Why much of the middle east is desert but not Iran and Turkey ??

 The answer begins high above the earth, in the invisible belt of air that circles the globe.

Much of the middle east sits between 20 to 30 degrees North of the equator.

Here part of global air circulation system comes into play.

Warm air raises near the equator. Travels northward high in atmosphere, sinks back down over subtropics.

When air sinks rather than rising, it gets compressed, warms and dries out.

Warm air holds moisture instead of releasing it.  This makes cloud formation difficult.

Without clouds, there is no rain  !!!

This phenomena happened for thousands of years.

This turned Arabian peninsula into one of world's greatest deserts.

The same dry belt is responsible for Sahara in Africa and northern desert parts of Australia.

But near Iran and Turkey, geography changes  !!!

The mountains found here acts like walls. When moist air from near by seas move inland, these mountains force it to go upwards.

As the air climbs, it gets cooler.  Cooler air releases moisture as rain and snow.  

Suddenly valley turns green and rivers start to flow !!!

Deserts dominate large part of Arabian peninsula because of global wind patterns, whereas Iran and Turkey look different because mountain catches the rain and softens the climate.

Surprising things about baby elephants

 Baby elephants called " calves "  have many cute habits.  

They take a very long time to born and they are bigger than any other new born animals  !!!

Baby elephants often use their trunk for comfort.  Just like human babies suck their thumb, baby elephants suck their trunk  !!!

Baby elephants weigh 90  -  130  kilos at birth making them heaviest newborns on land  !!!

Mother elephant is pregnant for nearly 2  years !!!  This long time helps the baby to grow fully and be strong enough to survive.

Baby elephants don't know how to use their trunk properly !!! In the beginning they swing it clumsily and sometimes even trip over it  !!!

Baby elephants spend a loi of time playing with each other.

Which is this city ??

 This question was asked on Koun Banega Karodpati program.

Question 

Which of these cities  is located on the lake of same name  ??

1.  Paris 

2. Zürich 

3.  New York 

4.  Rome

Answer 

I really don't know about these cities.

Nor the contestant   !!!

He opted for " audience poll " helpline.

Audience voted for      ZURICH    !!!

Here are some points.

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and a leading financial center.  

It is known for high quality of life.

Zurich is located on Lake Zurich spanning an area of about 68 square kms. 

List of important straits in the world

 Straits are some of the world's important maritime routes.

These  narrow waterways link large oceans and seas serving as trade routes.

Some important straits are  ----

1.   Strait of Malacca

               Connects middle east with east Asia 

2.  Strait of Hormuz 

               Connects middle east with Asia 

3. Bab el Mandeb

              Connects Indian ocean and red sea

Which country has the cheapest LPG in the world ??

 Cost of LPG in our area is nearing Rs 1,000  per cylinder of domestic use  !!!!

Price of LPG  (  Liquified Petroleum Gas  ) is not the same all around the world 

LPG is an important fuel used for cooking and heating in many Indian houses.

Its price play a big role in families who depend on that for everyday work.

Countries who have strong oil and gas production, provide LPG in cheaper rates to their citizens as they do not depend much on imports.

Such countries are  ---

1.   Algeria 

2.  Angola 

3.  Saudi Arabia

4.  Russia 

5.  Azerbaijan