(i) The two types of deserts found in the world are hot deserts such as Sahara, and cold deserts such as Ladakh.
(ii) The Sahara desert is located in Africa.
(iii) The climate is extremely cold and dry in the Ladakh desert. The day temperatures in summers are just above zero degree and the night temperatures well below -30°C. It is freezing cold in the winters when the temperatures may remain below -40°C for most of the time. As it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, these is little rainfall, as low as 10 em every year. The area experiences freezing winds and burring hot sunlight.
(iv) Ladakh is a famous tourist place. The tourists from within the country and abroad enjoy visiting Buddhist monasteries that dot the Ladakhi landscape with their traditional 'gompas'. The meadows and glaciers in Ladakh also attract the tourists. The ceremonies and festivities in which the local people keep themselves engaged during winter months are great attractions to the tourists.
(v) The people of the Sahara desert wear heavy robes
(vi) Willows, poplars, and fruit trees such as apples, apricots and walnuts grow in Ladakh.

Due to high aridity, the vegetation is sparse. There are scanty patches of grasses and shrubs for animals to graze. Groves of willows and .poplars are seen in the valleys.
During the summers, fruit trees such as apples, apricots and walnuts bloom. Several species of birds are sighted in Ladakh. Robins, redstarts, Tibetan snowcock, raven and hoopoe are common. Some of these are migratory birds. The animals of Ladakh are wild goats, wild sheep, yak and special kinds of dogs. The animals are reared to provide for the milk, meat and hides. Yak's milk is used to make cheese and butter. The hair of the sheep and goat is used to make woollens.

The differences between the Sahara and Ladakh deserts are

The Sahara desert despite its harsh climate has been inhabited by various groups of people, who pursue different activities. Among them are the Bedouins and Tuaregs. These groups are nomadic tribes rearing livestock such as goats, sheep, camels and horses. These animals provide them with milk, hides from which they make leather for belts, slippers, water bottles; hair is used for mats, carpets, clothes and blankets.
They wear heavy robes as protection against dust storms and hot winds. The oasis in the Sahara and the Nile Valley in Egypt supports settled population. Crops such as rice, wheat, barley and beans are also grown.
The discovery of oil - a product in great demand throughout the world, in Algeria, Libya and Egypt is constantly transforming the Sahara desert. Other minerals of importance that are found in the area include iron, phosphorus, manganese and uranium.

(i) The Chiru or the Tibetan antelope is an endangered
species.
(ii) It is hunted for its wool known as shahtoosh.
(iii) Shahtoosh is light in weight and extremely warm.

In the depressions where underground water reaches the surface, an oasis is formed. People may settle around these water bodies as these areas are fertile and people can grow date palms and other crops.
Sometimes the oasis may be abnormally large. Tafilalet Oasis in Morocco is a large oasis with an area of about 13,000sq.km.

Sahara desert is the largest desert of the world located in North Africa. It has an area of around 8.54 million sq. km.
The Sahara desert touches eleven countries. These are Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia and Western Sahara.
Sahara desert is covered with the vast stretches of sands; gravel plains and elevated plateaus with bare rocky surface. These rocky surfaces may be more than 2500m high at some places.

(i) Ladakh is a cold desert situated in the Great Himalayas, on the eastern side of Jammu and Kashmir.
(ii) It is flanked by the Karakoram Range in the north and the Zanskar mountains in the south.
(iii) Several rivers flow through Ladakh, these rivers form deep valleys and gorges.
(iv) Several glaciers including Gangri glacier are found in Ladakh.
(v) The altitude in Ladakh varies from about 3000m in Kargil to more than 8,000m in the Karakoram