Consider the following statements:
- In the world, the tropical deserts occur along the western margins of continents within the trade wind belt.
- In India, the East Himalayan region gets high rainfall from north-east winds.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct
- Major tropical (hot) deserts are generally found along the western edges of continents between about 15° and 30° latitude, where subtropical high-pressure belts and offshore trade winds suppress rainfall, giving rise to trade-wind (coastal) deserts.
Statement 2 is incorrect
- The heavy rainfall in the eastern Himalayan region is mainly caused by the Bay of Bengal branch of the southwest monsoon, which carries moisture inland and leads to orographic rainfall along the eastern Himalaya; it is not due to northeast winds.
