India is one of the 17 mega diverse countries of the world. With only 2.4% of the world’s land area, 16.7% of the world’s human population and 18% livestock, it contributes about 8% of the known global biodiversity, however, putting enormous demands on our natural resources. India is home to world’s largest wild tigers population… Continue reading Natural Vegetation and Wildlife: Part 6 | Conservation of Wildlife

In this article, we continue the discussion and look at various conservation attempts made to protect the Indian forests. Conservation of Forests: 1. The National Forest Policy: The National Forest Policy 1952 aimed at bringing one-third of the total land area with 65% in hilly and 25% in plains under the forest cover. It suggested… Continue reading Natural Vegetation and Wildlife: Part 5 | Conservation of Forests – Afforestation Schemes and Other Initiatives

Vegetation in the Himalayas: The Himalayan ranges show a succession of vegetation from the tropical to the tundra, which changes with altitude. When we look at the vegetational zones, the eastern Himalayas are similar to the western Himalayas. But on the whole, the eastern Himalayas have more tropical elements, a greater variety of Oaks and… Continue reading Natural Vegetation and Wildlife: Part 4 | Vegetation Zones of the Himalayas, The Problems of Indian Forestry

4. Subtropical Vegetation A. Sub-tropical Broad-leaved Hill Forests: Distribution: These forests occur on the lower slopes of the Himalaya in Bengal and Assam and on other hill ranges such as Khasi, Nilgiri, Mahabaleshwar, Pachmarhi, Amarkantak and Parasnath. Important Species: In the eastern Himalayas, Oak, Chestnut, Ash, Birch, Pine are common species. B. Sub-tropical Pine Forest… Continue reading Natural Vegetation and Wildlife: Part 3 | The Sub-tropical, Temperate, Sub-Alpine and Alpine, Littoral and Swamp Vegetation

Moving on, let’s discuss the various natural vegetation types of India in detail: Natural Vegetation Types of India 1. Tropical Evergreen Forests ‘Evergreen’ because there is no definite time for trees to shed their leaves, flowering and fruition. As such these forests appear green all the year round. The common animals found in these forests… Continue reading Natural Vegetation and Wildlife: Part 2 | Tropical Evergreen, Tropical Deciduous and Tropical Thorny Vegetation

Before we discuss the natural vegetation types found in India, let’s get acquainted with some basic terms: Flora, Vegetation and Forests: Flora refers to plants of a particular region or period, listed as a species and considered as a group. Likewise, fauna refers to the animal life, considered collectively, of any given period, environment or… Continue reading Natural Vegetation and Wildlife- Part 1 | An Overview of Natural Vegetation Types Found in India

India’s Climatic Calendar: The Southwest Monsoon Season Chief Characteristics of Monsoonal Rainfall: Monsoonal rainfall is largely governed by relief or topography. For example: The windward side of the Western Ghats registers a rainfall of over 250 cm. The heavy rainfall in the north-eastern states can be attributed to their hill ranges and the Eastern Himalayas.… Continue reading The Southwest Monsoon Season (Jun – Sep) | Part 2

India’s Climatic Calendar: the South-West Monsoon Season Temperature Conditions during this season: As the sun shifts northwards, the temperature rapidly increases especially in the northern India. The wind circulation over the subcontinent undergoes a complete reversal at both, the lower as well as the upper levels. Let’s see how: Distribution of air pressure and winds… Continue reading The Southwest Monsoon Season (Jun – Sep) | Part 1

India’s Climatic Calendar – the Winter Season Temperature Conditions during this season: By the end of December (22nd December), the sun shines vertically over the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. So, India which is located in the northern hemisphere experiences low temperatures. January and February are the coldest months over most parts of… Continue reading The Winter Season (January – February)

India’s climate can be described as hot monsoonal type. The word monsoon comes from the Arabic word ‘Mausim’ which means ‘season’. Monsoon, by definition, is a wind system that changes wind direction seasonally. The four principal monsoon regions in the world are: South Asia East Asia Northern Australia West Africa Let’s take the case of… Continue reading Indian Climate – An Introduction

Drainage The flow of water through well-defined channels is known as ‘drainage’ and the network of such channels is called a ‘drainage system’. Types of Drainage Patterns Discordant drainage A pattern of drainage that bears no relation to the structure of the underlying rock. This may be because: The drainage pattern developed on rock strata… Continue reading Drainage System | Part 2

Before we start with the drainage system of India, let’s look at the broad framework along which we will proceed. Article outline: Basic Terminology Source of a river Confluence Tributary Distributary Mouth of a river River basin, catchment area and watershed River Rejuvenation River Regime and River Discharge Drainage – Discordant and Concordant Discordant drainage… Continue reading Drainage System | Part 1

Physiographic Divisions: On the basis of prominent relief features, the peninsular plateau can be divided into three broad groups: The Central Highlands The Deccan Plateau The Northeastern Plateau. Physiographic Divisions and Important Mountain Ranges of the Peninsular Plateau Let’s take up these divisions one by one: 1. The Central Highlands The northern segment of the… Continue reading The Peninsular Plateau | Part 2

Article Outline: Location and Extent Geological History and Features Chief Characteristics General elevation and flow of rivers Important physiographic features The Deccan Trap Physiographic Divisions The Central Highlands The Deccan Plateau The Northeastern Plateau. Hill ranges of the peninsula The Aravallis Vindhyan Ranges Satpura ranges Western and Eastern Ghats Significance of this region Peninsular Plateau… Continue reading The Peninsular Plateau | Part 1

The Regional Divisions of the Northern Plains: Punjab, Ganga and the Brahmaputra Plains. Punjab Plains: The Punjab plains form the western part of the northern plain. In the east, the Delhi-Aravalli ridge separates it from the Ganga plains. This is formed by the Indus and its tributaries; like Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. A… Continue reading The Northern Plains | Part 2

Article Outline: Location and Extent Formation of Northern Plains Chief Characteristics Physiographic Division The Bhabar The Terai The Bhangar The Khadar Regional Divisions Significance of this region Location and Extent: Northern plains are the youngest physiographic feature in India. They lie to the south of the Shivaliks, separated by the Himalayan Frontal Fault (HFF). The… Continue reading The Northern Plains | Part 1

Besides the longitudinal divisions, the Himalayas have been divided on the basis of regions from west to east: These divisions have been demarcated by river valleys: The Regional Divisions of Himalayas – the Western and Eastern Himalayas. Punjab Himalayas: A large portion of Punjab Himalayas is in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Hence they… Continue reading The Northern and Northeastern Mountains | Part 2

Let’s begin with the first physiographic division. It consists of: The Himalayas, and The Northeastern hills (Purvanchal). The Physiographic Divisions of India | The Northern and Northeastern Mountains A) The Himalayas: The name “Himalaya” means “the abode or house of snow” in Sanskrit (i.e. hima “snow”, and ālaya “abode or house”). The Himalayas are the… Continue reading The Northern and Northeastern Mountains | Part 1

  The geological structure of a country helps in understanding the types and character of rocks and slopes, the physical and chemical properties of soils, the availability of minerals, and the surface and underground water resources. But before we can study the geological structure of India, it is important that we understand what a geological… Continue reading The Geological Structure of India