Karakum Desert

Karakum Desert

The Karakum Desert, also spelled "Kara-Kum" and "Gara Gum" (“Black Sand”) (Turkmen: "Garagum", Russian: "Каракумы") is a desert in Central Asia. It occupies about 70 percent, or 350,000 km², of the area of Turkmenistan. [cite web
url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110529/Karakum-Desert
title=Karakum Desert -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia
publisher=www.britannica.com
accessdate=2008-02-22
last=
first=
]

The population is sparse, with an average of one person per 6.5 km² (one person per 2.5 sq miles).

Location

It lies east of the Caspian Sea, with the Aral Sea to the north and the Amu Darya river and the Kyzyl Kum desert to the northeast. In modern times, with the shrinking of the Aral Sea, the extended "Aral Karakum" has appeared on the former seabed, with an estimated area of 15,440 sq mi/40,000 km²². Although the level of the Aral Sea has fluctuated over its existence, the most recent level drop was caused by the former Soviet Union building massive irrigation projects in the region. Although the North Aral Sea is currently rising, the South Aral Sea is still dropping, thus expanding the size of the desert. [ [http://enrin.grida.no/aral/aralsea/english/arsea/arsea.htm Aral Sea] ]

The sands of the Aral Karakum are made up of a salt-marsh consisting of finely-dispersed evaporites and remnants of alkaline mineral deposits, washed into the basin from irrigated fields. The dusts blown on a powerful east-west airstream carry pesticide residues that have been found in the blood of penguins found in Antarctica. Aral dust has also been found in the glaciers of Greenland, the forests of Norway, and the fields of Russia.

Hydrography

To the south the Murghab and Tejen rivers flow out of the Hindu Kush Mountains, flow west, and empty into the desert, providing water for irrigation.

The desert is crossed by the largest irrigation canal in the world, the Qaraqum Canal. The canal was started in 1954, is 1,375 km in length, and carries 13-20 km³ of water annually. Unfortunately, leakages from the canal have created lakes and ponds along the canal and the rise in groundwater has caused widespread soil salination.

Archaeology

Within the Karakum are the Bolsoi (Big) Balkan, a mountain range in which archaeologists have found human remains dating back to the Stone Age.

Economy and resources

The oases of Mary and Tejen are noted for cotton growing.

Geology

The Karakum Desert is home to the Darvaza Gas Craters coord|40|15|17.68|N|58|26|22.06|E

The area has significant oil and natural gas deposits.

Transport

The desert is crossed by the Trans-Caspian railway.

Notes

See also

* List of deserts by area

External links

* [http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Turkmenistan/Dashoguz/blog-153046.html TravelBlog Darwasa Craters: Entrance to Hell]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Karakum Desert — or Kara Kum Desert Desert area, Central Asia. Located in Turkmenistan, it is bounded to the east by the Amu Darya valley. It can be divided into three major regions: the elevated and wind eroded Trans Unguz in the north, the low lying central… …   Universalium

  • Desert exploration — is the deliberate and scientific exploration of deserts, the arid regions of the earth. It is only incidentally concerned with the culture and livelihood of native desert dwellers. The nature of deserts ensures that the story of their exploration …   Wikipedia

  • Karakum — Zentralasien mit Seidenstraße Die Karakum (auch Kara Kum, turkmen. Garagum, usbek. Qoraqum, wörtlich Schwarzer Sand) ist eine Wüste in Zentralasien. Zusammen mit der benachbarten Kysylkum Wüste (Roter Sand) nimmt sie den größten Teil des inneren… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • desert — desert1 desertic /di zerr tik/, adj. desertlike, adj. /dez euhrt/, n. 1. a region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all: The Sahara is a vast sandy desert. 2. any area …   Universalium

  • Karakum Canal — ▪ canal, Turkmenistan       waterway in Turkmenistan. The main section, begun in 1954 and completed in 1967, runs some 520 miles (840 km) from the Amu Darya (river) to Gökdepe, west of Ashgabat, skirting the Karakum Desert. In the 1970s and 80s… …   Universalium

  • Desert Road — Typische Landschaft in der Rangipu Wüste, von der Desert Road aus gesehen Rangipo Desert (deutsch: Rangipo Wüste) ist eine unfruchtbare, wüstenähnliche Gegend auf der Nordinsel Neuseelands, genauer gesagt im Osten der Zentralen Hochebene östlich… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Desert — Not to be confused with dessert. This article is about dry terrain. For the act of abandoning or withdrawing support, see desertion. For other uses, see Desert (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • Desert Magazine — The Southwest Desert: with a native palm oasis in the Colorado Desert region. Desert Magazine (1937 1985) was a monthly regional publication based in the Colorado Desert, in the Coachella Valley town of Palm Desert near Palm Springs, United… …   Wikipedia

  • KaraKum — Ka·ra Kum (kärʹə ko͞omʹ) A desert region of Turkmenistan between the Caspian Sea and the Amu Darya. * * * …   Universalium

  • Aral Karakum — is the name given to the new desert that has appeared on the seabed once occupied by the Aral Sea. It lies north of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. It is a part of the bigger Karakum Desert. Its area is 15,440 sq mi/40,000 km².HistoryAlthough the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”