[thedoc (OP)]

Chethana Saligram  asked the Naked Scientists:
   
I'm Chethana Saligram from Bangalore, India. I am a student studying in 10th standard.

My question is as follows:-

Why most of the world's deserts are located in the western margins of continents in the subtropics?

I would like the Naked Scientists to help me with this question.

Thank you.
Chethana.

What do you think?

[JimBob]

Dominant winds travel west to east around the earth.  It takes significant barriers for these winds to rise. In India the western Ghats (spelling?)  cause the wind to rise and the coast to be wet. ONLY in Peru, southwest-central Africa and Australia do the rains fail to form. S

[Bass]

Methinks JimBob's mind is too much on all those pretty young nurses!  In the subtropics, the trade winds travel east to west- so rain shadows, and hence deserts, form on the west side of the mountains.

[JimBob]

no. this is my mind on drugs- for pain - do not try this at home