The Thar Desert lies mainly in India and Pakistan and includes Rajasthan’s Thar region.
Also called the Great Indian Desert, the Thar occupies about 200,000 square kilometres. Most of it is in India’s Rajasthan state, while its western and northern sections extend into Pakistan’s Sindh and Punjab provinces.
The Aravalli Range helps define part of the desert’s eastern boundary. Unlike many sparsely inhabited deserts, the Thar supports a large population through irrigated agriculture, livestock herding, trade, and desert settlements.
The Indira Gandhi Canal has brought water from the Sutlej and Beas river system into parts of northwestern Rajasthan. The Thar is distinct from the broader Arabian Desert, which surrounds it geographically but is not the specific name for this India–Pakistan desert.