General Studies Geography of India for upsc ssc cgl exams

Geography of India

The mainland stretches from latitude 8 degree 4' north to 37 degree 6' north and from logitude 68 degree 7' east to 97 degree 25' east of Greenwich. The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of the country is about 30 degrees. The southernmost point in India Territory, (in Great Nicobar Island) is the Indira Point (6 degree 45'), while Kanyakumari, is the southernmost point of India mainland. The country thus lies wholly in the northern and eastern hemispheres.

     The country is of a vast size and measures about 3,214 kilometers from north to south and about 2,933 kilometres from west to east.
Coastline:- 7,516.6 km encompassing the mainland, Lakshadweep Island, and the andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Physical Regions:

The mainland, in geographical terms is broadly divided into

1. The great mountains.
2. The river and the plains.
3. The desert and the Peninsula.

Mountain Ranges:

The mountains extend for more than 2400 km. They are seven.

1. The Himalayas.
2. The Patkai and other ranges bordering India in the north and north east.
3. The Vindhyas, which separate the Indo-Gangetic plain from the Deccan Plateau
4. The Satpura
5. The Aravalli
6. The sahyadri, which covers the eastern fringe of the West Coast plains and
7. The eastern Ghats, Irregularly scattered on the East Coast and forming the boundary of the east Coast plains.

Watersheds:

There are main three watersheds

1. Himalayan range with its Karakoram branch in the north.
2. Vindhya and Satpura ranges in Central India, and
3. Western Ghats (Sahyadri) on the west coast.

States Bordering Countries:

• Bordering Pakistan: jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• Bordering China: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Bordering Nepal: Bihar: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and West Bengal.
• Bordering Bangladesh: West Bengal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam.
• Bordering Bhutan: West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam bordering Myanmar Arunachal pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
• Bordering Afghanistan: Jammu and Kashmir (Pakistan-Occupied Area).

Rivers and the Plains:

The main rivers of the Himalayan group are the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. These rivers are both snow-fed and rain-fed and have therefore continuous flow throughout the year. Himalayan rivers discharge about 70% of their inflow into the sea. This includes about 5% from central Indian rivers. They join the Ganga and drain into the Bay of Bengal.

     The plains of Ganga and Indus run for about 2400 km with a width ranging from 240 to 320 km. They are formed in the river basins of Ganga-Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Indus, Godavari, Kaveri, etc.,

Desert:

The sesert region is located in the western and north western part of the country. It can be divided into two parts: the great desert and the little desert. The great desert extends from the edge of the Rann of Kutchch beyond the Luni river northward. The whole of Rajasthan-sind Frontier runs through this. The tittle desert extends from the Luni between Jaisalmer and jodhpur up to northern wastes (dry and rocky land).

Peninsula:

The Peninsula is marked by elevated landmass with height ranging from 460 to 1220 m. The Deccan and the Southern part surrounded by water on three sides make the peninsula. It is flanked by Eastern Ghats on the east and Western Ghat on the west. Between the Ghats and the sea lies the narrow coastal belt.

Climate:

Traditionally, seasons in India are divided into six-Vasanta (Mar-Apr), Grishma (May-Jun), Varsha (Jul-Aug), Sharada (Sep-Oct), Hemanta (Nov-Dec) and shishira (Jan-Feb).

In broad terms, India has 3 main seasons

1. Winter- Dec to March
2. Summer-Apr to May
3. Monsoon - South West Jun to Sept and North East(retreating Southwest monsoon)- Oct to Nov.

Between the two main seasons are Spring and Autumn.
India receives 86% of the rain during Southwest monsoon. Northwest monsoon is a very restricted one-experienced in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and sometimes Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Natural Vegetation:

India has six types of forests.

• Evergreen (Tropical Forests)- is found in areas with 200 cm to 300 cm rainfall.
• Deciduous (Monsoon Forests) are found in places with less rainfall between 150 to 200 cm rainfall.
• Dry Forest are found where rainfall is scanty between 75 to 100 cm rainfall.
• Hill Forests are common in South India and Himalayas.
• Tidal Forests (Mangrove) are found in the coastal submerged plains of Ganges (Sundarbans), Mahanadi, Godavari and Kerala.
• Grasslands (Hill-Himalaya and Punjab, Haryana, UP, Bihar, Northwest Assam and riverine grasslands found along rivers.

Agriculture:

India has Two crop seasons.

1. Kharif: Rice Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Maize, Cotton, Jute. Sowing- June/July, Harvest- Sept/Oct.
2. Rabi: Wheat, Barley, Peas, Rapeseed, Mustard, Gram. Sowing- Oct/Dec, Harvest- Apr/May.

Important Links:

• General Studies Laws and Definitions
• Indian Geography National Parks and Sanctuaries
• Changes in Civil Services Main Exam