Thar Desert Thar Desert The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is a large arid region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent that covers an area of and forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. It is the world's 17th largest desert, and the world's 9th largest subtropical desert. About 75% of the Thar Desert is located within India, with the remaining 25% in Pakistan. In India, it covers about , and the remaining of the desert is within Pakistan. The Thar desert forms approximately 5%(~4.56%) of the total geographic area of India. More than 60%
Thar Desert was conceived to halt spreading of the desert to fertile areas. There are few local tree species suitable for planting in the desert, which are slow growing. Therefore, exotic tree species were introduced for plantation. Many species of Eucalyptus, Acacia, Cassia and other genera from Israel, Australia, US, Russia, Zimbabwe, Chile, Peru and Sudan have been tried in Thar Desert. "Acacia tortilis" has proved to be the most promising species for desert afforestation and the jojoba is another promising species of economic value found suitable for planting in these areas. There are several protected areas in the Thar Desert. Stretches