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INDIA - SIZE AND LOCATION
Location
- 8*4' N and 37*6'N
- 68*7'E and 97*25'E
- Tropic of cancer - 23*30' N divides India into almost 2 half
Size
- 3.28 million sq.km
- 2.4% of world area
- 7th largest - Russia, Canada, USA, China, Brazil, Australia and India
- Land boundary 15,200km
- Coast line - 7500km
- East to west time lag - 2 hrs
- Standard meridian passes through - Mirzapur,UP - 82*30'E
Note: Suez canal opened in 1869 and reduced distance between India and Europe by 7000km
India's neighbours
- 29 states and 7 Ut's
- 7 neighbours in north
- Palk strait and Gulf of Mannar between India and Srilanka
Facts
- States through which Tropic of cancer passes through - Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram
- Kavarati is the capital of Lakshadweep
PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA
- Movement of plates result in building up of stresses within the plate and the continental rocks above, leading to folding, faulting and volcanic activity
- 3 types of plate movement
- Convergent boundary
- Divergent boundary
- Transform boundary
- Most volcanoes are located at plate margin
- Oldest landmass (the peninsula part) was a part of the GONDAWANA LAND
- Gondwana land - Southern part of the ancient super continent PANGEA with Angara Land in the norther part
- India
- Australia
- South Africa
- South America
- Antarctica
- Indo-Australian plate separates from Gondwana land and collides with Eurasian plate.
- The sedimentary rocks which are accumulated in the geosyncline knows as the TETHYS were folded to form the mountain system of western Asia and Himalayas - Tethys sea is the Himalayas now
- Basin is formed in this process and the Basin is filled by alluvial from Himalayas and Deccan plateau forming NORTHERN PLAINS
- Peninsular plateau is the oldest and most stable
- The Himalayas and the northern plane is the recent formation and hence unstable
MAJOR PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS
- The Himalayan Mountain
- The Northern Plains
- The peninsular Plateau
- The Indian Desert
- The coastal Plains
- The Island
THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS
- Fold mountains
- Young mountains
- Loftiest and rugged
- Forms an Arc
- 2400km long
- 400km wide in Kashmir
- 150km wide in Arunachal Pradesh
- Altitudinal variation is greater in the eastern half
- 3 parallel range and number of valleys between them
- Northern most - Great or Inner Himalayas or Himadri
- Most continuous
- Loftiest - avg height 6000m
- Asymmetrical fold
- Core is composed of granite
- Perennially snow bound
- Himachal or Lesser Himalayas
- Most rugged
- Highly compressed and altered rocks
- 3700m - 4500m
- Avg width - 50km
- Imp ranges
- Pir panjal range - longest
- Dhaula Dar
- Mahabharat ranges
- Valley
- Kashmir valley
- Kangra, HP
- Kulu valley,HP
- Shiwaliks
- 10-50km width
- 900-1100m
- Unconsolidated sediments brought by the Himalayan rivers
- DUN
- Longitudinal valley lying between lesser Himalayas and Shiwaliks are known as DUN
- Famous Duns
- Dehra Dun
- Kotli Dun
- Patli Dun
- Northern most - Great or Inner Himalayas or Himadri
- Division based on regions
- Between Indus and satluj
- Punjab Himalayas or
- Kashmir and Himachal Himalayas
- Between Satluj and Kali
- Kumaon Himalayas
- Between Kali and Tista
- Nepal Himalayas
- Between Tista and Dihang
- Assam Himalayas
- Beyond Dihang gorge
- Himalayas bend sharply and forms Pruvachal or The Eastern Himalayas
- Comprises of Patkai Hills, Naga Hills, manipur Hills and Mizo Hills
- Made of strong sandstones
- Himalayas bend sharply and forms Pruvachal or The Eastern Himalayas
- Between Indus and satluj
THE NORTHERN PLAIN
- Result of interplay between 3 major river system
- The Indus
- The Ganga
- The Brahmaputra
- Plain is formed of Alluvial soil
- 3 sections
- Western part - Punjab Plain - Indus and its tributaries - Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Satluj
- Mostly lies in Pakistan
- Dominated by Doab - do means two and ab means river (punj means 5 and ab means river)
- Ganga Plains
- Extend between Ghaggar and Teesta rivers
- Brahmaputra Plains
- Assam
- Western part - Punjab Plain - Indus and its tributaries - Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Satluj
- Variation of relief feature
- Bhabar
- Pebbles parallel to shiwaliks
- All the streams disappear in this bahabar belt
- Terai
- Streams reappear and create a wet, swampy and marshy region called terai
- Thickly forested with full of wildlife - but now cleared
- Dudhwa National park
- Bhangar
- Largest part of northern plain
- Formed of older alluvium
- Calcareous deposits known as Kankar
- Newer deposits are known as Khadar
- Bhabar
THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU
- Table land composed of Old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks
- Has broad and shallow valley and rounded hills
- 2 broad division
- Central highlands
- Part that is lying to north of the Narmada river covering major a major area of the Malwa Plateau
- Wider in the west and narrower in the east
- Chambal, Sind, Betwa and Ken is from southwest to northeast
- Eastward extension = Budelkhan and Baghelkhand
- Further eastward extension = Chotanagpur plateau drained by Damodar river
- Deccan Plateau
- Triangular landmass south of river Narmada
- Higher in the west and slopes towards east
- Satpura range in north
- Mahadev range and Kaimur hills the Maikal range in Eastern extensions
- Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau and North Cachar Hills = North Eastern Extension
- West to east hill ranges = Garo, Khasi , Jaintia Hills
- Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats mark the western and eastern edges
- Western Ghats - continuous
- Thal Ghats - MH
- Bhor - MH
- PalGhats - KL
- Higher than eastern Ghats - 900-1600m
- Hight increase from north to south
- Anai Mudi (2700m) - highest
- Doda Betta
- Eastern ghats
- 600m
- Mahanadi to Nigiris
- Mahendragiri (1500m) highest
- Shevroy Hills
- Javadi hills
- Black soil area of Deccan trap - Volcanic origin or Igneous
- Aravali Hills - Western and northwestern margins of Peninsular plateau - extend from Guj to Delhi
- Central highlands
THE INDIAN DESERT
- Desert lies towards western margin of Aravali Hills
- 150mm per year Rain fall
- Luni is the only large river in this region
- Barchans crescent shaped dunes - Jaisalmer has a group of barchans
THE COASTAL PLAINS
- WESTERN COAST
- Between Western ghats and Arabian sea
- Narrow
- 3 sections
- Konkan - Mumbai to Goa - Northern Part
- Kannad Plain - central part
- Malabar coast - southern part
- EASTERN COAST
- Broader
- Northern Circar - Northern part
- Coromandel Coast - southern part
- Large rivers
- Mahanadi
- Godavari
- Krishna
- Chilika Lake - Largest salt water lake in India - Odisha - south of Mahanadi Delta
ISLAND
- Lakshadweep
- Coral island
- 3 types
- Barrier reefs - The Great Barrier reef of Australia
- Fringing reef
- Atolls - circular or horse shoe shaped coral reefs
- 3 types
- 1973 - Laccadive to Lakshadweep
- Kavaratti capital
- Pitti Island is uninhabited and has Bird Sanctuary
- Coral island
- A&N
- North - Andaman
- South - Nicobar
- India's only active volcano is in Barren Island of A&N
- Majuli(Assam) is the largest inhabited riverine island In the world
Closing statement
- Mountains - sources of water and forest wealth
- Northern Plains - granaries of the country
- Plateau - storehouse of mineral and plays crucial role in Industrialisation of the country
DRAINAGE
- Drainage pattern
- Dendritic - when river channel follows the slope of the terrain - tributaries resembles trees and hence the name
- Trellis - river joined by its tributaries at right angle - develops where hard and soft rock exists parallel to each other
- Rectangular - develops on strongly jointed rocky terrain
- Radial - central peak and dome structure
- Area drained by single river is called drainage basin
- Any elevated area that separate two drainage basin is called water divide
- World's largest drainage basin is Amazon River
- Indian rivers are grouped
- The Himalayan river
- The peninsular rivers
- The Himalayan river
- Mostly perennial
- Two major
- Indus
- Brahmaputra
- The Indus River system
- Rises in Tibet near lake Mansarowar
- Enters Ladakh in J&K and forms picturesque gorge
- Tributaries
- Zaskar
- Nubra
- Shyok
- Hunza
- Flows through Baltistan and Gilgit and emerges from the mountain at Attock
- Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum join together to join Indus at Mithankot , Pakistan
- 1/3rd of Indus river basin is India
- 2900km - one of the longest
- Indus Water Treaty - 1960 - 20% of Indus water to India
- The Ganga River System
- Headwaters of Ganga = [Bhagirathi = fed by Gangotri Glacier] + Alaknanda at Devaprayag at UK
- At Haridwar ganga emerges from Mountain to the plains
- Dendritic pattern
- 2500km
- Tributaries
- Himalayan
- Yamuna - Yamunotri Glacier - right bank - meets at Allahabad
- Ghaghara - Nepal Himalayas
- Gandak - Nepal Himalayas
- Kosi - Nepal Himalayas -
- Peninsular upland - rise from semi-arid areas so not much water
- Chambal
- Betwa
- Son
- Himalayan
- Farakka,WB - northern most point of Ganga delta
- Ganga bifurcates here
- Bhagirathi
- Hooghly
- Enters Bangladesh and further downstream it is called Meghna
- Ganga bifurcates here
- Delta formed id Sundarbans Delta
- Ambala(water divide = Indus & Ganga) to Sundarbans - gentle slope of 300m or 1800km/300m = 1 m every 6km = so Meanders
- The Brahmaputra River system
- Rises in Tibet east of Mansarowar Lake close to sources of Indus and Satluj
- Tsang Po in Tibet and Jamuna in Bangladesh
- Slightly longer than Indus
- Most of the course lies outside India
- U turn on reaching Namcha Barwa (7757)
- Enters Arunachal Pradesh and called as DIHANG
- Dihang + Lohit + other tributaries = Brahmaputra
- Low volume and less silt in Tibet but more volume and more silt in India bcos of more rainfall in NE
- The Peninsular river
- East Flowing
- Mahanadi
- Highlands of Chhattisgarh
- 860km
- Covers MH, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha
- Godavari
- Largest peninsular river - so a.k.a DAKSHIN GANGA
- Rises from Western Ghats in NASIK
- 1500km
- Covers MH(50% basin), MP, Odisha and AP
- Tributaries
- Purna
- Wardha
- Pranhita
- Manjra
- Wainganga
- Penganga
- Krishna
- Rise at Mahabaleshwar
- 1400km
- Tributaries
- Tungabhadra
- Koyana
- Ghatprabha
- Musi
- Bhima
- Covers
- MH, Karnataka, AP
- Kaveri Basin
- Rises at Brahmagri range
- Reaches BOB in Cuddalore
- 760km
- Tributaries
- Amaravati
- Bhavani
- Hemavati
- Kabini
- Covers
- TN, Karnataka, Kerala
- Note : Kaveri makes 2nd biggest waterfall at Sivasamudram in Karnataka
- Others
- Damoder
- Brahmani
- Baitarni
- Subarnrekha
- Mahanadi
- West flowing
- Narmada
- Amarkantak hills, MP
- Trellis pattern
- Forms Estuaries
- Flows through rift valley or trough
- Marble Rocks near Jabalpur where Narmada flows through a deep gorge
- Dhuadhar falls
- Cover MP and GJ
- Tapi
- Rises in Satpura ranges, Betul district, MP
- Flows parallel to Narmada in rift valley or trough
- Shorter than Narmada
- Covers MP, GJ, MH
- Forms estuaries
- Others
- Except Narmada and Tapi no other west flowing river forms Estuaries
- Sabarmati
- Mahi
- Bharathpuzha
- Periyar
- Sharavati
- Jog falls - Biggest in India
- Narmada
- East Flowing
LAKES
- Most fresh water lakes are glacial origin
- Dal Lake, J&K
- Jewel in the crown of Kashmir
- Srinagar's Jewel
- House of boats and Shikaras
- Wular Lake, J&K
- Result of tectonic activity in Himalayas
- Largest fresh water lake
- Nainital Lake
- Fresh water lake
- Crescent or Kidney shaped
- Kolleru Lake
- Not the largest Fresh water lake
- Pulicat Lake
- 2nd largest brackish lake
- Loktak Lake
- Largest fresh water lake in NE, Manipur
- Chilika Lake
- Odisha
- Largest Lagoon
- 2nd Largest Lagoon in the world
- Lagoons
- Chilika Lake
- Pulicat Lake
- Sambar Lake, RJ
- Largest inland salt water lake
- Artificial Lakes as a result of Damming
- Guru Gobind Sagar Lake of Bhakra Nangal Project
- Kodaikanal Lake
- Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar - Largest artificial lake
- Barapani Lake
- Nagarjuna Sagar
- Rana Pratap Sagar
- Bhimtal lake
- Hirakund Lake
- Lakes of large extent
- Caspian sea
- Dead sea
- Aral Sea
- Fresh water lakes
- Bhimtal
- Nainital
- Loktak
- Barapani
NATIONAL RIVER CONSERVATION PLAN (NRCP)
- Ganga Action Plan GAP
- Phase 1 - 1985-2000
- Phase 2
CLIMATE
- Climate is the sum total of weather conditions and variations over a large area for a long period of time (30 years)
- Weather refers to the state of the atmosphere over an area at any point of time
- Climate of India is defined as monsoon type
- Monsoon comes from Arabic word Mausim
- 6 major controls of climate
- Latitude
- Altitude
- Pressure and Wind system
- Distance from the sea( continentality )
- Ocean currents
- Relief features
- Pressure and Winds
- Pressure and surface winds
- Upper air circulation
- Western cyclonic disturbances and tropical cyclones
- Ferrel's Law
- Deflection of wind towards right and left in northern and southern hemisphere is called as Ferrel's Law
- A.k.a Coriolis force
- What is monsoon and why India is not desert
NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILD LIFE
- TYPES OF VEGETATION
- Tropical Evergreen Forests
- Heavy rainfall - 200cm
- Short dry season
- 60 metres high trees
- Multi-layered vegetation
- Imp trees
- Ebony
- Mahogany
- Rosewood
- Rubber
- Cinchona
- Common animals
- elephants
- Monkey
- Lemur
- Deer
- One horned rhinoceros of Assam and WB
- Tropical Deciduous Forests
- Widespread forest in India
- 200cm-70cm rainfall
- Shed leaves 6-8 weeks in dry summer
- On basis of water availability
- Moist Deciduous - 200cm-100cm
- Mostly in Eastern part of the country
- NE
- Jharkhand
- West Orissa
- Chhattisgarh
- Eastern slopes of Western Ghats
- Trees
- Teak is the most dominant
- Bamboos
- Sal
- Shisham
- Sandalwood
- Khair
- Kusum
- Arjun
- Mulberry
- Dry Deciduous - 100cm-70cm
- Rainier parts of peninsular plateau
- Bihar
- UP
- Trees
- Teak
- Sal
- Peepal
- Neem
- Large part of this is cleared for human needs
- Moist Deciduous - 200cm-100cm
- Animals
- Lion
- tiger
- Pig
- Deer
- The thorn Forests and Scrubs
- Less than 70cm rain
- Places
- GJ
- RJ
- MP
- Chhattisgarh
- UP
- Haryana
- Trees - scattered and long rooted/stems are succulent to conserve water/leaves are thick and small to minimize evaporation
- Acacias
- Palms
- Euphorbias
- Cacti
- Animals
- Rats
- Rabbits
- Fox
- Wolf
- Tiger
- Lion
- Wild ass
- Horse
- Camels
- Montane Forests
- Mountainous region
- 1000-2000m
- Wet temperate forest
- Evergreen broadleaf trees
- Oaks
- Chestnuts
- 1500-3000m
- Temperate forest
- Coniferous trees
- Pine
- Deodar
- Silver fir
- Spruce
- Cedar
- Southern slopes of Himalayas and NE
- 3600m and above
- Alpine vegetation
- Silver fir
- Junipers
- Pines
- Birches
- At higher altitudes
- Tundra vegetation
- Mosses and lichens
- Animals
- Kashmir stag
- Spotted dear
- Wild sheep
- Jack
- Rabbit
- Tibetan antelope
- Yak
- Snow leopard
- Squirrels
- Shaggy horn wild ibex
- Bear
- Rare red panda
- Sheep and goats with thick hair
- Mangrove forests
- Deltas of
- Ganga
- Mahanadi
- Krishna
- Godavari
- Kaveri
- Trees
- Sundari Trees
- Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta
- Hard wood
- Palm
- Coconut
- Keora
- Agar
- Sundari Trees
- Royal Bengal Tiger
- Gharials
- Turtles
- Crocodiles
- Snakes
- Deltas of
- Tropical Evergreen Forests
- Wild Life
- 90000 animal species
- 2000 bird species - 13% of world
- 2600 fish - 12% of world
- 5-8 % amphibians, reptiles and mammals
- 47000 plant species - 10% of world
- 15000 flowering plants - 6% of world
- Notable animals
- Elephants - Assam, Karnataka and Kerala
- One horned Rhinoceroses - Assam, WB
- Wild Ass and Camel - Rann of Kachchh and Thar Desert
- Indian Bison, nilgai(blue bull), chousingha(4 horned antelope), Gazel, deer and monkeys
- Lion - Gir Forest - Last remaining habitat of the Asiatic Lion
- Tigers - MP, Sundarbans and Himalayan Region
- Yak, Tibetan Antelope, Bharal(blue sheep), wild sheep, Kiang(Tibetan Wild Ass), ibex, bear, snow leopard, red panda - Ladakh
- Turtles, crocodiles and gharials
- Biosphere reserves
- 18 Biosphere reserve - Out of which 11 are world network of Biosphere reserves
- Nilgiri, KL, KR, TN
- Gulf of Mannar, TN
- Sunderban, WB
- Nanda Devi,UK
- Nokrek
- Pachmarhi
- Similipal
- Achanakmar-Amarkantak
- Great Nicobar
- Agasthyamala
- Khangchendzonga - 2018
- 18 Biosphere reserve - Out of which 11 are world network of Biosphere reserves
- Project
- Project tiger
- Project Rhino
- Project Great Indian Bustard
- 104 National Parks
- Kuno national park, MP - 2018
- Manas National park, Assam - 1990 - UNESCO World heritage site
- Nokrek National Park, Meghalaya - 1986 - UNESCO World heritage site
- Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh - 1984 - UNESCO World heritage site
- Sundarbans National Park - West Bengal - 1984 - UNESCO World heritage site
- Valley of Flowers National Park - Uttarakhand - 1982 - UNESCO World heritage site
- Nanda Devi National Park - Uttarakhand - 1982 - UNESCO World heritage site
- Hemis National Park - Jammu and Kashmir - 1981 - largest national Park
- Khangchendzonga National Park - Sikkim - 1977 - UNESCO World heritage site
- Jim Corbett National park, UK - 1936 - 1st established
- 544 Wild life sanctuaries
- Wet Lands
- Rann of Kachchh - Flamingo