ICSE Class 9 Answered

Tropical deserts are mostly located between 10⁰ to 30⁰ north and south of Equator on the western margins of the continent. These regions lie in the belt of the trade winds. These winds blow from east to west. These winds shed their moisture on the eastern side of the continents. By the time they reach to the western margin of the continents, they had shed their moisture and hence do not cause any rainfall. Thus most of the tropical deserts like The Sahara Desert, the Kalahari Desert, West Australian desert etc. are located on the western margin of the continent. Moreover, these deserts also lie on the leeward side of the mountains and hence the region is also hot and dry.