low annual precipitation; Antarctica is a polar desert covering 14.2 million sq km, making it the world's largest desert (Sahara is largest hot desert at 9.2 million sq km).
20ID: GK-RECD-00414
easyWorld Superlatives Geo
What is the largest hot desert in the world, covering an area of over 9.2 million square kilometers across North Africa?
Verified Explanation
The Sahara Desert is the largest sub-tropical hot desert in the world, spanning 9.2 million square kilometers across 11 North African countries.
21ID: GK-WHIST-01046
mediumThe Cold War Era & Decolonization (1945–1991)
Which bilateral peace accords signed in March 1962 between the French government under Charles de Gaulle and the FLN ended the Algerian War of Independence and recognized Algerian sovereignty?
Verified Explanation
Signed on March 18, 1962, in Évian-les-Bains, France, the Evian Accords established a formal ceasefire, guaranteed a self-determination referendum for the Algerian population, protected French petroleum rights in the Sahara temporarily, and concluded eight years of war. In a July 1962 referendum, Algerians voted overwhelmingly for independence, ending 132 years of French colonial rule.