Religiously, the population of the Thar Desert is divided between among Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs.
The Thar Desert's name derives from the word t'hul, the general term for the region's sand ridges.
The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, encompasses 77,000 square miles of rolling sand dunes in eastern Pakistan and the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan.
The geographic isolation of the Thar Desert by mountain ranges and plains contributes significantly to the weather patterns that shape its distinctive, hot, dry environment.
The Thar Desert faces a distinct environmental threat from the loss of land through wind erosion.
The harsh natural environment and extreme temperature variations found in the Thar Desert have combined to severely inhibit the growth of vegetation.
The abundance of salt water, however, also serves to highlight the extreme lack of drinkable water in the Thar Desert.
The Thar Desert is distinguished by a series of rolling sand dunes that vary in height across the desert.