Which desert is the largest in India?

The Thar Desert is the largest desert in India. Also called the Great Indian Desert, it occupies much of Rajasthan and extends into Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab, while continuing across the international border into Pakistan.

The Thar covers roughly 200,000 to 260,000 square kilometres, depending on how its boundaries are defined. About two-thirds lies in India and the remainder in Pakistan. Unlike many extremely barren deserts, the Thar supports substantial human settlement, livestock herding, agriculture and tourism. Its population is among the highest of any major desert region.

The desert's landscape includes sand dunes, scrub, salt marshes and seasonal watercourses. The 649-kilometre Indira Gandhi Canal supplies water to parts of the region and has enabled farming in areas that were previously much drier. A common mix-up is calling the Sahara India's largest desert; the Sahara is in North Africa, while the Thar is the major desert of the Indian subcontinent.