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Cnarren 1India - Size and Location

Cuamen 2Physical Features of India

Ciramen 3Drainage

Cnnmnn 4Climate

Cnemrn 5Natural Vegetation and Wild

Cnepren 6Population

Gr,osseny

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l- ndia is one of the ancient civilisatians in the., world. It has achieved multi-faceted socio-

..+ economic progress during the lasi fivedecades. It has movecl forward displaSringremarkable progress in the field ofagriculture, industry, technology and overalleconomic development. India has alsocontributed significantly to ilre making ofworld history.

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India is a vast country. L-r,ing entirely in iheNorthern hemisphere (Figure 1.1) fire mainland extends between latitudes g"4'N ancl37'6'N and longitudes 68.7'E and g7.zb,E.

lao.w 150" 120" 90" 60.

The Trnpic of, Cancer (23. B0'LI) divides thecountry into aimost two equi_rl parts. To thesoutheast and southwest of rhe mainland, liethe Andantan and Nicoba' islands and theLakshadw-eep islands in Uay of Bengal andArabian Sea respectively. Find out the extentof these groups of islands from your ailas.

{-r#* ?'c-"tEJ Krar:wJ' r The soufremmost point of

the hldian Union-"Indira poinf got submerged r:ndertlie searrater tuz}A4 during the T3unami.

The land mass of India has an area of B.2gmillion square km. Inclia's total area accountsfor about 2.4per cent of the total geographical

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Figure 1.1 : IndiaintheWorld

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area of the world. From the Figure 1.2 it isclear that India is the seventh largestcountry of the world. India has a landboundary of about l5,2OO km and the totallength of the coast line of the mainlandincluding Andaman and Nicobar andLakshadweep is 7,516.6 km.

India is bounded by the young foldmountains in the northwest, north andnorth east. South of about 22' northlatitude, it begins to taper, and extendstowards the Indian Ocean, dividing it intotwo seas, the Arabian Sea on the west andthe Bay of Bengal on its east.

Look at Figure 1.3 and note that thelatitudinal and longitudinal extent of themainland is about 3O'. Despite this fact theeast-west extent appears to be smaller thanthe north-south extent.

From Gujarat to Arunachal pradeshthere is a time lag of two hours. Hence, timealong the Standard Meridian of india(82'3O'E) passing through Mirzapur (inUttar Pradesh) is taken as the standard timefor the whole country. The latitudinal extentinfluences the duration of tfre day and night,as one moves from south to north.

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. Why 82'30'E has been selected as the StandardMeridian of krdia?. W?ry is the difference between the durationsof day and night hardiy felt at Kanniyakumaribut not so in Kashmir?

The Indian landrnass has a central locationbetween the Easi and the West Asia. India is asouthward extension of the Asian Continent.The trans Indian Ocean routes rvhich connectihe countries of Europe in the West and thecountries of EastAsia provide a strategic centrallocation to India. Note that the Deccan peninsulaprotrudes into the Indian Ocean, thus helpingIndia to establish close contact with Wbst Asia,Africa and Europe from the westem coast andwith Southeast and EastAsia from the easterncoast. No other country has a long coastline onthe Indian Ocean as India has and indeed, it isIndia's eminent- pcsitlon in the Indian Oceanwhich justifies the narning of an Ocean after it.

r\D+ ?*u E{rtcsaa; isuez canar in r86e, rfj[:"".:h:"1?#"*:]:tras been reduced by 7,OOO km.

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Figure 1 .2 : Seuen lnrgest Countries oJ the Wortd_

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Figure 1.3 : lrtdia : Extent arui Startdard MerkTian

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Figure 1.4 : In-dia on Internationat Highwag qf Trad.e and. Commerce

India's contacts with the World havecontinued througfr the ages buther relationshipsthrough the land routes are much older thanher maritime contacts. The various passes acrossthe mountains in the north have providedpa$sages to the ancient travellers, while theoceans restricted such interaction for a long time.

These routes have contributed in theexchange of ideas and commodities sinceancient tirnes. The ideas of the Upanishadsand the Rama.gana, the stories of pancltantra,the Indian numerals and the decimai systemthus could reach many parts of the world. Thespices, muslin and other merchandise weretaken from India to different countries. On theother hand, the ir:fluence of Greek sculpture,and rhe architectural styles of dome andminarets from West Asia can be seen indifferent parts of our country.

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India occupies an important strategic positionin South Asia. India has 28 states and7 UnionTerritories (Figure 1.5).

F!fiid $u€ r The"number of union T€rritoriesalon$ the western and eastem coasts.. Area-wise wht'ch is the srnallest_ and which istne largest state?r The states which do not have an internationaiborder or lie on the coasrr Classify the states into four groups eachhaving common tiontiers with(i) Pakistan, (ii) China, (iii) Myanmar, and(iv) Bangladesh.

India shares its land bou:ndaries withPakistan and Afghanistan in the northwest,China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan in the northand Myanmar and Bangladesh in the east.Our southern neighbours across the seaconsist of the two island countries, namely

oE-)s Yo['E Kftswf B.for. 1g47, there were twotypes of states in India - the provinces and thePrincely states. Provinces were ruled direcfly byBritish officiais who were appointed by thlViceroy. Princely states were ruled by local,hereditary rulers. who ackno'*'ledged sovereignityin return for local autonomy.

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Exoncrspl ' choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.(i) The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through(a) Rajasthan

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!c) chhattisgarh(d) Tripura(ii) The easternmost longitude of India is(a) 97" 25'p,

(b) 68'7'E(c) 77' 6'E{d) 82'32'E(iii) uttarakhand, uttar pradesh, Bihar, west Bengal and sikkim have comrnonfrontiers with

(a) China(b) Bhutan

(c) Nepal{d) Myanmar(iv) If you intend to visit Kavarati during your summer vacations, which one ofthe following Union Territories of lnJia yor, _iff-il" goi.rg to(a) Puducherry (c) Andaman and Nicobar(b) Lakshadweep (d) Diu and oarnan(v) lvly friend h:rirs.from a country which does not share land boundary withtrndia. Identi$r the country.

{a) Bhutan (c) Bangladeshtb) Tajikistan (d) Nepil

Answer the following questions briefly..lil I*" the group oi i"turrds tyrng in the Arabian sea.(ii) Name the countries which *. T*!". than India.!i,tl IF.l island group of India ties to' its south_east?(iv) Which island countries are our southern neighbours?The sun rises two hours earlier in Arunachal pradesh aq compared to Gujaratin the west but the watches show the same time. How does this happen?The central rocation of India at the head of the Indian'A;;"" is considered ofgreat significance. Why?

{i) Find out the longitudinal and latitudinal extent of your state.(ii) collect information about the ,silk Route'. ai"o- ri.ro out the newiiJ;l:til:ilt:'

which are improving communication routes in the."gio"r"-or

l. identifu the following with_the help of map reading. :ii) The Island groups of India ryitg itr ttre arauiair sea and the Bay of Bengal.(ii) The countries constituting indlan Subcontinent.(iii) The states through which"the T.rpi" ;i;urr"", i.*"r".(iv) ?he northernmost latitude in degrees.

{v) The southernmost latitude of the Indian mainland in degrees.(vi) The eastern and the western most longit"d; l;;.g..""..(vii) The place situated on the three seas.{viiiJ The strait separating Sri Lanka from India.{ix) Ttre Union Territoriei of India.

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Sri Lanka and Maldives. Sri Lanka isseparated from India by a narrow channelof sea formed by the Palk Strait and tJle Gulfof Mannarwhile Maldives Islands are sitdatedto the south of the Lakshadweep Islands.

India has had strong geographical andhistorical links with her neighbours. Lookat the physical map of Asia in your atlas,and note how India stands apart from therest of Asia.

IITDIA * SIUE AND LOCATION

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€=... Fbu have already learnt earlier that IndiaY is avast countrywith varied landforms.

.84",. What kind of terrain do you live in? Ifyou live in the plainsyou are familiarwith thevast stretches of plain land. In contrast, if youlive in hilly region, the rugged terrain withmountains and valleys are common features.In fact, our country has practically all majorphysical features of the earth i.e. mountains,plains, deserts, plateaus and islands. Youmust be wondering how these physicalfeatures have been formed. We will learn moreabout major physical features of India and howtheyhave been formed.

We find different types of rocks; some arevery hard like marble which has been used formaking the Taj Mahal, and some are very softlike soap stone which is used in making talcumpowder. The colour of soilvaries from one placeto the other because soil is formed out ofdifferent types of rocks. Have you ever thoughtabout the causes of these variations? Most ofthese variations are caused due to differencesin rock formations.

India is a large landmass formed duringdifferent geological periods which has influencedher relief. Besides geological formations, anumber of processes such as weathering,erosion and deposition have created andmodilied the relief to its present form.

Earth scientists have attempted to explainthe formation of physical features with the helpof some theories based on certain evidences.One such plausible theory is the 'Theory of PlateTectonics'. According to this theory, the crust(upper part) of the earth has been formed out ofseven major and some minor plates. (Figure 2.2)

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The movement of the plates results in thebuilding up of stresses within the plates and thecontinental rocks above, leading to folding,faulting and volcanic activity. Broadly, theseplate movements are classified into threetypesfFigure 2.1). While some plates come towardseach other and form convergent boundary. Someplates move away from each other and formdivergent boundary. In the event of two platescoming together they may either collide andcnrmble, or one may slide under the other. Attimes, they may also move horizontally past

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Ftgure 2. 1 : Plate Boundaries

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each other and form transform boundary. Themovement of these plates have changed theposiilon and size of the continents overmillionsofyears. Such movements have also influencedthe evolution of the present landform featuresof India.

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earthquakes in the #?iJ ",JiL::i;""", ,?i:margins, but some do occur within the plates.

The oldest landmass, (the peninstrta part), wasa part of the Gondwana land. The eondwanaland included India, Australia, South Africa,SouthAmerica and Antarctica as one sin$e landmass. The convectional currents split the crustinto a number of pieces, thus leading to the driftngof the Indo-Australian plate after being separatedfrom the Gondwana land, towards north. Ttrenorthmard drift resulted in the mllision of the platewittr the much laqger Eurasian plate. Due to thiscollision, the sedimentar5r rocks which wereaccumulated in the geosyncline knovm as theTethyswere folded to form ttre mountain systemof westem Asia and Himalaya.

qli&xld.w*;le i.;a*.rJ: It is the southern part of theancient super continent pangea with Angara L,andin the northern part.

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The Himalayan uplift out of theTethys seaand subsidence of the northern flank of thepeninsular plateau resulted in the formationof a large basin._ In due course of time thisdepression, gradually got filled with depositionof sediments by the rivers flowing from themountains in the north and the peninsularplateau in the south. A flat land of extensivealluvial deposits led to the formation of thenorthern plains of India.

The land of India displays great physicalvariation. Geologically, the peninsular plateauconstitutes one of the ancient landmasses onthe earth's surface. It was supposed to be oneof the most stable land blocks. The Himalayasand the Norlhern Plains are the most recentlandforms. From the view point of geologr,Himalayan mountains form an unstable zone.The whole mountain system of Himalayarepresents a very youthful topography withhigh peaks, deep valleys and fast flowing rivers.The northern plains are formed of illuvial

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deposits. The peninsular plateau is composedof igneous and metamorphic rocks with gentlyrising hills and wide valleys.

The physical features of India can be groupedunder the following physiographic divisions(Figure 2.4):(l) The Himalayan Mountains(2) The Northern Plains(3) The Peninsular Plateau(4) The Indian Desert(5) The Coastal Plains(6) The Islands

The Himalayan Mountains

The Himalayas, geologically young andstructurally fold mountains stretch over the

northern borders of India. These mountainranges run in a west-east direction from theIndus to the Brahmaputra. The Himalayasrepresent the loftiest and one of the mostrugged mountain barriers of the world. Theyform an arc, which covers a distance of about2,4OA Km. Their width varies frorn 40O Kmin Kashmir to 150 Km in Arunachal Pradesh.The altitudinal variations are greater in theeastern half than those in the western half.The Himalaya consists of three parallelranges in its longitudinal extent. A numberof valleys lie between these ranges. Thenorthern most range is known as the Greator Inner Himalayas or the 'Himadri',It is themost continuous range consisting of theloftiest peaks with an average height of 6,000metres. It contains all the prominentHimalayan peaks.

Ftgure 2.3 : Himalagas

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The folds of Great HimalaYas areasymmetrical in nature. The core of this partof Himalayas is composed of granite. It isperennially snow bound, and a number ofglaciers descend from this range.

Fi*d sut . The names of the glaciers and passesthat lie in Great HimalaYasr The name of the states where highest peaks

are located.

The range lying to the south of the Himadriforms the most rugged mountain system andis known as Himo.chal or lesser Himalaya. Theranges are mainly composed of highlycompressed and altered rocks. The altitudevaries between 3,7OO and 4,5OO metres andthe average width is of 50 Km. While the PirPanjal range forms the longest and the mostimportant range, the Dhaula Dhar and theMahabharat ranges are also prominent ones'This range consists of the famous valley ofKashmir, the Kangra and Kullu Valley inHimachal Pradesh. This region is well knownfor its hill stations.

fl$$"rd g}ejgr Location of Mussoorie, Nainital,

Ranikhet from your atlas and also name the statewhere they are located.

The outer most range of the Himalayas iscalled the Shiwaliks. They extend over a widthof lO-5O Km and have an altitude varyingbetween 9OO and 11OO metres. These rangesare composed of unconsolidated sedimentsbrought down by rivers from the mainHimalayan ranges iocated farther north. Thesevalleys are covered with thick gravel and

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Some Highest Peaks of the Himalayas alluvium. The longitudinal valley lyir:9between lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks aleknown as Duns. Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun arr i

Patli Dun are some of the well-known Duns;

Besides the longitudinal divisions, theHimalayas have been divided on the basis ofregions from west to east. These divisionshave been demarcated by river valleys' Forexample, the part of Himalayas lyingbetweenIndus and Satluj has been traditionallyknown as Punjab,Himalaya but it is alsoknown regionally'as Kashmir and HimachalHimalaya from west to east respectively. Thepart of the Himalayas lying between Satlujand Kali rivers .is known as KumaonHimalayas. The Kali and'Tista riversdemarcate the Nepal Himalayas and the partlying between Tista and Dihang rivers isknown as Assam Himalayas. There areregional names also in these broadcategories. Find out some regional names ofthe Himalayas

The Brahmaputra marks the eastern mostboundary of the Himalayas. Beyond the Dihanggorge, the Himalayas bend sharply to the southand spread along the eastern boundary ofIndia. They are known as the Puruachal or theEastern hills and mountains. These hillsrunning through the north-eastern states aremostly composed of strong sandstones whichare sedimentary rocks. Covered with denseforests, they mostly run as parallel rangesand valley's. The Puruachal comprises the

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Patkai hills, the Nagahitls, Mantprrr hills andthe Mtzo lttlls.

The Northern plain

The northern plain has been formed by theinterplay of the three major river systems,namely- the Indus, the Ganga and theBrahmaputra along with their tributaries. Thisplain is formed of ailuvial soil. The depositionof alluvium in a vast basin lying at the ioothillso-f the Himalaya over millions of years, formedthis fertile plain. It spreads o.r.i .., area of 7lakh sq. km. The plain being about 2400 Kmlong and 24O lo S20 Km broad. is a denselvpopulated physiographic division. With a richsoil cover combinecl with adequate watersupply and favourable climate it isagriculturally a very productive part of India.

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Majuli, i' the BrahmaputraRiver is the largest inhabited rirzerine island in theworld.

The rivers in their lower course split intonumerous channels due to the deposition of silt.These channels are known as drsfibutaries.

'fhe Northern Plain is broadly di,,,ided intothree sections. The Western part of the NorthernPlain is referred to.as the punjab plains.Formed by the Indus and its tributaries, theiarger part of this plain lies in pakistarr. TheIndus and its tributaries-the Jhelum, theChenab, the Ravi, the Beas and the Sailujoriginate in the Himalaya. This section of theplain is dominated bv the doabs.

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words-. .do, meaning :*:T;j :"# T;*l*';":,:.:Similarly'Punjab'is also made up two wordi_ .pun1,

meaning five and 'ab'meaning water.

-The Ganga plain extends between Ghaggarand Teesta rivers. It is spread over the states ofT:tr India, Haryana, Delhi, U.p., Bihar-, par:ilyJharkhand and West Bengal to its Easr,parlicularly in Assain lies the Brahmaputra plain.-The northern plains are generally deseribedas flat land with no variations in iti relief. It isnot true. These vast plains also have diverserelief features. According to the variations inrelief features, the Northern plains can bedivided into four regions. The rivers, afterdescending from the mountains depositpebbles in a narrow belt of about g to 16 km11 widlh lying parallel to the slopes of theShiwaliks. It is known as bhabar. All thestreams disappear in this bhabar belt. Southof this belt. the streams and rivers re_emergeand create a wet, swampy and marshy regionknown as terai. This was a thickly io..it.dregion full of wildlife. The forests have beencleared to create agricultural land and to setilemigrants from Pakistan after partition. LocateDudhwa National park in this region

^ The largest part of the northern plain isformed of older alluvium. They lie abtve theflood plains of the rivers and piesent a terracelike feature. This part is known as bhanaar.

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The rivers coming from northernmountains are involved in depositional work.In the lower course, due to ginile slope, thevelocity of the river decreases-which results inthe formation of riverine islands.

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The soil in this region contains calcareousdeposits locally known as kankar. The newer,younger deposits of the flood plains are calledkhr:ldo;. They are renewed almost every yearand so are fertile, thus, ideal for intensiveagriculture.

The Penlnsular Plateau

The Peninsular plateau is a tablelandcomposed of the old crystalline, igneous andmetamorphic rocks. It was formed due to thebreaking and drifting of the Gondwana landand thus, making it a part of the oldestlandmass. The plateau has broad and shallowvalleys and rounded hills. This plateauconsists of two broad divisions, namely, theCentral Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.The part of the Peninsular plateau lying tothe north of the Narmada river covering a

major area of the Malwa plateau is known as

the Central Highlands. The Vindhyan rangeis bounded by the Central Highlands on thesouth and the Aravalis on the northwest. Thefurther westward extension gradually mergeswith the sandy and rocky desert of Rajasthan.The flow of the rivers draining this region'namely the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa andKen is from southwest to northeast, thusindicating the slope. The Central Highlandsare wider in the west but narrower in the east'The eastward extensions of this plateau arelocally known as the Bundelkhand andBaghelkhand. The Chotanagpur plateaumarks the further eastward extension,drained by the Damodar river.

Figure 2.8 : A uaterJall in Chotanagpur Plateau

PHYSICAL FDATURS$ OF INDIA

The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmassthat lies to the south of the river Narmada. TheSatpura range flanks its broad base in the norttrwhile the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills and theMaikal range form its eastem extensions. Locatethese hills and ranges in the physical map ofIndia. The Deccan Plateau is higher in ttre westand slopes gently eastwards. An extension of thePlateau is also visible in the northeast- locallyknown as the Meglralaya, Karbi-An$long Plateauand North Cachar Hills. It is separated by afault from the Chotanagpur Plateau. ThreeProminent hill ranges from the west to east are

the Garo, the Khasi and the Jaintia Hills.The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats

mark the western and the eastem edges of theDeccan Plateau respectively. Western Ghats lieparallel to thewestern coast. Theyare continuousand can be crossed through passes only. Locatethe Thal, Bhor and the Pal Ghats in the Physicalmap of India.

The Western Ghats are higher than theEastern Ghats. Their average elevation is 9OO-

160O metres as against 60O metres of theEastem Ghats. The Eastern Ghats stretch fromthe Mahanadi Valley to'the Nigiris in the south.The Eastern Ghats jare discontinuous andirregular and dissected by rivers draining intothe Bay of Bengal. The Western Ghats causeorographic rain by facin$ the rain bearing moistwinds to rise along the western slopes of theGhats. The Western Ghats are known bydifferent local names. The height of the WesternGhats progressively increases from north tosouth. The highest peaks include the AnaiMudi (2,695metres) and the Doda Betta (2'637metres). Mahendragiri (f ,5O1 metres) is thehighest peak in the Eastern Ghats. ShewoyHills and the Javadi Hills are located to thesoutheast of the Eastern Ghats. Locate thefamous hill stations of Udagamandalam,popularly known as Ooty and the Kodaikanal.

One of the distinct features of the peninsularplateau is the black soil area known as DeceanTrap. This is of volcanic origin hence the rocksare igneous. Actually these rocks havedenuded over time and are responsible for theformation of black soil. The Aravali Ilills lie onthe western and northwestern margins of the

peninsular plateau. These are highly erodedhills and are found as broken hills. They extendfrom Gujarat to Delhi in a southwest-northeastdirection.

The Indian Desert

The Indian desest lies towards the westernmargins of the Aravali Hills. It is an undulatingsandy plain covered with sand dunes. Thisregion receives very low rainfall below 150 mmper year. It has arid climate with lowvegetation cover. Streams appear during therainy season. Soon after they disappear intothe sand as they do not have enough water toreach the sea. Luni is the only large river inthis region.

Figure 2.9 : The Indian Desert

Barchans {crescent shaped dunes) coverlarger areas but longitudinal dunes becomemore prominent near the Indo-pakistanboundary. If you visit Jaisalmer, you may goto see a group ofbarchans.

The Coastal Plains

The Peninsular plateau is flanked by stretchof narrow coastal strips, running along theArabianSea on the u.rest and the Bag oJBengaton the east. The tuestern coast, sandwichedbetween the Western Ghats and the ArabianSea, is a narrow plain. It consists of threesections. The northern part of the coast is calledthe Konkan (Mumbai - Goa), the central stretchis called ttre KannsdPlain while the soulhernstretch is referred to as the Malabar coast.

Figure 2.7O : T'he CoastalPlains

The plains along the Bay of Bengal are wideand level. In the northern part, it is referred toas the NorthernCircar, while the southernpartis known as the Coromandel Coast. Largerivers such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, ttreKrishna and the Kaveri have formed extensivedelta on this coast. Lake Chilika is animportant feature along the eastern coast.

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largest salt water lake in India. It lies in the stateof Orissa, to the south of the Mahanadi delta.

The Islands

You have alreafly seen that India has a vast mainland. Besides this, the country has also two groupsof islands. Can you identiff these island groups?

Figure 2.1 1 : An Island

Locate the Lakshadweep Islands grouplying close to the Malabar coast of Kerala. Thisgroup of islands is composed of small coralisalnds. Earlier theywere known as Laccadive,Minicoy and Amindive. In 1973 these were

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named as Lakshadweep. It covers small areaof 32 sq km. Kavaratti island is theadministrative headquarters of Lakshadweep.This island group has great dir.ersity of floraand fauna. The Pitti island, which isuninhabited, has a bird sanctuary.

Corals

,iL Coral polyps are short-1ived microscopic

in shallow, mud free and warm rvaters. They

t: secrete calcium carbonate. The coral secretiong:; and thet skeletons llom coral deposits in the'*& form of reefs:. they are mainly of three kinds:@ barrier reef. fringing reef and atolls. The Great

Barrier Reef ofAustralia is a good ercrmple of thefirst kind of coral reefs. Atolls are circular orhorse shoe shaped coral reefs.

starategic imporlance for the country. Thereis great diversity of flora and fauna in thisgroup of islands too, These islands lie close toequator and experience equatorial climate andhas thick forest cover.

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India's only active volcano isfound on Barren island in Andaman and Nicobargroup of Islands.

A cletailed account of the differentphysiographic units highlights the uniquefeatures of each region. It would, however,be clear that each region complements theother and makes the country richer in itsnatural resources. The mountains are themajor sources of water and forest wealth.The northern plains are the granaries of thecountry. They provide the base for earlycivilisations. The plateau is a storehouseof minerals, which has played a crucial rolein the industrialisation of the country. Thecoastal region and island groups providesites for fishing and port activities. Thus,the diverse physical features of the landhave immense futrrre possibilities ofdevelopment.

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Nowyou see the elongated chain of islandslocated in the Bay of Bengal extending fromnorth to south. These are Andaman andNicobar islands. They are bigger in size andare more numerous and scattered. The entiregroup of islands is divided into two broadcategoies - The Andaman in the north andthe Nicobar in the south. It is believed that theseislands are an elevated portion of submarinemountains. These island groups are of great

Expncrsp

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.(i) A landmass bounded by sea on three sides is referred to as

(a) Coast (c) Peninsula(b) Island (d) none of the above

(ii) Mountain ranges in the eastern part of India forming its boundary withMyanmar are collectirrely called as(a) Himachal (c) Purvachal(b) Uttarakhand (d) none of the above

(ii| The western coastal strip, south of Goa is referred to as(a) Coromandel (c) Kannad(b) Konkan (d) Northern Circar

(iv) The highest peak in the Eastern Ghats is{a) Anai Mudi {c) Mahendragiri(b) Kanchenjunga {d) Khasi

Answer the following questions briefly.(i) What are tectonic plates?(ii) Which continents of today were part of the Gondwana land?

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{iii) What is tbe bhabcu'?(iv) Name the three major divisions of the Himalayas from north to south.(v) which plateau lies between the Aravali and the vindhyan ranges?{vi) Name the island group of India having coral origin.

3. Distinguish between(i) Converging and diverging tectonic plates(ii) Bhangar and Khadar(iii) Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats

4. Describe how the Himalayas were formed.5' which are the major physiographic divisions of India? Contrast the relief of theHimalayan region with that of the peninsular plateau.6. Give an account of the Northern plains of India.7. Write short notes on the following.

(i) The Indian Desert{ii) The Central Highlands(iii) The Island groups of India

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On(i)

{ii)(iii)(ir')

.*A::'uo"l'*'"l,ocate the peaks, passes, ranges, plateaus,Try to lind where these features are located.vertically or diagonally.

al outline map of India show the following.Mountain and hill rurnges - the Karakoram, the Zaskar, the patkai Bum, theJaintia, the vindhya range, the Arava]i, and the cardamom hills.Peaks - K2, Kanchenjunga, Nanga parbat and the Anai Mudi.Plateaus, Chotanagpur and MalwaThe Indian Desert, Western Ghats, Lakshadweep Islands

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hills, and duns hidden in the puzzle.You may start your search horizontally,

E M K U N L N A T H U L A .R I A H A TM H A S J M A N .I K M A J L R H o R P JJ N V F A E T D C A R D E M o M L o M KC R E I g H M o I F T N X M A X F C TN M T S N A U g R M S A N A D I D A N JA B X A T G A R o U L F V D I K P T D CC Y C H G A M M R D I I z L A J P o KH R T K A N C H E N J U N G A L U L B Eo o M o P I T P N o S S D D K S P D o KT D A N M L M D D C S A H L S A I E E JA R R K A G T H A R H E Y D H H A A RN S A A L A T L E I Y A B A Y T H R LA Z V N w R E D S P P A N H D A o .I U KG o A N A M U D K D P M w D A B P EP A L L J S H E V R Y E V E R E S T MU o I M Y R v P A T L I G J E T H A RR K I g S L A H C N A V R V P E A T S P

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*..,*, CONTEMPORARY INDIA

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he term drainage describes the riversystem ofan area. Look at the physicalmap. You will notice that small streams

flowing from different directions come togetherto form the main river, which ultimately drainsinto a large water body such as a lake or a seaor an oce€rn. The area drained by a single riversystem is called a dro;inage basin. A closerobservation on a map will indicate that anyelevated area, such as a mountain or an upland,separates two drainage basins, Such an uplandis known as autater dfuide (Figure 3.1).

: Water Diuirle

subcontinent. Accordingly, the Indian riversare divided into two major groups:o the Himalayan rivers; andr the Peninsular rivers.

Apart from originating from the two majorphysiographic regions of India, the Himalayanand the Peninsular rivers are different fromeach other in many ways. Most of theHimalayan rivers are perennial. It meansthat they have water throughout the year.These rivers receive water from rain as wellas from melted snow from the loftymountains. The two major Himalayan rivers,the Indus and the Bfahmaputra originatefrom the north of the'qountain ranges. Theyhave cut through th6 mountains makinggorges. The Himalay.en rivers have longcourses from their source to the sea. Theyperform intensive ero3ional activity in theirupper courses and carry huge loads of siltand sand. In the middle and the lower courses,these rivers form meanders, oxbow lakes, andmany other depositional features in their

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Dnenvecn Sysrpus nr Inore

The drainage systems of India are mainlycontrolled by the broad relief features of the

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The rstreams within a drainage basin formcertain patterns, depending on the slopeof land, underlying rock structure as wellas the climatic conditions of the area.llllese are dendritic, trellis, rcctangular,and radial patterns. The dendritic patterndevelops where the river channel followsthe slope of the terrain. The stream withits tributaries resembles the branches ofa tree, thus the name dendritic. A riverjoined by its tributaries, at approximatelyright angtes, develops a trellis pattern. Atrellis drainage pattern develops wherehard and soft rocks exist parallel to eachother. A rectangular drainage patterndevelops on a strongly jointed rockyterrain. The radial pattern develops rvhen streams flow in differentdirections from a central peak or dome like structure.

A combination of several patterns may be lound in the same drainage basin.

floodplains. They also have well-developeddeltas (Figure 3.3).

Ridges ofResistmt Rocks

(c) Trelus Dr&inage

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(d) Radtal Drslnage

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trigure 3.3 : Some Features Made bg Riuers

A large number of the Peninsular rivers areseasonal, as their flow is dependent on rainfall.During the dry season, even the large r-iv.ershave reduced flow of water in their char:nels.The Peninsular rivers have shorter and

shallower courses as compared to theirHimalayan counterparts. However, some ofthem originate in the central highlands and flowtowards the west. Can you identi$ two suchlarge rivers? Most of the rivers of peninsularIndia originate in the Western Ghats and flowtowards the Bay of Bengal.

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The major Himalayan rivers are the Indus, theGanga and the Brahmaputra. These rivers arelong, and are joined by many large anclimportant tributaries. A river along;with itstributaries may be called a river system.

The Indus Rtuer Sgslem

The river Indus rises in Tibet, near LakeMansarowar. Flowing west, it enters India in theI^adakh district ofJammu and Kashmir. It formsa picturesque gorge in this part. Severaltributaries, the Zaskar, the Nubra, the Shyokand the Hunza,join it in the Kashmir region.The Indus flows througf,r Berltistarr and Gilgit andemerges from the rnountains at Attock. TheSatluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab and theJhelum join together to enter the Indus nearMithankot in Pakistan. Beyond this, the Indusflows southwards eventually reaching theArabian Sea, east of Karachi. The Indus plainhas a very gentle slope. With a total length of2900 km, the Indus is one of the longest rivers

Source of River

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Figure 3.4 : Major Riuers and I'akes

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of the world. A litile over a third of the Indusbasin is located in India in the states ofJammuand Kashmir. Himachal pradesh and the punjaband the rest is in pakistan.

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6;f,"* ?sJiqsuX fo r rh e rndus wat er ;ffi;iib-.'S) : i il:u:*t:::only 2O per cent of the totai water;;;;;;;;lver system. This water is usea io. iJfrtion t ,the Punjab. Haryana and the south?in andwesterrr parts of Rajasthan.

The Ganga Riuer Sgsfem

The headwaters of the Ganga, called the'Bhagirathi'is fed by the Gangotri Glacier andjoined by the Alaknanda af D".rap.ayag inUttarakhand. At Haridwarthe Ganga emergesfrom the mountains on to the plaini.

The main tributaries, which come from thepeninsular uplands, are the Chambai, theBetwa and the Son. These rise from semi ari<lareas, have shorter courses and do not carr;-much water in them. Find out where and hou-they ultimately join the Ganga._ _

Enlarged with the waters from its right andleft bank tributaries, the Ganga flowseastwards till Farakka inWest eengit. This isthe northernmost point of the Ganga"delta. Theriver bifurcates here ; the Bhagira?fri_Uoogt ty(a distributary) flows southwards through thedeltaic plains to the Bay of eengal. Themainstream, flows southwards intoBangladesh and isjoined bythe Brahmaputra.Further down stream, it is known as theMeghna. This mighty rivea with waters fromthe Ganga, and the Brahmaputra, flows intotfe BaV of Bengal. The delta formed by theserivers is known as the Sunderban deltq.

rrffin h, rr* Kmmuw i . The Sundarban Delta derived

its name from the Sundari tree which grows well inmarshland.r It is.the world's largest and tastest gpowing delta.It is also the home oi Royal Bengal li-g",

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_ The length;o{the Ganga is over 25OO km.Look at figure S.+;

"u.r, you identify the type of

drainage pattern formed by the "Ganga

riversystem? Ambalais located on the water dividebetweenthe Indus and the Gangarive;;ystems.The plains from Ambala to t"he Sunderbanstretch over nearl5z lB0O km, but the fall in itsslope is hardly 3OO metres. In otherwords, thereis a fall of just one metre for every 6 km.Therefore, the river develops large me#ders.

Tlrc Brahmaputra Riuer SgstemThe Brahmaputra rises in Tibet east ofMansarowar lake very close to the sources ofthe Indus and the Sailuj. It is slighfly longerthan the Indus, and most of itslourse liesoutside India. It flows eastwards parallel tothe Himalayas. On reaching th; NamchaBarwa (7752 m), it takes a ,U' turn and entersIndia inArunachal pradesh through a gorge.Here, it is called the Dihang and i"t is;oinedby the Dibang, the Lohit, and many other

. T1. langa is joined by many tributariestrom the Himalayas, a few of them being majorrivers such as theyamuna, tle Ghaghara, theGandak and the Kosi. The riveryaniuna rises;?om the Yamunotri Glacier in the Himatayas.it flows parallel to the Ganga and as a right!-ant< lnUutary, meets the GJnga atattalanaa.fhe Ghaghara, the Gandak.iA tfr. Kosi risein the Nepal Himalaya. They are the rivers,which flood parts of the northern plains everyyear, causing widespread damage to life andproperby but enriching the soil for the extensiveagricul{ural lands.

trigure 3. 5 : Coryfluence oJ Bhagirathi and Alaknanda atDeuapragag

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tributaries toAssam.

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form the Brahmaputra in

In Tibet the river carries a smaller volume ofwater and less silt as it is a cold and a dry area.Irr Indiaitpasses througlr a region ofhigh rainfall.Here the river carries a large volume of water andconsiderable amount of silt. The Brahmaputrahas a braided channel in its entire length inAssam and forms many riverine islands. Do yourememberthe n€une of theworld's largest riverineisland formed by the Brahmaputra?

Every year during the rainy season, theriver overflows its banks, causing widespreaddevastation due to floods in Assam andBangladesh. Unlike other north Indian riversthe Brahmaputra is marked by huge depositsof silt on its bed causing the river bed to rise.The river also shifts its channel frequently.

The Peninaulnr Rivers

The main water divide in Peninsular India isformed by the Western Ghats, which runs fromnorth to south close to the western coast. Mostof the major rivers of the Peninsula such asthe Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna andthe Kaveri flow eastwards and drain into theBay of Bengal. These rivers make deltas attheir mouths. There are numerous smallstreams flowing west of the Western Ghats.The Narmada and the Tapi are the only longrivers, which flowwest and make esturies. Thedrainage basins of the peninsular rivers arecomparatively small in size.

The Narmoedc- Basin

The Narmada rises in the Amarkantak hillsin Madhya Pradesh. It flows towards the westin a rift valley formed due to faulting. On itsway to the sea, the Narmada creates manypicturesque locations. The 'Marble rocks',near Jabalpur where the Narmada flowsthrough a deep gorge, and the 'Dhuadharfalls'where the river plunges over steep rocks,are some of the notable ones.

All the tributaries of the Narmada are veryshort and most of these join the main streamat right angles. The Narmada basin covers par[sof Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

The Tapi Basin

The Tapi rises in the Satpura ranges, in theBetul district of Madhya Pradesh. It also flowsin a rift valley parallel to the Narmada but it ismuch shorter in length. Its basin covers partsof Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The coastal plains between Western Ghatsand the Arabian sea are very narrow. Hence,the coastal rivers are short. The main westflowing rivers are Sabarmati, Mahi,Bharathpuzha and Periyar. Find out the statesin which these rivers drain the water.

The Godauart Bastn

The Godavari is the largest Peninsular river.It rises from the slopes of the Western Ghatsin the Nasik district of Maharashtra. Itslength is about l5OO km. It drains into theBay of Bengal. Its drainage basin is also thelargest among the peninsular rivers. Thebasin covers parts of Maharashtra (about 5Oper cent of the basin area lies in Maharashtra),Madhya Pradesh, iO.rissa and AndhraPradesh. The Godavari'i-s'joined by a numberof tributaries such as the Purna, the Wardha,the Pranhita, the Manj.ra, the Wainganga andthe Penganga. The last three tributaries arevery large. Because of its length and thearea it covers, it is also known as the'Dakshtn Ganga'.

The Mahanadi Bastn

The Mahanadi rises in the highlands ofChhattisgarh. It flows through Orissa to reachthe Bay of Bengal. The length of the river isabout 86O km. Its drainage basin is shared byMaharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,and Orissa.

The Krishna Basin

Rising from a spring near Mahabaleshwar, theKrishna flows for about 14OO km and reachesthe Bay of Bengal. The Tungabhadra, theKoyana, the Ghatprabha, the Musi and theBhima are some of its tributaries. Its drainage

DRAINAGE

basin is shared by Maharasthra, Karnatakaand Andhra Pradesh.

Tlv l{mnri tusiflThe Kaveri rises in the Brahmagri range of theWestern Ghats and itreaches the Bay of Bengalin south of Cuddalore, in Tamil Nadu. Totallength of the river is about 760 km. Its maintributaries are Amravati, Bhavani, Hemavatiand Kabini. Its basin drains parts ofKarnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu

r\ffig You Knowi . TheriverKaverimakesthe

second biggest waterfall in India, known as Jogfalls. The hydroelectric power generated from thefalls is supplied to Mysore, Bangalore and theKolar Gold Field.

Finrd cag o The name of the biggest waterfallin India.

Beside these major rivers, there are somesmaller rivers flowing towards ttre east. TheDamoder, the Brahmani, the Baitarni and theSubarnrekha are some notable examples.I-ocate them in your atlas.

^Do You Know i . 7l per cent of the world,ssuriace is covered urittr water, but 97 per cent ofthat is salt water. e

. Of the 3 per cent that is available as freshwater,three quarters ofit is trapped as ice.

Iraggs

You may be familiar with the valley of Kashmirand the famous Dal Iake, tfre house boats andshilcalus, which attract thousands of touristsevery year. Similarly, you may have visitedsome other tourist spot near a lake and enjoyedboating, swimming and other water games.Imagine that if Srinagar, Nainital and othertourists places did not have a lake would theyhave been as attractive as they are today? Haveyou ever tried to know the importance of lakesin making a place attractive to tourists? Apartfrom attraction for tourists lakes are also usefulto human beings in many ways.

Find nut . lakes oflarge extent are called the seas,like the Caspian, the Dead and the Aral seas.

India has many lakes. These differ fromeach other in the size, and othercharacteristics. Most lakes are permanent:some contain water only during the rainvseason, like the lakes in the basins of inlanddrainage of semi-arid regions. There are someof the lakes which are the result of the actionof glaciers and ice sheets, while the othershave been formed by wind, river action, andhuman activities.

A meandering river across a flood plainforms cutofis that later develop into ox-fuwlakes. Spits and bars form lagoons in thecoastal areas, eg the Chilika lake, the Pulicatlake, the Kolleru lake. Lakes in the region ofinland drainage are sometimes seasonal; forexample, the Sarnbharlake in Rajasthan, whichis a salt water lake. Its water is used forproducing salt.

Most of the fresh water lakes are in theHimalayan region. They are of glacial origin.In other words, they formed when glaciersdug out a basin, which was later filled withsnowrnelt. The Wular lake in Jammu andKashmir, in contrast, is the result of thetectonic activity., It is the largest freshwaterlake in India. The Dal lake, Bhimtal, Nainital.Loktak and BAiapani are some otherimportant fresh water lakes.

Apart from natural lakes, the damming ofthe rivers for the.generation of hydel power hasalso led to the formation of I-akes such as GuruGobind Sagar (Bhakra Nangal Project).

Flgre 3.6 : Lolctrrk I-aI@

COHTEMPOEJIRY

A*{te{f.g

Make a list of natural and artifciallakes with the help of the atlas'

$a{isgrat f4.iver Ctrxeesta*i*al F!:rn {XRfl}ilThe activities of Ganga Action Plan (GAF)

phase-I. initiated in 1985, were declaredelosed on Sl"t March 2OOO. The SteeringCommittee of the Naiional RiverLakes are of great r,'alue to human beings.

A lake helps to regulate the flow of a river.During heavy rainfall, it prevents flooding andduring the dry season, it helps to rnaintainan even flow ofwater. Lakes can also be usedfor developing hydel power. They moderate theclimate of the surroundings; maintain theaquatic ecosystem, enhance natural beauty,help develop tourism and provide recreation.

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Rivers have been of fundamental importancethroughout the human history. Water from therivers is a basic natural resource, essential forvarious human activities. Therefore, the riverbanks have attracted settlers from ancienttimes. These settlements have nou'become bi€!

cities. Make a list of cities in your state whichare iocated on the bank of a river.

Using rivers for irrigation" navi$ation,hydro-power generation is of specialsignificance - particularly to a country likeindia, where agriculture is the major sourceof livelihood of the majority of its population.

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The growing domestic, municipal, industrialand agricultural demand for water from riversnaturally affects the quality of water. As aresult, rnore and more water is being drainedout of the rivers reducing their volume. Onthe other hand, a hear'ry load of untreated

onservation Authority revi,e,yed the

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sewage and industrial effluents are emptiedinto the rivers. This affects not only the qualityof water but also the self-cleansing capacityof the river. For example, given the adequatestreamflow, the Ganga water is able to diluteand assimilate pollution loads within 20 kmof large cities. But the increasingurbanisation and industrialisation do notallou'it to happen and the pollution level ofmany rivers has been rising. Concern overrising pollution in our rivers led to thelaunching of various action plans to clean therivers. Have you heard about such actionplans? How does our health get affected bypolluted river water? Think about "life ofhuman beings without fresh water". Arrangea debate on this topic in the class.

Exencrsp

1. choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.

(i) Which one of the following describes the drainage patterns resembling thebranches of a tree?(a) Radial(b) Dendrltic

(c) Centrifugal(d) Trellis

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nowcovers 152 towns located

$ atong zi'interstate rivers in 16 states" Under'1 this action plan, pollution abatement works-

# ur. being tiken up in 57 to\rns. A total of ffilffi ZtS schEmes of pollution abatemeni have *'G

':.,.,i been completed under this action plan.,A,';'1::' million iitres of sewage is target.ed to be '.rq.':': intercepted, diverted and treatdd: $ , ;$

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In which of the following states is the Wular lake located?

(v) which one of the following is the longest river of the peninsular India?

(a) Rajasthan(b) Uttar PradeshThe river Narmada has its source at(a) Satpura(b) Brahmagiri

(a) Sambhar(b) Dal

(a) Narmada(b) Krishna

(a) Mahanadi(b) Tungabhadra

(a) Wular(c) Nainital(e) Gobind Sagar{$ Barapani(i) Sambhar(k) Nizam Sagar(m) Nagarjuna Sagar

Which one of the following lakes is a salt water lake?

(c) Punjab(d) Jammu and Kashmir

(c) Amarkantak(d) Slopes of the Western Ghats

(c) Wular(d) GoLrind Sagar

(c) Godavari(d) Mahanadi

(c) Krishna(d) Tapi

(vi) Which one amongst the following rivers flows through a rift valley?

2. Answer the following questions briefly.(i) What is meant by a water divide? Give an example.(ii) Which is the largest river basin in India?(iii) where do the rivers Indus and Ganga have their origin?(iv) Name the two headstreams of tle Ganga. Where do they meet to form t].e Ganga./(v) - Why does the Brahmaputra in its Tibetan part have less silt, despite alonger course?(vi) Which two peninsular rivers flow through trough?(vii) State some economic benefits of rivers and lakes.

3' Below are given narnes of a few lakes of India. Group them under two categories- natura-l and created by human beings.(b) Dal(d) Bhimtal(0 Loktak

(h) Chilika0) Rana Pratap Sagar(l) Pulicat

[n) Hirakund4' Discuss the significant difference between the Himalayan and the peninsular

rivers.

5' Compare the east flowing and the west flowing rivers of the peninsular plateau.6. Why are rivers important for the country's economy?

Map Skills

!n-an outline map of India mark and label the following rivers: Ganga,satluj' Damodar, Krishna, Narmada, Tapi, Mahanadi, anJ Brahmaputra.9r r outline map of India mark and label the following rakes: chirika,Sambhar, Wular, pulicat. Kolleru.

i_

ii* CONTEMPCIRAIqY TNDIA

t/ActivitySolve this crossword puzzle with the help of given clues.

Across

l. Nagarjuna Sagar is a river valley project. Name the river?2. The longest river of India.3' The river which originates from -a place known as Beas Kund.4' The river which rises in the Betul district of Mp and flows westwards.5. The river which was known as the ..Sorrow,, of West Bengal.6. The river on which the reservoir for India Gandhi canal has been built.7. The river whose source lies near Rohtang pass.8. The longest river of peninsular India?

Down

9. A tributary of Indus originating from Himachal pradesh.l0' The river flo#ing through fault, drains into the Arabian sea.I I ' A river of south India, which receives rain water both in summer and winter.12. A river which flows through Ladakh, Gilgit and pakistan.13. An important river of the Indian desert.14. The river which joins Chenab in pakistan.15. A river which rises at yamunotri glacier.

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DRAINAGE

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$n the last two chapters you have read about$ tne landforms and the drainage of&our country. These are the two of the threebasic elements that one learns about the naturalenvironment of any area. In this chapter youwill learn about the third, that is, theatmospheric conditions that prevail over ourcountr5r. Why do we wearwoollens in Decemberorwhy it is hot and uncomforlable in the monthof May, and why it rains in June - Julf Theanswers to all these questions can be found outby studying about the climate of India.

Climate refers to the sum total of weatherconditions and variations over a iarge area fora long period of time (more than thirty years).Weather refers to the state of the atmosphereover an area at anypoint of tirne. The elementsof weather and climate are the same. i.e.temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind,hurnidity and precipitation. You may haveobserved that theweather conditions fluctuatevery often even within a day. But there is somecommon pattern over a fewr,r,'eeks or months,i.e. days are cool or hot, windy or ca-lm, cloudy^r bright, and wet or dry. On the basis of the.ieneralised monthly atmospheric conditions,theyearis divided into seasons such aswinter.summer or rainy seasons.

The world is divided into a number ofclimatic regions. Do you know what type ofclimate India has and why it is so? We willlearn about it in this chapter.r\flW VqlN m(almw i o The word monsoon is

derived frorn ttre Arabic word 'mausim'whichliterally means season.r 'Monsoon' refers to the seasonal reversal in thewind direction during a year.

The climate of India is described as'lnonsoon' t54pe. in Asia, this type ofis fou-nd rnainly in the south and the souDespite an overall unity in the generalthere are perceptible regional variationsclirnatic conditions within the country. kt:take two important elements -temperatureprecipitation, and examine how they varyplace to place and season to season.

In sumrner, the mercury occasiontouches 50'C in some parts of the Rajasdesert, whereas it may be around 20.CPahalgam inJammu and Kashmir. On anight, tcmperature at Drass in JammuKashmir maSl be as low as minus 4b,Thi::ur,'anantHap_uram, on the other hand,have a temperature of 22"C.

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. . rn certain places there is awide difference between day and nighttemperatures. In the Thar Desert the davtemperature may rise to SO.C, and drop dounto near 15"C the same night. On the other hand-there is hardly any difference in day and nighrtemperatures in the Andarnan and Nicobarislands or in Kera_la.

Let us r:lrlr look at precipitation. Therevariations not only in the form and \pesprecipitation but also in its amount andseasonal distribution. While precipitationmosfly in the form of snowfall in the upperof. Himalayas, it rains over the rest ofcountry. The annual precipitation variesover 4OO cm in Meghalayato less than l0in Ladakh and western Rajasthan. Mostof the countrl' receive raintall frirm JuneSeptember. But somg parbs like- the Tamil

\

'

coast gets a large portion of its rain duringOctober and Novimber.In general, coastal areas experience lesscontrasts in temperature conditio.r". S"a"orrrtcontrasts are more in the interior of thecountrlr. There is decrease in rainfall generallyfrom east to west in the fVortfrernFtairi". th.""variations have given rise to variety in lives ofpeople - in terms of the fooa tfr6y eat, thec-lothes theywear and also the kinJ'of housesthey live in.

F'*r'te-$Herr. -- Whythe houses in Rajasthan have thickwalls and flat roofs?. Why is il that the h

,r-d ; ;;iH; ji:H ;:i: $."ffi ?;Hio n an d

. Why houses in Assam are built on"stiltsi

rnrrc$friaxr'- .Whv most of the world,s deserts arelocated in the western *"rgi.r" of "oiiiri"rrt" in tt

"subtropics?

- Finally, relief too plays a major role indetermining the climate of a Oi*.. **n mountainsact as barriers fo1 cgld or hot.irA"; they mayalsg galse grecinilatign if th.y *. ruSh enougfr.and

lie- in the path of rain_nearinj ,irrrA". m.leeward side of mountains remains r?iru,r"fy Ary.

F**et*gE,$;,=F=+-j:,q#E:r=:q.q.,,g#9,:Ti::;T.i!

Latitude

TheTropic of Cancerpasses through the middleof the countryfrom the Rann of X"lt

"frf, in thewest to Mizoram in the east. Almost fraf of the

,coyntV, Iying south of the Tropic of Cancer,belongs tg tt" tropical area. All ifr. ..."rorirg

area, north oftheTropic, lies in the sub_tropics.Therefore, India's climate fru"

"fr*.Jlri"ti"" oftropical as well as subtropi""l "h;;;;".

AltitudeIndia has mountitns to the north, which havea: av:rage height of about 6,000 metres. Indiaalso has a vast coastal area where themaximum elevati6n is about SO metres. Thel{imalayas prevent the cold wind; from Cent afAsia from entering the subco"tl"."t. ft i"because of these mountains that this:1,1::i:1ljnt experience,s compa.atirrerymucler winters as compared to ceniral Asia.

Pressure and WindsThe climate and associated weather conditionsin India are governed by the followingatmospheric conditions:. .Presrlre and. srfare wtnds;. Ulryer aircirrl.tlortion; and.c Western cgclonic disturbances crnd.hqimlqclonre.

India lies in the region of north easterlywinds. These winds originateJro.., tfr.subtropical high-pressure belt of the northern

Cr.erresrc **tstre{}L$

There are six major contrors of the climate ofany place th? are: latitude, altitude,pressure and $rind system, distanee fronnthe sea (continentality), ocean eurrents anarelieffeatures.Due to the curvature of the earth, theamount of solar energy received variesaccording to latitud".- au a result, airtemperature generally decreases from theequator towards the poles. As one goes fromthe surface of the_eaitt to nigrrer ititudes,the atmosphere becomes f.-"" aLr"e andtemperature decreases. The hills are thereforecooler during summers. The pressure andwind system of any area depend on thelatitude and altitudl of th. ;i;. Thus itinfluences the temperature and rainfallpattem. The sea exerti a moderating inlluenceon climate: As the distance froi-tf..

".aincreases, its moderating influerr". d."r.."."Itd,T: people experience extreme weatherecnditions. This condition i" krro*r, ."continentality (i.e. very hot Orr.irr!

",r*m.r"and very cold during udnters). Oceair currentsalongwith onshore winds affect the climate ofthe coastal areas, Fo. exampl.,^J.ir'"o."t.rarea with wann or cold currents flo#ng pastit, will be warmed or cooled if the winds areonshore.

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hemisphere . They blow south, get de{lected tothe right due to the Coriolis force, and moveon towards the equatorial low-pressure area.Generally, these winds carry very littlemoisture as they originate and blow over land.Therefore, they Lrring little or no rain. Hence,India should have been an arid land, but, it isnot so. kt us see why?

An apparent force caused by the ear-th'srotation. The Coriolis force is responsible for deflectingu,'inds towards the right in the northern hemisphereand towards the ieft in the southern hemisphere. Thisi1 also known a1. F;rrel's *

.

The pressure and wind conditions overIndia are unique. During rvinter, there is ahigh-pressure area north of the Himalayas.Cold dry winds blow from this region to thelow-pressure areas over the oceans to thesouth. In summer, a low-pressure areadevelops over interior Asia as well as overnorthwestern India. This causes a completereversal of the direction of winds duringsummer. Air moves from the high-pressurearea over the southern Indian Ocean, in asouth-easterly direction, crosses the equator,and turrrs right towards the low-pressure areasover the Indian subcontinent. These are knownas the Southwest Monsoon winds. These windsblow over the warm oceans, $ather moistureand bring widespread rainfall over themainland of India.

The upper air circulation in this region isdominated by a westerly flow. An importantcomponent of this flow is the jet stream.

Thesejet streams are located approximatelyover 27'-3Oo norttr latitude. therefore, they areknown as subtropical ue sterlg j et streams. OverIndia, these jet streams blow south of the

r.!r::1r :ii.:tir:i:r:r: These are a nafTow bett of highaltitude (above 12,000 m) westerlywinds in thetroposphere.1'heir speed varies from about 1 1Okm/h in summer to about 184 km/h in winter.A number of separate jet streams have beenidentified. The most constant are the midlatitudeand the sub tropical jet stream.

Figure 4.7 : ArriualoJMonsoon

Himalayas, all through the year except insunmer. The western cyclonic disturbancesexperienced in tl-e north and north-western partsof the counhy are trrought in by this westerlyflow. In summer, the subtropical westerV jetstream moves north of the Himalayas with theapparent movement of the sun. An easterly jetstream, called the sulr-fropical easterlgjet streamblows over peninsular India, approximately over14'N during the summer months.

The western cyclonic disturbances are weatherphenomena of the winter months brought in by thewesterly flow from the Mediterranean region. Theyusually influence the weather of the north andnorttr-western regions of India. Tropical cyclonesoccur during the monsoon as well as in October -November, and are part of the easterly flow. Thesedistrurbances affect the coastal regions of thecountry. Have 1'611 read or heard about thedisasters caused by them on Orissa and AndhraPradesh coast?

The clirnate of India.is strongly influenced bymonsoon winds. The sailors who came to Indiain historic times were one of the first to havenoticed the phenomenon of the monsoon. Theybenefited from the reversal of the wind systemas they came by sailing ships at the mercy ofu'inds. TheArabs, who had also come to Indiaas traders named this seasonal reversal of thewind system'monsoon'.

Ftgure 4'2 : Atmosplerit conditiotrs ouer the Indian Stibconttnent in tle Month oJJantnry

FALtre 4'3 : Ahrwsplreric Conditians ouer ttw Indirtn Subcontinent in the Month oJJune

The monsoons are experienced in thetropical area roughly between 20. N and 20.S. To understand the mechanism of themonsoons, the following facts are important.(a) The differential heating and cooling of

land and water creates low pressure on thelandmass of India while the seas aroundexperience comparatively high pressure.

(b) The shift of the position of Inter TtopicalConvergen ee Zone (ITC;Z) in summer, overthe Ganga plain (this is the equatorial trougfrnormally positioned about b.N of theequator. It is also known as the monsoon-trough during the monsoon season).

(c) The presence of ttre high-pressutre area,east of Madagascar approximately at2OoS over the Indian Ocean. The intensityand position of this high-pressure areaaffects the Indian Monsoon.

(d) The Tibetan plateau gets intenselyheated during summer, which results instrong vertical air currents and theformation of lowpressure over the plateauat about 9 km above sea level.

(e) The movement of the westerlyjet streamto the north of the Himalayas and thepresence of the tropical easterly jetstream over the Indian peninsula duringsummer.

lra{**r ?a*pir:a! *+r:v+rg**.** E*:reThe InterTfopica.l ConvergenceZ,one (ITCZ,) is abroad trough of low pressure in equatoriallatitudes. This is where the northeast and thesoutheast trade winds converge. Thisconvergence zone lies more or less parallel tothe equator but moves north or south with the

-*-:::::1ffi :i":*.::;**_Apart fiom this, it has also been noticed that

changes in the pressure condiilons over thesouthern oceans also aJfect the monsoons.Normallywhen the tropical eastern south pacificOcean experiences high pressure, the tropicaleastern Indian Ocean experiences lorv pressure.But in certain yea_rs, there is a reversal in thepressure conditions and the eastern pacific haslower pressure in comparison to the easternIndian Ocean. This periodic change in pressure

conditions is known as the SouthernOscillation or SO. The difference in pressureover Tahiti (Pacific Ocean, IB.S/149.W) andDarwin in northern Australia (Indian Ocean,l2'3O'S/131'E) is computed to predict theintensity of the monsoons. If the pressuredifferences were negative, itwould mean belowaverage and late monsoons. Afeature connectedwith the SO is the El Nino phenomenon inwhicha warm ocean current that flows past thePeruvian Coast, in place of the cold peruviancurrent, every 2 to 5 years. The changes inpressure conditions are connected to the EI Nino.Hence, the phenomenon is referred to as ENSO'trI Nino Southem Oscillations).

Ftr F*-isrc; This is a name given to the periodicdevelopment of a warm ocean current along thecoast of Peru as a temporar5r replacement of thecold Peruvian current. 'El Nino'is a Spanishwordmearring'the child', and refers to the baby Christ,as this current starts flowing during Christmas.The presence of the El Nino leads to an increasein sea-surface temperatures and weakening of ,

?ns #rq*eE *F ?x&'fu:*F"t5{}*tq el** ffrtttps*."s*r,

The Monsoon, unlike the trades, are not steadywinds but are pulsating in nature, affected bydifferent atmosphgric conditions encounteredby it, on its way over the warrn tropical seas.The duration of the monsoon is between IOO-120 days from early June to mid-Septernber.Around the time of its arrival, the normalrainfall increases suddenly and continuesconstantly for several days. This is known asthe 'burst' of the monsoon, and can bedistinguished from the pre-monsoon showers.The monsoon arrives at the southern tip of theIndian peninsula generally by the first week ofJune. Subsequently, it proceeds into two - theArabian Sea branch and the Bay of Bengalbranch. The Arabian Sea branch reachesMumbai about ten days later onapproximately the loth of June. This is a fairlyrapid advance. The Bay of Bengai branch alsoadvances rapidly and arrives in Assarn in thefirst week of June. The iofty mountains causesthe monsoon winds to deflect towards the west

fr {}r!A gm$f P$&48{Y Xi$Fr;a

or,/er the Ganga plains. By mid_June theArabian Sea branch of the monsoon arrivesover Saurashtra-Kuchchh and the central partollne country. The Arabian Sea and the

^Bay

of Bengal branches of the monsoon merge overthe northwestern part of the Ganga plains.Delhi generally receives the monsoon showersfrom the Bay of Bengal branch by the end ofJune (tentative date is 29rh of Junei. By the firstweek of July, western Uttar pradesh, punjab,Haryana and eastem Rajasthan experience themonsoon. By mid_July, the monsoon reachesHimachal pradesh and the rest of the country(Figure 4.3).

Withdrawal or the retreat of the monsoonis a more gradual process (Figure 4.4). -fhewithdrawal of the monsoon begins innorthwestern states of India by earlySeptember. By mid-October, it withdrawscompletely from the northern half of thepeninsula. The withdrawal from the southernhalf of the peninsula is fairly rapid. By earlyDecemLler, the monsoon has withdrawn fromthe rest of the country.

The islands receive the very first monsoonshowers, progressively from south to north,from the last week of April to the first week ofMay. The withdrawal, takes place progressivelyfrom north to south from the f]rst"week ofDecember to the first week of January. By thistime the rest of the country is already underthe influence of the winter monsoon.

-E t,t| ?:xr:.it::+c tr;,:i

The monsoon type of climate is characterisedby a distinct seasonal pattern. The weatherccnditions greatly change from one season tothe other. These changes are particularlynoticeable in the interior parts of tfre country.The coastal areas Oo not experience muchvariation in temperature though there isvariation in rainfall pattem. How miny seasonsare experienced in your place? Four mainseasons can be identified in India _ the coldweather season, the hot weather season, theadvancing monsoon and the retreatingmonsoon with some regional variations.

The Cold Weather Season (Winter)The cold weather season begins from rnid_November in northern India and stays tillFebruary. Decembetr and January are the coldestmonths in the northern pari of India. Thetemperature decreases fromsouth to the north.The average temperature of Chennai, on theeastern coast. is between 24o ^ 25" Celsius. while1"_F" northern plains, it ranges between lO. _

15'Celsius. Days are warm arra.rigfrts are cold.Frost is common in the north urr"A tfr" higherslopes of the Himalayas e,rperience snou,{all.

During this season, the northeast tradewinds prevail over the country. They blow fromland to sea and hence, for most part of thecountry, it is a dry season. Someimount ofrainfall occurs on the Tamil Nadu coast fiomthese winds as. here they blow fiom sea to land.

In the northern part of the country, a feeblehigh-pressure region develops, with light windsmoving outwards from this area. Influenced bythe relief, these winds blow through the Gangavalley from the west and the noithwest. Theweather is normally marked by clear sky, lowtemperatures and lOw humidity and feeble,variable winds. r

A characteristic feature of the cold weatherseason over the northern plains is the inflow ofcyclonic disturbances fi:om the west and thenorthwest. These 1ow=pressure svstems,originate over the Mediterranean Sea andwestern Asia and move into India, along withthe westerly flow. They cause the much_neededwinter rains over the plains and snowfall in themountains. Although the total amount ofwinter rainfall locally known as ,mcthatuat,issmall, they are of immense importance for thecultivation of ,rabt' crops.

The peninsular region does not have a well_defined cold season. There is hardly anyn. -r:eable seasonal change irr- tffi.raturepa^ttern during winters OuJto the moderatinginfluence of the sea.

The Hot Weather Season (Summer)Due to the apparent northward movement of thesun. the global heat belt shifts northward. Assuch, from March to May, it is hot weather season

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CONTSMPORARY INDIA

. .A "Ft tng feature of the hot weather seasonis the 'loo,. These are strong, gusty, hot, drywinds blowingduringthe Auy3rr"-. tfrZ north andnorthwestern Indii. So_.ti_"!^ifr.y ..r..,continue untillate in the evening. Oir"t.rposureto these winds may even p.orrJto be fatal. Duststorms are verv (ilil ;; ;;#'#Tfr:l ffH-s;tr?T"Ttempora4r rerief as they lower G" iJ*p"rrt.,r.ayd may bring tight rain urra

"ooil.J"re. This isalso the ""."-o., fo. ro"urGJtint"r"tor_",

associated with violent winds, lorrentialdownpours, often

lengar,,h.;; *,T:}:T:H lS"'.".N;lBalsakhi'.Towards the close of the summer season,pre-monsoon showers are common especially,in Kerala and Karnat"f..

3fr.y n"fp ii'tfr. .*tyripening of mangoes, and are often referreO toas 'mango shoruers,.

Advancing Monsoon (The Rainy Season)By earlyJune, the low_pressure condition over|he3orthern plains intensi{ies. ft ait.acts, tfretradewinds of the southern h._i;;;;;.. Thesesouth-east trade winds origtnaie over they.""" subtropical areas of the;"th;rn oceans.They cross the equator ancl blow in a south_

in India: The influence of the shifting of the heatbelt can be seen clearly frorn*G.rperaturerecordings taken during March M;;;l differentlatitudes. rn March, tnJ rugr*"ii#ri..atrr." i"about 38' Celsius, .ecorded on the DeccanpJ"*"". In April, temperatures in Gularat andMadhya pradesh are aro und 42" Celsiu,s. In May,temperature of 45" Celsius i;

";;;" in thenorthwestern parts of the count lr-infJ*",rr*Indla, temperatures remain lower due to themoderating inlluence of the o"...r". -.*

The summer months experience risingtemperature and falling ui, ir."Jrie in then3{hern part of the country. Towards the endof May, an elongated low_p..""ii.. ....develops in the region extending from t,.e TharDesert in the northwest io p;;a and9_n?j"""Spur plateau in the east andsoutheast. Circulation of air b.;l;;; set inaround this trough.

lJ",f :':ffiTTi:1"#s"fr 'x'H.*H*3blow over warrn omoisture to the ""ffi;,ily iil:S ffiSTistrong and blow al an

"".r"g. ".1l"ray of SOkm per hour. With the ."".ptit1r;f ,h. extremenorth-west, the monsoon winds cover thecountry in about a month.The inflow of the south_west monsoon intoIndia brings about a totat ch""g. ,r, ,tr.*..,"tTI Early in the season, tfre-.ianAwarOside of the Western Ghats,.".j.l".ryheavy

rainfall, more than 25O "*. in. -oeccan

Plateau and parts of Madhya p..i."f, Usoreceive some amount of rain in spil-of tyingin the rain shadow area. The maxim.rm rainfaffof this season is received in the northleaste.npart of the country. ivtawsynrr_ ,., tfr"southern ranges of thl Khasi rrifi"..".i,o." tfr.liql""j average rainfall in trre wJrrllLrrrr.lin the Ganga valley A."r.r"." fr;r# east tothe west. Raiasthin and parts of Gujarat getscanty rainfall.

Another phenomenon associated with ttremonsoon is its tendency to have lbreaks, inrainfall. Thus. it has _Lt u"O Oi, speffs. fnother words, the.monsoon rains tal<e placeonly for a few days at'i ;;;;. ?ar.u ...interspersed with iaintess i;;;"i". Thesebreaks in monsoon are related to themovement of the monsoon trough. Forvarious reasons, the trough ""OliI ""is keepon moving northward or southward, whichdet ermine s the snatial aistributionlf rainfall.when the axis orine -.;;;;;;";;'lies overthe plains, rainfalt r" gooa rlliilJfo".,". o,the other hand. whenever the axis shifts closerto the Himaravas.,,h::"

";; r;n];ily.p.l"in the plains. and widespread iain occur inthe mountainous_catchrnent .;;;; of theijimalayan rivers. Tfese h;il #ill.rng,.,tii-::;: wake, devastati.rg nloa" "".,r"ing

damage to life andf .

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;x;depressions too, determine the amount andduration of monsoon rains. Thesedepressions form at the h.ud-;i;;e Bay ofBengal and cross over to the mainland. Thedepressions follow the axis ;iih" "_"nsooncLIlfll"ra

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CINTEfu'trd}RAICY INNIA

trough of low pressure". 'lhe monsoon isknown for its uncertainties. The alternationof dry and wet spells vary in intensity,frequency and duration. While it causes hear,yfloods in one part, it may be responsible fordroughts in the other. It is olten irregular inits arrival and its retreat. Hence, it. sometimesdisturbs the farming schedule of millions offarmers all over the count.ry;

Retreating/Post Monsoons(The Transition Season)

During October-November, with the atrnarentmovement of the sun towards the soutn, themonsoon trough or the low-pressure troughover the northern plains becomes weaker. Thisis gradually replaced by a high-pressuresystem. The south-west monsoon windsweaken and start withdrawing gradually. Bythe beginning of October, the monsoonwithdraws from the Northern plains.

The months of October-November form aperiod of transition from hot rainy season todry winter conditions. The retreat of themonsoon is marked by clear skies and rise in

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place on the earth is also reputed for itsstalagmite and stalactite caves.

temperature. While day temperatures arehigh, nights are cool and pleasant. The landis still moist. Owing to the conditions of hightemperature and humidity, the weatherbecomes rather oppressive during the day.This is commonly known as 'October heat'. Inthe second half of October, the mercury beginsto fall rapidly in northern India,

The low-pressure conditions, over north-western India, get transferred to the Bay ofBengal by early November. This shift isassociated with the occurrence of cyclonicdepressions, which originate over theAndaman Sea. These cyclones generally crossthe eastern coasts of India cause heavy andwidespread rain. These tropical cyclones areoften very destructive. The thickly populated

deltas of the Godavari, the Krishna and theKaveri are frequently stmck by cyclones, whichcause great damage to life and property.Sometimes, these cyclones arrive at the coastsof Orissa, West Bengal and Bangladesh. Thebulk of the rainfall of the Coromandel Coast isderived from depressions and cyclones.

Parts of western coast and northeastern Indiareceive over about 4OO cm of rainfall annually.However, it is less than 6O cm in westernRajasthan and adjoining parts of Gujarat,Haryana and Punjab. Rainfall is equally lowin the interior of the Deccan plateau, and eastof the Sahyadris. Why do these regions receivelow rainfall? A third area of low precipitationis around trh inJammu and Kashmir. The restof the country receives moderate rainfall.Snowfall is restricted to the Himalayan region.

Owing to the nature of monsoons, theannual rainfall is highly variable from year toyear. Variability is high in the regions of lowrainfall such as parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat andthe leewand side of the Western Ghats. As such,while areas of high rainfall are liable to beaffected by floods, areas of low rainfall aredrought-prone {Figure 4.6 and 4.7).

You have already known.the way theHimalayas protect the subcontinent fromextremely cold winds from central Asia. Thisenables northern India to have uniformlyhigher temperatures when compared to otherareas on the same latitudes. Similarly, thepeninsular plateau, under the influence of thesea from three sides, has moderatetemperatures. Despite such moderatinginfluences, there are great variations in thetemperature conditions. Nevertheless, theunifying influence of the monsoon on theIndian subcontinent is quite perceptible. Theseasonal alteration of the wind systems andthe associated weather conditions provide arhythmic cycle of seasons. Even theuncertainties of rain ancl uneven distribution

Figure 4.6 : Seasonal Rair{aII (June $eptember)

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Figure 4.7 : Annual Rai4faII

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, ., ;,: > r i;i:::iii;:iiri*-l;;;;,:; i". F E5 ;:i::;;:€;li;i:ii;i;=,.,.: i';i-

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3r: very much typical of the monsoons. The$Olan landscape, its animal and plant life,its entire agricultural calendar

".rA tfr. hfe ofthe people, including their festivities, ,evotvearound this phenomenon. year after year,

people of India from north to south and from

east to west, eagerly await the arrival of themonsoon. These monsoon winds bind thewhole countr5r by providing water to set theagricultural activities in motion. The rivervalleys which canJr this water also unite as asingle river valley unit.

P,YIY

II

i

i

1' choose the correct answer from the four arternatives given berow.(i) which one of the following places receives the highest rainfall in the world?(a) Silchar(b) Mawsynram [] :lffi:.l*'(ii) The wind browing in ilre northern plains in summers is known as:(a) Kaa.l Bai.sakhi 1c) Trade Winds(b) Loo (d) None of tl.e above(iii) which one.of the following causes rainfall a"ting *irrters in north-westempart of India.(a) cyclonic depression (c) western disturbancestb) Retreating monsoon (d) Southwest monsoon{iv) Monsoon arrives in India approximately in:(a) Early May (c) Early June(b) Early July (d) Early August(v) which one of the following characterises the cold weather se.ason in India?{a) Warm days and warm nights t-,

"

*' 'r 'rr(b) Warm days and cold nights -_-

(c) Cool days and cold nights :,(d) Cold days and warm nights .ii .:

2. Answer the following questions briefly. ,. ,,(i) what are the controls alfecting t,.e climate of India? , ,'''(ii) Why does India have , *or"oon type of climate? .. .,,

(iii) ffi"*frf

of India does experience tJ.e highest diurnal range of temperature

{iv) which winds account for rainfa' along t}re Malabar coast?(v) what are Jet streams a'd how do they affect the climate of India?(vi) Define monsoons. What do you understand by "Or""tl irr;;;;",(vii) Why is the monsoon considered a unifying bond?3. why does the rainfall decrease liom ilre east tt the west in Northern India.4. Give reasons as to why.{i) seasonal reversal of wind daection takes place over the Indiansubcontinent?(ii) The bulk of rainfall in India is concentrated over a few months.(iii) The Tamil Nadu coast receives winter rainfall.(iv; The delta region of the eastern coast is frequenily struck by cyclones.{v) Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leewarJ side of the western Ghats aredrought-prone.

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5. Describe the regional variations in the climatic conditions of India with the helpof suitable examples.

6. Discuss the mechanism of monsoons.7. Glve an account of weather conditions and characteristics of the cold season.

8. Give the characteristics and effects of the monsoon ratnfall in India.

ittlop sxrusi

On(i)

(ii){iii)

an outline map of India, show theAreas receiving rainfall over 4OO

following.cm.

Areas receiving less than 2O cm of rainfall'The directton of the south-west monsoon over India.

! Pno.recr/Act*Tt=_

(i) Find out which songs, dances, festivals and special food preparations are

associated with certain seasons in your region. Do they have somecommonality with other regions of India?

(ti) Collect photographs of typical rural houses, and clothing of people fromrelationshipdifferent regions of India. Examine whether they reflect any

with the climatic condition and grelief of ttre area. €

roR DorNG rr YouRsELF *=1. In Table-I the average mean monthly $

temperatures and amounts of rainfall of ten grepresentative stations have been given. It is P

for you to study on your own and convert theminto 'temperature and rainfall' graphs. Aglance at these visual representations will helpyou to grasp instantly the smilarities anddifferences between them. One such graph(Figure 1) is already prepared for you. See tfyou can arrive at some broad generalisationsabout our diverse climatic conditions. We hopeyou are in for a great joy of learning. Do the

Q=a&n. Jul, tug. Stp, ocl l{oL olc.

Figure 1 : Temperature and Rai4fall oJ Delht

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following activities.2. Re-arrange the ten stations in two different sequences:

(i) According to their distance from the equator.(ii) According to their altitude above mean sea-level.

3. (i) Name two rainiest stations.(ii) Name two driest stations.

(iii) Two stations with most euqable elimate.(iv) Two stations with most extreme climate.(v) Two stations most influenced by the Arabian branch of southwest monsoons.

(vi) Two stations most influenced by the Bay of Bengal branch of south-west monsoons.(vii) Two stations influenced by both branches of the south-west monsoons

(viii) Two stations influenced by retreating and north-east moRsoons.(ix) Two stations receivingwinter showers from the western disturbances.(x) The two hottest stations in the months of

(a) February (b) April (c) May (d) June

Table

4. Now find out

't:

(il wfry are Thiruvananthapuram and Shillong rainier in June than in JuM.1il] Ilv is July rainier in Mumbai than in Thirirvananthapuram?(iii) why are southwest monsoons less rainy in chennai?(i0 Why is Shillong rainier than Kolkata?(v) why is Kolkata rainier in July than in June unlike shillong which is rainier in June thanin Julf

("r) Why does Delhi receive more rain than Jodhpur?5. Now think why

- Thiruvananthapuram has equable climate?

- Chennai has more rains only after the fury of monsoon is over in most parts of the cormtry?- Jodhpur has a hot desert type of climate?

- Leh has moderate precipitation almost throughut the year?- while in Delhi and Jodhpur most of the rain- is confined to nearly three months, inThiruvananthapuram and Shillong it is almost nine months of the yearzIn spite of these facts see carefully if there are strong evidences to concluie that the monsoonsstill provide a very strong framewori lending overall iimatic unity to the whole country.

CLi}L+ I T

Stationg Latltudr fltltudeiMetres)

Jan Feb. Mar. Apr' May. Jun. JuI. Aug. Sep. Otc. Nov. Dec. AnnualRalnfall

Temperature (.C)Bangalore

Rainfall (cm)12"58',N 909

20.5

o.7

22.7

o.9

25.2

l.l

27.1

4.5

26.7

to.7

tL.,

7.1

23.O

lr.l

23.O

13.7

23.I

16.4

22.9

15.3

18.9

6.1

20.2

1.3 88.9Temperature ("Cl

MumbaiRainfall (cm)

l9'N ll24.4

o.2

24.4

o.2

26.7 28.3 30.o

l.a

28.9

50.6

27.2

6l.o

27.2

36.9

27.2

26.9

27.8

4.8

27.2

t.o

25.O

t43.4Temperature (.C)

KolkataRainfall (cm)

22"34'N 619.6

t.2

22.O

2.8

27.l

3.4

30. r

5.1

30.4

13.4

29.9

29-O

28.9

33. I

28.7

33.4

28.9

25.3

27.6

t2.7

23.4

2_7

19.7

0.4 162.5Temperature {'C)

DelhiRainfall (cm)

29. N 2tg14.4

2.5

16.7

1.5 1.3

30.o

1.O

oo.o

1.8

oo.J

7.4

30.0

19.3

29.4

t7.8

24.9

11.9

25.6

1.3

19.4

o.2

15.6

l.o 67.O

Temperature {"C)Jodhpur

Rainfall (cm)26"18'N 224

16.8

o.5

tg.2

o.6

26.6

o.3

29.8

o.3

OJ.J

1.O

33.9

3.1

31.3

ro.8

29.O

13.1

20.r

5.7

27.O

0.8

20.t

0.2

14.9

o.2 36.6Temperature (.C)

ChennaiRainfall (cm)

l3'4',N 724.5

4.6

25.7

1.3

27.7

1.3

30.4

1.8

33.0

3.4

32.5

4.5

3r.o

8.7

30.2

I 1.3

29.8

I r.9

28.O

30.6

25.9

35.O

24.7

13.9 128.6

Temperature ("C)Nagpur

Rainfall (crn)21"g',N 312

21.5

t.l

23.9

oa

28.3

1.7

32.7

1.6

35.5

2.t

32.O

22-2

27.7

37.6

27.3

24.6

27.9

18.5

26.7

5.5

23.1

2.O

20.7

1.O 124.2

Temperature ("C)Shillong

Rainfall {cm)24'34'N l46l

9.8

1.4

11.3

2.9

15.9

5.6

18.5

14.6

19.2

29.5

2c.5

47.6

21.1

35.9

20.9

34.3

20.o

30.2

17.2

18.8

13.3

3.8

lo.4

o.6 225.3Temperature (.C)

ThiruvananthapuranRainfall (cm)

8'29'N 6126.7

2.3

27.3

2.1

24.3 2a.7

10.6

28.6

20.a

26.6

35.6

26.2

22.3

2.6.2

14.6

26.5

13.8

26.7

27.3

.26.6

20.6

26.5

7.5 181.2Temperature (.C)

Leh 34" NRainfall (cm)

34'N 3506- 8.5

l O

-7.2

o.8

- 0.6

o.8

6.1

0.5

10.o

o.5

14.4

0.5

17.2

1.3

16.1

r.3

12.2

o.8

6.1

o.5

o.0 - 5.6

0.5 8.5

i5,,. ,;. t' i;': vi;,'t, 1u, 1:i ;:.'r, i'i'.i:',r,*'i.,i-r :S

k '# ave you observed the type of trees,

ffi :i bushes, grasses and birds in the fieldsA .'t and parks in and around your school?

Are they similar or there are variations? Indiabeing a vast country you can imagine thetypes of bio-forms available throughout thecountry.

Our country India is one of the twelvemega bio-diversity countries of the world.With about 47,OOO plant species Indiaoccupies tenth place in the world and fourthin Asia in plant diversity. There are aboutI5,OO0 flowering plants in India whichaccount for 6 per cent in the world's totalnumber of flowering plants. The country hasmany non-flowering plants such as ferns,algae and fungi. India also has gg,OOO speciesof animals as well as a rich variety of fish inits fresh and marine waters.

Natural vegetation refers to a plantcommunity which has grown naturally withouthuman aid and has been left undisturbed byhumans for a long time. This is termed as avirgln vegetation. Thus, cultivated crops andfruits, orchards form part of vegetation but notnatural vegetation.

Ss Ycu X<msw?. The virgin vegetation, whichare purely Indian are known as endemic orindigenous species but those which have comefrom outside India are termed as exotic plants.

The term flora is used to denote plants ofa particular region or period. Similarty, thespecies of animals are referred to as fauna. Thishuge diversity in flora and fauna kingdom isdue to the following factors.

3't;',;1r..,:'

Land

Land affects the natural vegetation direcilvand indirectly. Do you expect the same typeof vegetation in mountainous, plateau andplain areas or in dry and wet regions? Thenature of land influences the type ofvegetation. The fertile level is generally devotedto agriculture. The undulating and roughterrains are areas where grassland andwoodlands develop and give shelter to avariety of wild life.

Soil ' ,

The soils also vary over space. Different typesof soils provide basiq for different types ofvegetation. The sandy soils of the desertsupport cactus and thornybushes while wet.marshy, deltaic soils support mangroves anddeltaic vegetation. The hill slopes with somedepth of soil have conical trees.

i-,r,1t,,:. ; ir:

Temperature

The character and extent of vegetation aremainly determined by temperature alongwithhumidity in the air, precipitation and soil. Onthe slopes of the Himalayas and ttre hills of thePeninsula above the height of 9lb metres, thefall in the temperature affects the types ofvegetation and its growth, and changes it fromtropical to subtropical temperate and alpinevegetation.

Table 5.1 : Temperature Characteristir:s of the Vegetation Zones

Vegetatinnhnes MananntutlAuerageTemp.(indegree C)

M<:anTemp.

irulan- in,Tegrees C

Remarks

Tropical Above 24'C Above 18" No FrostSub-tropical l7"C to 24oC lO"C to 18'C Frost is rareTemperate 7'C to 17" c 1'C to (-1o ) "c Frost some snowAlpine Below 7"C Below-l"C Snow

Source : Enuironment Atlns oJ India, June 2OOl,

Photoperiod (sunlight )

The variation in duration of sunligtrt at differentplaces is due to differences in latitude, altitude,season and duration of the day. Due to longerduration of sunlight, trees grow faster insummer.

f i ns'$a*t why are the southem slopes in HimatayanrEgion covered wlth thick vqetation

"o,o"r us

"o-purudto northern slopes of the same hills?

Precipitation

In India almost the entire rainfall is brought inby ttre advancing southwest monsoon {June toSeptember) and retreating northeast monsoons.Areas of hearry rainfall have more dense vegetationas compared to other areas of less rainfall.firud cut why have the western stopes of the

Western Ghats covered with thick forests and notthe eastern slopes?

Have you ever thought as to why forestsare important for human beings? Forests arerenewable resources and play a major role inenhancing the quality of environment. Theymodify local climate, control soil erosion,regulate stream flow, support a variety ofindustries, provide livelihood for manycommunities and offer panoramic or scenicview for recreation. It controls wind force andtemperature and causes rainfall. It provideshumus to the soil and shelter to the wild life.India's natural vegetation has undergonemany changes due to several factois such asthe growing demand for cultivated land,

Central Pollution Control Board Delhi

development of industries and mining,urbanisation and over-grazing of pastures.

ActivttyCelebrate Van Mahotsau in your school / locality

%, *A plant few spalings and notice their growth .*,1--ar+,:;.3rn.-

o,_''""&;-'{irdri.:!:rr,iji!4?.,!!.--: i:,,r;^r,:-,::!i!Lr::::.r:-r,.::ri.:--'iliiF_

The vegetation cover of India in large partsis no more natural in the real sense. Bxcept insome inaccessible regions like the Himalayas,the hilly region of central India and themo.nstho'li, the vegetation of most of ttre areashas been modified at sorne places, or replacedor degraded by humaq occupancy.

:-,Acttvitg '

Study the bar graph{Figure S. I ) andanswer the follow'rrrg qu€stions.

(i) Name the state having maximum area under1 forest cover. 1i.,,

'''1]- (ii) Niame the union territory having minimum j*4rrn*l..ll. under forest cover and why? . ,*;,,i."-*'4€a:**t"g;ai***.+a;":;:,::::,;.-,r;.,+ri;t*:.isii:r:]:"i'ln)'"

S* Ysm Xmcw? In 2OOl, the actual forestcover in India was only 20.55 per cent.

[?]i" # :* :,"1; ;'.;.. :,,:

Plants occur in distinct groups of communitiesin areas having similar climatic conditions. Thenature of tl.e plants in an area, to a large extent,determines the animal life in ttrat area. Whenthe vegetation is altered, the animal life alsochanges. All the plants and animals in an areaare interdependent and interrelated to eachother in their physical environment, thus,

NATIJRAL VEGETATION.AND WILI} LItr.E ",-, ..i;4

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areas of the Western Ghats and the islandgroups of Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar,upper parts of Assam and Tamil Nadu coast,

" !.lgrae 6.1 Arw. thtdfr FW etaforming an ecosystem. Human beings arell.?. "1integral part of tt . ."o"v"iem. Uowoo rne fruman beings influenceihe ecologrof a- region? They ulilis. th" ;A;i;tion andwild tife. Th. g..ld orn"*a., il?il: leads toover utilisation of these .."o,-rr"."] They cutthe trees and kill the animaiJ creatirrgecological imbalance. As a result some of theplants and animals have,.;;;;4"

";;t;of extinction.

,Do you know that a very large ecosystemon land having distinct typ"" of rrEget"tion andanimal life is called a Wome.the"biomes areidentified on the basis of plants.

j ..

Ih: jdt".yng major types of vegetation maybe identified in our country Figtire b.S).(i) Tropical Evergreen Forests-!ii) Tropical Deciduous Forests!iii) Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs(r0 Montane Forests(v) Mangrove Forests

Tropical Evergreen ForestsThese forests are restricted to hear4y rainfall

1.f,: -*..e.*,.G,:*.*.*.*-ts*-- :rraq_.c+;3*.E:€. aq:-!

YoungTres

Flgwe 5.2 : Ttryiorl hrqgr@t E:oreri:

."..,"". CONTEMFORARY rNDTA

rNATT'RAL VEGETATION AND UITLD LIFE

Figure 5.3 : NaturalVegetatlon

cover and trv to find ttre reasons as to whv tforest as compared to others?

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They are at theirbest in areas having more than2OO cm of rainfall with a short dry season. Thetrees reach great heights up to 60 metres or evenabove. Since the region is warm and wetthroughout the year, it has a luxuriantvegetation of all kinds _ trees, shrubs, andcreepers giving it a multilayered structure. Thereis no definite time for trees to shed their leaves.As such, these forests appear green all the yearround.

Some of the commercially important treesof this forest are ebony, mahogany, rosewood,rubber and cinchona.

The common animals found in theseforestsare elephants, monkey, lemur and deer. Theone horned rhinoceros are found in thejunglesof Assam and West Bengal. Besides theseanimals plenty of birds, bats, sloth, scorpionsand snails are also found in these jungles.

Tlopical Deciduous ForestsThese are the mostwidespread forests of India.They are also called the monsoon forests andspread over the region receiving rainfallbetween 2OO cm and 7O cm. TreEs of thisforest-type shed ilreir leaves for about six toeightweeks in dry summer.

On the basis of the availability of water,these forests are further divided into moist anddry deciduous. The former is found in areasreceiving rainfall between 2OO and lOO cm.These forests exist, therefore, mosily in theeastern part of the country _ ,rorth.usternlfates, along the foothills of the Himalayas,Jharkhand, West Orissa and Chhattisgarh, andon the eastern slopes of the Westein Ghats.Teak is the most dominant species of this forest.Bamboos, sal shisham, sandalwo od, khail;lusum" adun, mulberr1r are other commerciallyimportant species.

- The dry deciduous forests are found in areashaving rainfall between 1OO cm and 70 cm.These forests are found in the rainier parts ofthe-p_eninsularplateau and the plains of Biharand Uttar Pradesh. There ar. 6pen stretchesinwhichTeak, SaJ, peepal, Aleemgrow. Alargepart of this region has been cleared forcultivation and some parLs are used forgrazing.

trigure 5.4 : TropicalDeciduans Forest

In these forests, the common animalsare lion, tiger, pig, deer and elephant. A hvariety of btds, lizards, snakes. and torfoare also found here.

?he Thorn Forests and ScrubsIn regions witJ: less than 7O cm of rainfall

the-natural vegetation consists of thorny treesand bushes. This type of vegetation is foundin the north-western parf of the countrrincluding semi,arid areas of Gujarai.Rajasthan, Madhya pradesh, Chhattisgarh"Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.-Acacias, patms.euphorbias and. cacti are the main planrspecies. Trees are.scattered and have longrootsnele.tratilg deep lnto the soil in order to germoisture. The stems are succulent to consewewater. Leaves are mostly thick and small tominimize evaporation. These forests give wayto thorn forests and scrubs in arid..J"".

Figure 5.5 : TLromForests and Scrubs

COFTTSMPORARY ISTDIA

In these forests, the common animals arerats, mice, rabbits, fox, wolf, tiger, lion, wildass, horses and camels.

Montane Forests

In mountainous areas, the decrease intemperature with increasing altituJe leads tothe corresponding ctraige ln naturatvegetation. As such, there ist-a succession ofnatural vegetation belts in the same order aswe see from the tropical to the tundra region.'Ihe wet temperate type of forests are foundbetween ateight of iboo

".rO iOOo metres.Evergreen broad-leaf trees such as oatu arraches-tnuts predominate. Between lbOO and3000 metres, temperate forests containing

coniferous trees like pine, aeoaa.llUve, fir,spruce and cedar, are found. These forests:9r.r- mosily the southern slopes of theHimalayas, ptaces having high liutrrd. insouthern and north_..*i lnjta. ai nigrrer?t"yl,t:"?, temperate grasslands *.

"t*_o.r.at |gh altitudes, generally more than 3,600metres above sea-level, temperate forests andgrasslands give way to the Alpine vegetation.Silver fir, junipers, pines and birches are thecommon trees of these forests. However, theyget progressively stunted as they approachthe snow-line. Ultimateiy through

"ir.irb" urrascrubs, they merge into the Alpinegrasslands. These are used extensively for

grazirrg by nomadicand the Bakarwals.mosses and lichensvegetation.

tribes like the GuijarsAt higher altitudes,form part of tundra

The common animals found in these forestsarel{ashmirstag, spotted dear, wild sheep, jackrabbit, Tibetan antelope, yat<, snow ieoparO,squirrels, Shaggr horn wild ibex, bear and rarered panda, sheep and goats with thict frair.

Mangrove Forests

The mangrove tidal forests are found in theareas of coasts inflr-renced by tides. Mud andsilt get accumutated on "rih "o""t". Oerrse

mangroves are the common varieties with roots

Figure S.Z : iviangror_re Forests

9f the plants submergecl under water. Thedeltas of the Ganga, the Maha.r.Oi, ttr.Krishana, the Godavari and tfre faveri arecovered by such vegetation. In the Ganga_Brahamaputra delta, "rrrrO.ri-ir.." rnr.

Py"d, which provide durable t..O-ti*n...Palm, coconut, keora, agar, also grow insome parts of the deita.

. Royal Bengal Tiger is the famous anirnalin these forests. 'Fui-cies, crocodiles, gilarialsand snakes are also fcrund in these fo[si;.

I*t us discuss : What will happen if plants andanimals disappear from the "arit," ",r?*"2 "r,.t:. h:T"r beings survive under such . J.r"UorrZ\4{ry is bio-diversity necessary and why should itbe conservecl ?trigure 5.6 : il4ontane ForesLs

":.,lTL:P.AL lEGE"A?Ii}ru A}rB WTE,T} LI$"H

India is known for its herbs and spices from ancient umes. Some 2,ooo plants have been described inAyr:wedaand afleast 5O0 are in regular use. The World Conservation Union's Red list ha" named S52 medicinal plants ofwhich 52 are critically threatened and 49 endangered. The commonly used plants in India are:

: Used to treat blood pressure; it is found only in India.: The juice from ripe fruit is used to prepare vinegar which is caminative and diuretic, and

has qrgesuve properties. The powder of the seed is used for controlling diabetes.: The freshJuice ofleaves is a cure for earache. It is also used to regulate blood pressure.: l,eaves are used as a cure for eye sores. Its gum is used as a toniJ.: Has high antibiotic and antibacterial propertiis.: Is used to cure cough and cold.: Is used to cure asthma and ulcers. The buds and roots are good for digestive problems.

IdentiSr more medicinal plants in your area. Which plants are used as medicines by localpeople to cure some diseases?

Souroe .' Medicinal Plants by Dr. S.K. Jain, Sth edition 1994, National Book Trust of India

different species of deer areother animals found in India. It alhas several species of monkeys.

11Do t'ou Know i wildlife protectionAct, was implemented in IgZ2 in India.

India is the only country intffi world that has both tigers and lions

The natural habitat of the krdian lionrlin this pictrrrt?'fl is the Gir forest in Gujarat. Tigers are

if: #wn-- *eL'6rpi:' of s imitaritiiP.ro#3lti ;.what type of similarityf"ffi found iri the forests of Madhya naOestr-

HT-:Ss type of vegetation from . theSuhdarbansofWestBengalandtlreone found in vour repion?

t.ftdflI .'*'q ur yor-rr regron!'

* * . ", Himatayan region. Icoparls too aremembers of the cat family. They are

important among.arrimals of prey.Like its flora, India is also rich in its fauna. Ithas more than 89,OO0 of animal species. The j icountry has more than l2OO

"p."i." of birds. + " - .= * Do you know

They constitute l3olo of the world's total. There tr€ :4i i+ 'J.ne Cir ror."t i" Ur.are 2500 species of fish, which account for -a + : " f rast rem"initrt-tr"ort"t

nearly l2o/o of theworld's stock. It also shares o, '- Eb of the Rsiatic lion.between 5 and 8 per cent of the world'samphibians, reptiles and mammals. The Himalayas harbour a hardy range ofThe elephants are the most majestic animals, which survive in extreme cold.animals among ttre mammals. They are fcund I^adakh's freezing high alutudes are a home tointhehotwetforestsofAssam,Karnatakaand yak, the shagg! hirned wild ox weighingKerala. One-homed rhinoceroses are the other around one tonne, the Tibetan antelope, theanimals' which live in swampy and marshy bharal fblue sheep), wild sheep, and thi tdnglands of Assam and {9st Bengal. arid areas Oibetanwild ass). Furhtermore, t}re ibex, bear,of ttre Rann of Kachchh and tJle Thar Desert snow-leopard and very rare red panda areare the habitat for wild ass and camels found in certain pockeis.respectively. Indian bison, nilgd fblue bull), In the rivers, lakes and coastal areas,el?0tsfuqrtrdl (four horned antelope), gazel and turtles, crocodiles and gharials are found. The

SarpagAnOnJarnur

ArjurrBaboolNeeirrTulst PlantIbchnar

r

CONTSMFORARY IIIIDIA

(.r{l

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INDIA36\ .r5')'\-

36\tt., _

-4...r.-.-, soME *TLDLTFE RESER'E'

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i "-*uo*l?,}JT ouonr#\"^ .ffi;;";[r3f,,hv; :^:,.^^^^ .;.t. Ranthambhor I ^.^....^rt'.4'\.^' -'SKaziranga/"\,

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F-igwe E. g : Wildllfe Reserues

NATURAL VEGSTATION AND \ryTLD LIFE

-k--

latter is the only representative of a variety ofcrocodile, found in the world today.

Bird life in India is colourful. peacocks,pheasants, ducks, parakeets, cranes andpigeons are some of the birds inhabiting theforests and wetlands of the country.

We have selected our crops from a bio-diverse enrrironment i.e. from the reserve ofedible plants. We also experimented andselected manymedicinal plants. The animalswere selected from large stock provided bynature as milch animal. They also providedus draught power, transportation, meat,eggs. the fish provide nutritive food. Manyinsects help in pollination of crops and fruittrees and exert biological control on suchinsects, which are harmful. Every species hasa role to play in the ecosystem. Hence,conservation is essential. As has beenmentioned earlier due to excessiveexploitation of the plants and animalresources by human beings, the ecosystem

$!JFTA}* *$arhs+[*e!q #etl'i,, J;*rulry -;{S

has been disturbed. About l,3OO plantspecies are endangered and 2O species areextinct. Quite a few animal species are alsoendangered and some have become extinct.

The main causes for this major threat tonature are hunting by greedy hunters forcornmercial purposes. Pollution due tochemical and industrial waste, acid deposits,introduction of alien species and recklesscutting of the forests to bring land undercultivation and inhabitation. are alsoresponsible for the imbalance.

To protect the flora and fauna of thecountry, the govemment has taken many steps.

(i) Fourteen biosphere reserves have been setup in the countr5r to protect flora and fauna.Four out of these, the Sunderbans in t]leWest Bengal, Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand,the Gulf of Mannar inTamil Nadu and theNilgiris (Kerala, Karnataka and TamilNadu) have been included in the worldnetwork of Biosphese resen'es.

#n ssnr**Ylr fmrc tnsk

{i)(ii)

(iii)

M

':'F,f|"

Find out from the above newsprp.. "rrttirrgffi"in concern highlighted in the given news items.Collect more information-abogtvarious endangered species frorn"ne#spaper" and magazines.fino gut,various steps taken by the Indian gor,-irnment to protect them.Discribe howyou can contribute to the protection of endangered animals and birds?

to tigertection

CONTSMFCIRARY [NNT&

MigratorY Birds ':.:;,.,1,' . .,

Sonte oJ tfe wettands oJ lndia *e pop4ffi',with mtgratory bird,s. During winter,birds, such as Stberian Crane come intarge numbers. One such ptaC?li::Jauourable tuith birds ts the Rinn oJKaclrchh. At a place u,here the d"esertmerges u,iih ihe sea. Jlamingo tuith theirbrilliant. ptnk plumage. come infhonsonds to build ne st maunds Jrom thesaLtg mud and raise tlrcir goung ones. ifis one arnong maftA extraordinary srghtsin the country. Ls rt nof a ri.ch naturalheritage oJ ours?

.:rF ' ' .."

"ii. .: ll:r:: r ' r:: i

.*4#i;l::i"...;n.,

iil .. ..:

Fourteea Bio-reseryes

o Sunderbans . Simlipalr Gulf of Mannar r Dihan€f-Dibang. ?he Nilgiris . Dibru Saikhowao Nanda Devi r Agasthyamalai. Nokrek r Kanchenjungar Great Nicobar c Pachrnaric Manas e Achanakmar-Amarkantak

{ii) Financiai and technical assistance isprovided to rnany Botanical Gardens by thegovernment since L992.

(iii) Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project GreatIndian Bustard and many other eco-developmental projects har..e beenintroduced.

($ Ag National Parks, 490Wildlife sanctuariesand Zoological gardens are set up to takecare of bJatural heritage.

Ail of us must reaiise the importance of thenatural ecosystem for our own sun'il'al. Itis possible if indispriminate destruction ofnatural envirohment is put to animmediate end.

Expncrsp':

1. choose the right answer frorn the fciur alternatives given belo.,*r:

ti) To which one of the following $rpes of vegetat!.on does rulrber belong to?{a} Tuncira

{b) Tidal{iil Cinchona trees

{ai 10e cm(b) 5O crn

(iii) Irr which ol the tbilcwing{a) Punjab

{ci Orissa

netwark of bioreserve?(a) I\,Ianas(b) Niigiri

NASLIRA{. \rEGE"A?ION ANE WIil} LXFE

{c} Flirnalayan(d) Trcpical Evergreen

are found in the areas of rainfall more than

{iv) Which one of the follo'.vin€ bio-resen-es of India is not included in the world

{c) 7O crn

{d) less than 5O cmstate is the Sinilipnl bio-reserve located?

(b) Delhi(cl) West Bengal

ic) Gulf of Mannar

{d} Nanda devi

;L-

3.

4.

Answer tJ:e following questions briefly.(i) Define €rn ecosystem.(ii) what factors are responsible for the distribution of plants and animals inIndia?{iii) What is a bio-reserve? Give two examples.{iv) Name two'nimals having habitat in tropical and montane type of vegetation.Distinguish between(i) Flora and Fauna(ii) Tropical Evergreen and Deciduous forests

IT" $iffergnt lgpes of vegetation found in India and describe the vegetation ofhigh altitudes.5. Quite a few species of prants and animals are endangered in India. whv?6" Why has India a rich heritage of flora and fauna?

Map Stttlg

On an outline map of India, label the following.(i) Areas of Evergreen Forests(ii) Areas of Dry Deciduous Forests(iii) TWo national parks each in Northern. Southern, Eastern and western partsof the Country

Project/Activity

(i) Find some trees in your neighbourhood har.ing medicinal values.(ii) Find ten occupations getting raw material from forests and ryild life.(iii) write a poem or paragraph showing the importance of wild life.(iv) write the scrir f of a street play giving the importance of .tree ptu,'t uor, *rrat4r to enact it in your locatity. *

{v) Plant a tree either on your birthday or one of your famiry member,s birttrday.Note the growth of the tree and notice in which season it.grows faster.

CONTEMPORARY INEIA

an you imagine a world without humanbeings? Who would have utilisedresources and created the social andcultural environment? The peopie are

important to de,rrelop the economy-andsociety.The people make and use r."or-ir"." and arethemselrrcs resources with varying quaiity.Coal is but a piece of rock, unUi pJople wereable to invent technologr to obtain jt and makeit a'resource'. Natural events like a river floodor Tsunami becomes a .disaster, only whenthey affect a crowded village or a town.

Hence, population is the pivotal element insocial studies. It is the point of reference fromwhich all otherelements are observed and fromwhich tJrey derive signiiicance and meaning.'Resources','calamities' and .disasters,

are allmeaningflul only in relation to human beings.Their numbers, distribution, growth andcharacteristics or qualities proviEe the basicbackground for undeistanding andappr_eciating all aspects of the enr,tronrnent.

Human beings are producers andconsumers of earth's resources. Therefore, itis important to knorv ho-w many people aretfere

1n a country, where do they iir=,-fro_ *O

wh3.= il;cii" numbers are increasing anO whatare their characteristics" The cenJus of Indiapror.'ides us r,r"ith information regarding thenopulation of our country.

We are primarily concerned with threemajor questions about the population:(i) Population slze and distribution: How

muury people are tlaere and where are theylocated?

{ii) Population growth and processes ofpopulation change: How has thepopulation grown and changed ftrroughtime?

iiji) Characteristics or qualities of thepopulation: What are their age, sex_composition, literacy levels, occupationalstructure and healtfu conditions?-

fldia's populafion Size aia nistribution byNumbers

lnlia's population as on March 2001 stood atI,028 million, r.vhich account for 16.Z per centof the world's population. These f .Oi Uitt;onpeople are unevenly distributed over ourcount4r's vast area of 3.2g million square km,which accounts for 2.4 per cent of tir" world,sarea (Figure 6.1)

The 2001 Census data reveals that Uttartrradgsh with a population size of 166millionpeople is the most populous state of india. UttarHradesll accounts for about l6 per cent ofthe

Census-{ cen-<us is an ofhcial

,enumeration-of population.done periodically. In India the lirst census was held in the year ;**"#Lfii,::ilort3.*""""' t'o*i"'i'i'i'." t t",' i" tl';;; iisr, s*"" th;;;;;";;es have been herd r*r,ffi:#:f ;ilX1"1ilHfiff'ff: ilj;*"s*nr,ic,

sociar and economic data.,r",= r", i

Eest ot tb *,6rtd, gi7.66

a'{ - -'-rI-,-- .

I r'. "*h --,

t, .,i'r. :

i;i'I I naia,z.*"t"

NS 6. 1 : India's share of uorld,s area and. popttlstion

country's population. On the other hand, fireHimalayan state Sikkirn has a population ofjust about 0.5 million and I"akshadweep hasonly 60 thousand people.

Almost half of India's population lives injust five states. These are Uttar pradesh,Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, and AndhraPradesh. Rajasthan, the biggest state in termsof area, has only 5.b per cent of the totalpopulai"ion of India (Figure 6.2)

is calculated as the number of persons per urlarea. India is one of the rnost densely populateCcountries of the world.

DO yOU KnOV? Onl-v Bangladesh and Japan har-e

than India. Find out the popuiaUon densities ofBangladesh and Japan.

The population density of India in the rvea:2O0l was 324 persons per sq km. Densitiesvary f;:om 904 persons per sq km in \&resBengal to onll' lS persons per sq km i:Arunachal Pradesh. A study of the figure 6.Jshows the pattern cf uneven clistribution ofpr:oulation densities at the state level.

stucy the o*t"ff# cornpare it with. figure 2.4 and ligure 4.7. Do f.61 fincl any',,* corelation between l}ese maps?

-^r.*;.,'**ffNote the states u'ith popuiation densities

below 250 persons per square km. Ruggedterrain and r.lnfan'ourable climatic conditionsare primariiy responsibie for sparse populatimin these areas. Which states have density belcmlO0 persons per sqyare km?

Assam and most of the peninsuiar stateshave moderate population densities. Hillr.dissected and roc$ narlrre of the terrair,-moderate to low rainfall, shallow and iessfertile soils harre inflr:enced populatioadensities in these areas.

The Northern plains and Keraia in thesouth hav* high tc very high populaticndensities because of ihe flat piilns with fertilesoils and abundant rainfall. Identify the threestates of the Northei-n Flains with hiehpopulation densities.

F,<lg"qlir&tr:$r* dlr*st'srn,$rn .Fx ilp;+exi$ .{JF.

F.opt:"q:r'c{}r{ *${a$e}s

Population is a dynamic phenomenon. Thenumbers, distribution and composition of thepopulation are constantiy changing. This is thainfluence ofthe interaction ofthe three processeanamely-births, deaths ancl migrations.

AndhraPradesh 7.419,o

W. Bengal7.7sak eii;T

8.A2o/o

UttarPradesh 16.160/oMaharashtra

9.4201:

Figure 6.2 : DistrilcuLian of populcrtian

$Bnd *ut r what could be the reason of unevendistribution of population in India?

India's Pop-ulation Distribution by DensityPopulation density provides a better pictureof the uneven distribution. population density

f]4 w@*."*-.@**% cst{TEMpORARy nr{DIA

6IjoE 72" 76" 900 840 ggo 920 g60E

360N INDIADENSITY OF POPULATION

3601\

PAKI STA N'320

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CHINA

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ANDHRA

i' .* lj' PRADESH Jruff#iL*-'r'l' -€) S' ..; { PERSONS PER Sq. Km.

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251 - 500

101 - 250

100 and below

;'iI I I I vu cll lu uttluw I te

Karaikalt s \.p..,: d rtlDLtGHERRY ANDAMAN & NtcoBAR ISLANDS

LAKSHADWEEP iEr, 1."*.iiNiiTii"' {;;t A"R 0 200 400 600km ('1"'^)o.

snr \ '*u 8TlINDIAN,.I, lri'lrrclL OCEAN o,

721e 760 i-'"* 1 a+' 88o gzoq "*

POPUI.A?ION

Figure 6.3 : Densit '; Papulatlonlnlrtdia

ll

i

II

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i. ii:

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Fopulation Growth

GrowLh of population refers to the change inthe number of inhabitants of a countr5r/territoryduring a specific period of time, say during thelast tenyears. Such a change can be expressedin two ways: in terms of absolute numbers andin terms of percentage change peryear.

The absolute numbers added each year ordecade is the rnagnitude of increase. It isobtained by simply subtracting the earlierpopulation (e.g. that of 199f) from the laterpopulation (e.g. that of 2OOl). It is referred toas the absolute increase.

The rate or the pace of popuiation increaseis the other important aspect. It is studied inper cent per annum, e.g. a rate of increase of 2per cent per zmnum mea-ns that in a given year,there was an increase of two persons for everylOO persons in the base population. This isreferred to as the annual growth rate.

India's population has been steadilyincreasing from 361 million in 1951 to 1028million in 2OOl.

Table 6.1 : The Magnitude and Rate oJ India's

Table 6.1 and figure 6.4 reveal that from1951 to 198I, the annual rate of populationgrowth was steadily increasing; whichexpiains the rapid increase in populationfrom 361 million in 1951 to 683 million in198 l.,. /--':1

H lB,1$r[1ril,fi$: . Table 6. 1 reveals that despite thedecline in growth rates, the numtrer of people beingadded every decade is steadily increasing. \[lhy?

Since 1981, however, the rate of growthstarted declining gradually. During thisperiod, birth rates declined rapidly. Still l82million people were added to the totalpopulation in the 199Os alone (an annualaddition larger than ever before).

It is essential to realise that India has aven:large population. When a low annual rate happlied to a very large population, it yields alarge absolute increase. \lrhen more than abillion people increase even at a lower rate, thetotal numbers being added becomes very large"India's current annual increase in populationof 15.5 million is large enough to neutraliseefforts to conserve f1e resource endowmentand environment.

The declining Crgnd of tl-e growth rate isindeed a positive indicator of the efforts of birthcontrol. Despite that, the total additions to thepopulation base coiltinue to grow, and Indiamay overtake China in 2O45 to become themost populous countty in the world.

2.5

.Eao;o

r.s Itvo

1o:s

o.5

197 11961 1991

Population Grou-:th

Yectr Tatal Abso.lute AnnualP:apulation Increase in Grau.th.(,in:milhoru) Ihe de.q.de Rate(in.million) { o/o )

r95r .&6.1,p '*2;43 1'.5l-g61 449.9 7,8."15 1.j.96rwr 5#.2 J"O8.92 2.2AI98l ,643.3 135.''7 :2..2219S1 A46.4 'l'a3{09 2..r+20|8) )g2A:7 JA2.g2 l$3

lG I r.brcrT-i"h;l

o l*- onn'"' "'o*n I

't981

Year

Figure 6.4 : India's PopulationandPopulattonGror-t:thRates dtrtnq lg\i-2OOl

C $N.TBII4PON,ARY IiqDIA

Processes of Population Change/Growth

There are three main processes of change ofpopulation : birth rates, death rates andmigration.

The natural increase of population is thedifference between birth rates and death rates'

Birth rate is the number of iive births perthousand persons in a year' It is a majorcomponent of gror,vth because in India, birthrates have always been higher than deathrates.

Death rate is the number of deaths perthousand persons in a year. 'fhe main cause

of the rate of growth of the Indian populationhas been the rapid decline in death rates"

Till 1980, hi.qh birth rates and decliningcieath rates led to a large difference betweenbirth rates and death rates resulting in higherrates of population growth. Since 198t' birthrates have also started declining gradually'resulting in a gradual decline in the rate ofpopulation growth. \Arhat are the reasons forthis trend?

The third component of population growthis rnigration. Migration is the movement ofpeople across regions and territories. Migrationcan be internal (within the country) orinternational {between the countries).

Intemal migrafion does not change the size

of the population, but influences the distributionof populationwithin the nation. Migration plays

a very significant role in changing the compositionand distribution of PoPulation.

ActioitgOn a maP, trace the migration of each

,. ofyourgrandParents and Parentst'..= since their birth. Try and analyse the-=****_**ff _9::*",*::: ?a-F...a::.

: 2

In India, most migrations have been fromrural to urban areas because of the "push":actor in rural areas. These are adverse- -:ditions of poverty and unemployrnent in the, ':1 areas and the "pull" of the city in terms- : -:--r:tased emplol'rnent opportunities and:,t ila:'-,1:lE COnditiOns.

lilrgia:--::- is an important determinant ofpopuiadon cita:ise. It changes not only thr:

population size but aiso the populationcomposition of urban and rural populationsin terms of age and sex cornposition. in India,the rural-urban mi$ration has resulted in asteady increase in the percenta-$e of populationin cities and iolvns. The urban popi-rlation hasincreasecl frorn 17.29 per cent of the totalpopulation in 1951 to 27.78 per cent in 2O01'

There has been a significant increase in thenumber of 'rnillion plus cities'from 23 to 35 injust one decade i.e. 1991 to 2OO1.

.{ge Composition

The age composition of a population refers tothe number of people in different age groupsin a country. It is one of the most. basiccharacteristics of a population, To an importantciegree, a person's age influences what he

needs, buys, does and tris capacity to perform'Consequently, the nutnber and percentage ofa population found within the children'working age aud aged groups are notabledeterminants of the population's social andeconomic structure.

The population of a nation is generallygrouped into three broad pategories:

CtiLdren (generaLLg belotu tr5 gears)

lhey are econornically unproductive and need

to be provided with food, clothing, educationald medical care.

lndia : Age Structure,_ *.

Adults, 58.7%

ffi Ased, 6.e%

. ,, Childr€n, 34.4%

I,'igtn'e 6.5: Inditt Age f)orrlposiliort

psptitATI0N_"-"*

Working Age (15-59 uectrs)

They are economically' productive ;rnrlbiologically reproductive. They comprise theworking population.

Aged (Aboue 59 gears)

They can be economicaily productive thoughthey may have retired. They may be u'orkingvoluntarily but they are not available forempioyment through recruitrnent.

The percentage of children and ihe agedaffect the dependency ratio because thesegroups are not producers. The proportion ofthe three groups in India's population isalready presented in figure 6.5 .

(i) How many "n,fu"rt#tJ"'nou know who are

engaged as household helpers, labourers inyour localit5f

(ii) How many adults do you know in your localityu'ho are unemployed?

_ "::J:1 :xf::,:" ::::::t: "1:"1':: -"._

$ex Ratio

Sex ratio is de{ined as the number of femalesper IOOO males in the population. Thisinformation is an important social indicatorto measure the extent of equality betweenmales and females in a society at a given time.The sex ratio in the country has alwaysremained unfavourable to females. Find outwhy this is so? Table 6.2 shows the sex ratiofrom l95l-2OO1.

Table 6.2 : Indta : Sex Ratto 195 1 -2OO 1

Sex ratio(Females per lOOO males)

94694t930934925933

n#o Vcrs Kfi{,}w ir.-.ti" per toolfemales lbr everyonly 821 femaleshas iust 861.

Kerala has a sex ratio of lObSmales, Pondicherry has l0Ol1OOO males, while Delhi hasper IOOO males and Haryana

. rl&c 'fl.$jzrtf i I . What coulci be the reasons for such

vaI,iarions?

Literacy Rates

Literacy is a verv important quality of apopulation. Obr,iously, only an informed andeducated ciiizen can make inteliigent choicesand undertake research and developmenrprojects. Lor,v levels of literacy are a seriousobstacle {br economic irnprovement.

According to the Census of 2OOt, a personaged 7 years. and above r,r,'ho can read andwrite '"vith understanding in any language, istreated as literate.

There has been a steady improvement inthe literacy levels in India. The literacy rate inthe country as per the Census of 2OOt is 64.g-lper cent; 75.26 per cent for males and 53.67per cent for females. Why do such differencesexist?

Occupational StructureThe percentage of population that iseconomically actirre is an important index oicler,eloprirr,:nr. The distribur"ion of thepopulation according to different types ofoccupation is referr€d to as the occupationalstructure. An enormous variety of occupationsare found in any qountry. Occupations aregenerallyclassified as primary, secondary, andtertiary.

Primary activities include agriculture.animal husbandry, forestry, fishing, miningand quarrying etc. Secondary activities includimanufacturing industry, building andconstruction work etc. Tertiary activitiesinclude transport, communications.commerce, administration and other services.

The proportion of people working indifferent activities varies in developed anddeveloping countries. Developed nations havea high proportion of people in secondary, andtertiary activities. Developing countries tendto have a higher proportion of their workforceengaged in primary activities. In India, abour64 per cent of the population is engaged onll.in agriculture. The proportion of populationdependent on secondary and tertiary sectors

--'.. e$trTEMpSR4.RY rruFIa

Census year

r95 r196 It97l198I19912001

is about lS and 2O per cent respectivellr. Therehas been an occupational *hift in f-avour ofsecondary and tertiary sectors because ofgrorving industrialisation ancl urbanisation inrecent times.

Heaith

F{ealth is an important component ofpopulation composition, u,hich affects theprocess of development. Sustained efforts ofgovernment progralnmesi have registereclsignificant irnprclvernents in the healthconditions of the Indian population. Deathrates herve declined from 25 per l00ilpopulation in tgbl to B.t per l0O0 ir.r 2O0land life expectancy at birth has increased from36"7 years in lg5l to 64.6 years in 2O01.

The sul:stantial improvement is the resultol'man.y factors inclucling improvernent inpublic health, prevention of infec^tious diseasesand applicat_ion of modern meclical practicesin cliagnosis ancl treatment of ailments.

Despite considerable achievements. thehealth situurtion is a mirtter of major concenllbr India. 'fhe per capita calorie cJnsumptionis much belolv the recommended levels andmalnutrition afflicts a large percentage of.ourpopulation" Safe drinking water and basicsanitation amenities are available to only one_third of the rural population. fhese problemsneed tr: be tackled through an appropriatepopulation policy.

Adolescent poXlulafion

The most significant feature of the Indianpopulation is the size of its aclolesr:entpopulation. It constitutes one-Iifth of the totalpopulation of Inclja. Aclolescents are generally.qrouped in the age-group of i0 to ig y"or*.They are the most important,""o,rr". for thefuture. Nutrition requirements of adolescentsare higher than ilrose of a norilal chilclor: adult.Poor nutrition can lead to cleficiency andsiunted grorvth. But in India, the diet availabrleto adolescents is inaclequate in all nutrients. Alarge number of adoleicent girls suffer from

anaemia. Their prol:lems have stl far noireceived adequate att.ent.ion in the process ofdevelopment. The adolescent girls irave to besensitised to the problems the.y confrorrt. Theirawa_reness can be improved through the spreaclr.rf iiteracy ancl edrication among'ihenr.

National. popr.llation FolicyRecognising that the planning of families rvoulclimprove inclividrral health anri welfare, theGovernment of India initiated thecomprehensive Family planning progrilmrne in1952. 'Ihe Farrrilv Welfare eiogrJmme hassought to promote responsible ancl plannedparentliood on a voluntary basis. Tire Na1 irinajPopulation policy 2000 is a culmination ofyears of planned efforts.

-lhe NPP 2OOO prorricles a policy framewnrkfor irnpar:ting free and r:ompr.rllor-y schooled^nr:ation r:p to 14 vsals oI. age, ierlucing]{ant mortality rate to below B0 per 1000 liveb_idhs, achierzin$ universal immunisation ofchildren against all vaccine preventahlediseases, promoting clelayecl -^d*g* for girls"arrd making lamillr wellbre a people_i:enteredprogramme.

NPP 2OOO and AdolescentsNPP 2000 identified adolescents as one of themajor sections of the population that needgreat.er attenl ion. Besides nutritionalrequirements, the policy put greater emphasison other inrport.ant needs of adolescentsincluding protection from unwanteclpregnancies and sexually transmittecl djseases(STD). It called for programmes that aimt?y1r9" encouraging delayed marriage andchild -bearing, education of aclolescents aboutthe risks of unprotected sex, makingcontraceptive services accessibl" ..rdaffordable, providing ioocl supplements,nutritional senzices, strengthening tegatmeasures to prerrent child marriage.

People are the nation,s ,rrolt valuableresource. Awell- educated healilry populationprovides potential po\ver"

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ExpRcrsn

1. choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.(i) Migrations change the number, distribution and composition of the

population in(a) the area of departure(b) the area of arrival

both the area of departure and arrival

(ii) A large proportion of children in a population is a result of(a) high birth rates(b) high life expecrancies

(d) none of the above

(c) hlgh death rates(d) more married couples

2.

(iii) The magnitude of population growth refers to(a) the total population of an area(b) the number of persons added each year(c) the rate at which the population increases(d) the number of females per thousand males

1iv) According to the census 20o1, a "literate" person is one who(a) can read and write his/her name(b) can read and write any language(c) is 7 years old and can read and write any language with understanding(d) knows the 3 'R's (reading, writing, arithmetic)

Answer the following questions briefly.(i) why is the rate of population growth in India declining since 19gl?(ii) Discuss the major components of population growth. :(iii) Define age structure, death rate and birth rate.(iv) How is migration a determinant factor of population change?Distinguish between population growth and population change.what is the relation between occupational structure and development?What are the advantages of having a healthy population?what are the significant features of the National population policy 2ooo?

3.

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6.

I Pno;ecr/Acrrvrrv

Conduct a class census by preparing a questionnaire. The questionnaire shouldcontain minimum five questions. euestions should relati to students, theirfamily members, their class performance, their health etc. Each student isrequired to fill up the questionnaire. Compile the information in numerical terms(in terms of percentage). present the information through pie-chart, bar-diagramor in any other way.

*# C*I{TEMPSRARY INM)IA

Adolescence

Alluvial plain

Base population

Biome

Birth rateDepression

Death rateDensity of population

Dependency ratio

Ecosystem

Environment

Fault

FaunaFloraFold

Geosyncline

Glacier

Growth rate of population

Indian Mainland

fudien Standard Timernland drainage

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: Adolescence is a period in which a person is no longer a child andnot yet an adult. such persons are grouped in the age group of1O to 19 years.

: A level tract of land made up of alluvium or fine rock materialbrought down by a river.

: The total poprilation of an area at the beginning of a given timeperiod.

: Plant communities occuring in distinct groups in areas havingsimilar climatic conditions.

: The number of live births for every IOOO persons in a year.: In meteorologiv; it denotes an area of relatively low atmospheric

pressure, which is found mainly in temperate regions. In geology,it refers to a hollow sunken area of ttre earttr,s surface.

: The number oideaths per IOOO persons in year.: The average number of persons per unit area, such as a square

kilometre.: The ratio of people of dependent age (below lb and above 6o years)

to people of economically active ages (1b-b9 years).: A system which comprises the physical environment and the

organisms living therein.: Surroundings or tl.e conditions und.er which a person or thing

exists and develops his or its character..r It covers both physicaland cultural elements. I .

: A linear break in rocks of the earth's crudt al94g which there hasbeen displacement in a horizontal, vertical or oblique direction.

: The animal life of a given area.: The total vegetation or plant cover of a region.: A bend in the rock strata resulting from cotnpression of an area of

the earth's crust.: A narrow, shallow, elongated basin wittr a sinking bottom in which

a considerable thiclaeesi of sediments was aepoJiteo uy the riverscoming from Angara and Gondwanaland.

: A mass of snow and ice that moves slowly under the in{luence ofgravity alonga confined course away from its place of accumulation.

: The growth rate of population indicates the rate at which thepopulation is growing. In estimating the growttr rate the increasein population is compared wittr the base population. It can bemeasured annually or over a decade.

: It refers to the "orrUg.rorr"

stretch of landmass from Jammu andKashmir to Kanniyakumari and from Gujarat to Arunachal Fradesh.

: The local time along the Standard Meridian of India (g2"so'E).: A drainage system in which the waters of the rivers do not reach

the oceans but fall into an inland sea or lake.

FOPULATTO 6l

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Igneous rocks

LagoonLake

Lithospheric Flates

Life expectaneyLocal Time

Metamorphic rocks

Migration

Mlllion Plus eitiesMonsoon

Mountain

National park

PlainPlateauPlate Tectonlcs

Relief

Subsidence

Sedimentary rocks

Sex-ratioSub-Continent

TeeJonlc

Young mountains

Rocks formed as a result of soridification of magma either belowthe earth's suriace or above it.A salt-water lake separated from the sea by the sandbars and spits.A body of water that lies i'a hollow in the earth's surface and isentirely surrounded by land.Large segmenrs of the earth's crust composed of continental andoceanic lithospheric parts, floating above t]re asthenosphere.The average nurrtber of years one is expected to live.The time of a place determined by the midday sun is called thelocal time.

: Deformation and alteration of pre_existing igneous andsedimentaryrocks as a resurt of changes inphysiJarind chemicaiconditions due to intense heat or pressure.

: Movement of peopre from one prace to another. Internal migrationmea.ns movement ofpeople within a country a'd extemal migrauonmeans movement ofpeople between countries. whenpeople cometo a count4r from another country, it is called immigraiion andwhen they leave that country, it is called emigration.

: cities with a population of more than one million or to lakh.: A complete reversal of winds over a large area reading to a change

ofseasons.:

1{n-upward projected features of the earth's surface that rises tohigh altitude and usually possesses steep slopes.

: A reserved area for presenring its naturpl vegetation, wild life andthe natural environment. j

: An extensive area of flat or genfly unduiating land.: An extensive elevated area of relatively.flat land.: The scientific concept ttrat explains ttremovements of the crustal

plates.: The differences in elevation or the phyglqal oufline of the land

surface orocean floor. ..

: In m-eteorologr, it is the downward movement of the air. In geologr,it refers to the sinking of a portion of ttre earth,s surface. "

: Rocks composed of sediments and generally having a layeredstructure.

: sex-ratio is defined as the number of females per thousand males.: A big landmass, which stands out as a dtstinct geographical unitfrom ttre rest of the continent.: Fgles originating within the earth and responsible for bringing

widespread changes in the landform features.: The fold mountainsformed during the most recent major phase

of folding in the earth's crust.

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