Introduction	Physical Features
Rivers	Mineral Resources
Coastline

Location : Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan Geographic Coordinates : 20 00 N, 77 00 E Map References : Asia Area : total: 3,287,590 sq km land: 2,973,190 sq km water: 314,400 sq km Area - Comparative : slightly more than one-third the size of the US Land Boundaries : total: 14,103 km border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km Coastline : 7,000 km Maritime Claims : contiguous zone: 24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM Climate : varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north Terrain : upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north Elevation Extremes : lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m Natural Resources : coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land Land Use : arable land: 54.35% permanent crops: 2.66% other: 42.99% (1998 est.) Irrigated Land : 590,000 sq km (1998 est.) Natural Hazards : droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes Environment - Current Issues : deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources Environment - International Agreements : party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - Note : dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes

INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

India is a large country - about a third of the size of the USA, and includes vast plains like the Ganges valley and also the world's highest mountains - the Himalayas. The wide variety of terrain leads to a wide variety of climatic conditions. These range from permanent snowfields to tropical coastlands; from areas of virtual desert in the north-west to fertile, intensively cultivated rice fields in the north-east.

India, being a vast country, shows a great diversity in climate, topography and geology and hence the country is very rich in terms of biological diversity. India's biological diversity is one of the most significant in the world, since India has only 2% of the total landmass of the world containing about 6% of the world's known wildlife.

Bio-geographic Zones:
The country has 10 different biogeographic zones and 26 biotic provinces.

1. The Trans-Himalayan region

This area is very cold and arid (4,500 Π6,000 mts. above msl). The only vegetation is a sparse alpine steppe. Extensive areas consist of bare rock and glaciers.The faunal groups best represented here are wild sheep and goats (chief ancestral stock), ibex, snow leopard, marbled cat, marmots and black-necked crane.

2. The Himalayan region:

The fantastic altitude gradient results in the tremendous biodiversity of the Himalayan region. Flora and fauna vary according to both altitude and climatic conditions: tropical rainforests in the Eastern Himalayas and dense subtropical and alpine forests in the Central and Western Himalayas.

The lower levels of the mountain range support many types of
orchids. On the eastern slopes, rhododendrons grow to tree height.

3. The Indian Desert

The natural vegetation consists of tropical thorn forests and tropical dry deciduous forests, sandy deserts with seasonal salt marshes and mangroves are found in the main estuaries. Typical shrubs are phog growing on sand dunes. Sewan grass covers extensive areas called pali. Thar desert possesses most of the major insect species.

43 reptile species and moderate bird endemism are found here.No niche of the Thar is devoid of birds. The black buck was once the dominant mammal of the desert region, now confined only to certain pockets. The gazelle is the only species of the Indian antelope of which the females have horns. Nilgai the largest antelope of India and the wild ass, a distinct subspecies, is now confined to the Rann of Kutch which is also the only breeding site in the Indian subcontinent for the flamingoes. Other species like desert fox, great Indian bustard, chinkara and desert cat are also found.

4. The Semi-Arid Region:
The semi-arid region in the west of India includes the arid desert areas of Thar and Rajasthan extending to the Gulf of Kutch and Cambay and the whole Kathiawar peninsula. The natural vegetation consists of tropical thorn forests and tropical dry deciduous forests, moisture forests (extreme north) and mangroves. The sandy plains have a few scattered trees of Acacia and Prosopis. The gravelly plains have Calotropis, Gymnosporia, etc. The rocky habitats are covered by bushes of Euphorbia while species of Salvadora and Tamarix occur mainly near saline depressions. The lion of Gir is the endemic species in this zone.

5. The Western Ghats:
They cover only 5% of India's land surface but are home to more than about 4,000 of the country's plant species of which 1800 are endemic. The monsoon forests occur both on the western margins of the ghats and on the eastern side where there is less rainfall. This zone displays diversity of forests from evergreen to dry deciduous. The Nilgiri langur, lion tailed macaque, Nilgiri tahr, Malabar grey hornbill and Most amphibian species are endemic to the Western Ghats.

6. The Deccan Peninsula:
The Deccan Peninsula is a large area of raised land covering about 43% of India's total land surface. It is bound by the Sathpura range on the north, Western Ghats on the west and Eastern Ghats on the east. The elevation of the plateau varies from 900 mts. in the west to 300 mts. in the east. There are four major rivers that support the wetlands of this region which have fertile black and red soil. Large parts are covered by tropical forests. Tropical dry deciduous forests occur in the northern, central and southern part of the plateau. The eastern part of the plateau in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa has moist deciduous forests.

Fauna like tiger, sloth bear, wild boar, gaur, sambar and chital are found throughout the zone along with small relict populations of wild buffaloes, elephants and barasingha.

7. The Gangetic Plain:
The Gangetic plain is one of India's most fertile regions. The soil of this region is formed by the alluvial deposits of the Ganges and its tributaries.   The  four  important  surface differences recognized in the geomorphology
of the plains are

 

CLIMATE

The Indian climate is dominated by the great wind system called the Asiatic monsoon which is totally unlike any other country's prevailing wind system. The monsoon reverses direction at certain times of the year. From June to October India is influenced by the moist rain-bearing monsoon from the south-west and on some mountain ranges facing the sea, rainfall can be very heavy indeed. The coolest, driest period over most of India is from December to February when light northerlies bring clear skies and virtually dry weather.

From March to May the climate becomes very hot and the drought continues. Usually, the monsoon reaches the south during late May or early June, reaching the north about six weeks later. In some years the rains are torrential, but in other years they will only be light. The monsoon is then reckoned to have failed, leading to disastrous crop growth problems.

Northern mountains
The northern mountains region includes the Himalayas and their foothills. Some rain can occur all year round and in winter light snow is brought by disturbances from the west. The main rainy season is from July to October (during the south-west monsoon). Winters are pleasant and cool at lower levels, but it can get hot before the monsoon burst. At intermediate levels (1800 - 2500 metres) the summer climate is very pleasant and cool, and hill stations such as Darjeeling are popular refuges from the heat of the plains. Extending from the Punjab to the Ganges delta, the Northern Plains are a low-lying region, and are hot and generally dry from March to June. Occasional thunderstorms do occur at this season, especially in the east. When the monsoon arrives in July, temperatures drop slightly in the cloudier weather but the high humidity makes this season almost as unpleasant as the preceding hot season - particularly at night. Average rainfall decreases from east to west, and north-west of Delhi conditions are virtually desert. From December to February the weather is generally sunny and dry. Nights and early mornings can feel quite chilly but the days are warm and pleasant. Some light rain may occur in the west and no part of the region is completely dry at this time. The contrast between east and west is typified by looking at rainfall data for July: 325 mm (12.8") at Calcutta, but 180 mm (7.1") at Delhi.

Rajastan Desert

The Rajastan Desert has annual average rainfall figures as low as 250 mm (10 ") in places. This area is one of the world's hottest places from May to July, and the arrival of the monsoon makes little difference to the temperatures. Indeed July to September are unpleasantly hot and humid. Average maximum temperatures typically reach 46 °C (114 °F) in June, and a sweltering 53 °C (127 °F) has been recorded.

The 'cool' season is from November to March and is warm, sunny and dry.

Deccan plateau
The Deccan peninsula is a low plateau with a different climate from the coastlands. The three main seasonal divisions apply equally well here, but rainfall is generally moderate or low. During the hot season, temperatures can approach those of the northern plains (Average maximum temperature of 40 °C / 112 °F in May at Hyderabad).

West Coast
The West Coast consists of a narrow coastal plain backed by a steep mountain barrier (the Western Ghats). Rainfall is abundant and heavy during the monsoon season, and the heat can be very oppressive because of the humidity. Some hill stations in the Western Ghats have a pleasant climate during the hot season, but are very wet and cloudy.

Southern Coastlands
In the Southern Coastlands, the main rains occur in October to December. and are often associated with cyclones or tropical storms developing in the Bay of Bengal. Because of the lack of cloud, the period of the south-west monsoon from June to September can be very unpleasant since temperature and humidity are very high.

Assam

Assam (in the extreme north-east) is almost detached from the rest of India by Bangladesh. It is a region of plains and mountains and has a similar climate to that of the northern plains and Himalayas, depending on altitude. Significant rainfall can occur from March to May, but the main rainy season (June to October) is very wet indeed.

Cherrapunji (altitude 4300 feet / 1300 m) has the distinction of being one of the three wettest places in the world, with an annual average rainfall of 10,800 mm.

NATIONAL ANIMAL

The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris (Linnaeus), is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal of India. Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race, the Royal Bengal Tiger, is found throughout the country except in the north-western region and also in the neighbouring countries, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. To check the dwindling population of tigers in India ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in April 1973. So far, 25 tiger reserves have been established in the country under this project, covering an area of 33,875 sq km.

NATIONAL BIRD

The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus (Linnaeus), the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male, and lacks the train. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers, is a gorgeous sight.

The peacock is widely found in the Indian sub-continent from the south and east of the Indus river, Jammu and Kashmir, east Assam, south Mizoram and the whole of the Indian peninsula. The Peacock enjoys protection from the people as it is never molested for religious and sentimental reasons. It is fully protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

NATIONAL FLOWER

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is the National Flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial.

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