IQRA IAS

CLASS 6th
GEOGRAPHY NCERT
 INDEX

TOPICS PAGES
1) The Earth In The Solar System 02-04

2) Globe: Latitudes and 04-07

Longitudes
3) Motions of Earth 08-09
4) Maps 10-11
5) Major Domains of Earth 12-14

6) Major Landforms of Earth 15-16

7) Our Country: India 17-18
8) India Climate Vegetation and 19-20
Wildlife
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 CHAPTER 1
THE EARTH IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
SOLAR SYSTEM: A solar system is a collection of the Sun, eight planets and their moons, comets,
asteroids, meteoroids, and dwarf planets revolving around the Sun.
There are eight planets in our solar system.
The order of the planets in the solar system, starting nearest the sun and working outward is the following:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

• PLANETS: Some celestial do not have their own heat and light, they are lit by the light of other
stars they are known as planets. Planets move around the sun in a fixed orbit.

Facts about Solar System:

a) Mercury is the nearest planet to the Sun.
b) All eight planets of the solar system move around the sun in fixed paths.
c) Venus is considered as Earth twin due to similarity in size and shape.
d) Pluto is known as dwarf planet.
e)
f)
The Sun:
a) The sun is in the centre of the solar system. It is huge and made up of extremely hot gases.
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b) It provides the pulling force that binds the solar system.

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c) The sun is the ultimate source of heat and light for the solar system.
 d) The sun is a star.

CELESTIAL BODIES: The sun, the moon and all those objects shining in the night sky are called celestial
bodies.

STARS: Some celestial bodies are very big and hot they hey are made up of gases and have their own heat
and light, which they emit in large amounts. These celestial bodies are called stars.

THE EARTH: It is the third nearest planet to the sun and fifth largest planet of our solar system.
The earth is a unique planet because it supports life. It is also called the blue planet. The shape of
earth is Geoid.

MOON: Moon is the only natural satellite of the earth. It moves around the earth in about 27 days.
Only one side of the moon is visible to us on the earth. No life exists on moon as it has neither water
nor air.

POLE STAR: The Pole Star is known to retain the same position every night in the sky. It is also
called the North Star since it helps in knowing the North direction.

ASTEROIDS: They are numerous tiny bodies which move around the sun between the orbits of Mars
and Jupiter. The largest asteroid is the Ceres.

METEOROIDS: The small pieces of rocks which move around the sun are called meteoroids.
Sometimes these meteoroids come near the earth and tend to drop upon it. During this process due
to friction with the air they get heated up and burn. It causes a flash of light. Sometimes, a meteor
without being completely burnt, falls on the Earth and creates a hollow.

CONSTELLATIONS: various patterns formed by different groups of stars. These are called
constellations. Ursa Major or Big Bear is one such constellation. One of the most easily recognizable
constellation is the Saptarishi (Sapta- seven, rishi-sages). It is a group of seven stars that forms a part
of Ursa Major Constellation.
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 GENERAL TERMS:
We live in MILKYWAY GALAXY.
What is a galaxy?
A galaxy is a huge system of billions of stars, and clouds of dust and gases. There are millions of such
galaxies that make the Universe.
SATELLITE: A Satellite is a celestial body that moves around the planets in the same way as the planets
move around the sun.
Human-made Satellite: A Human-made Satellite is an artificial body. It is designed by scientists to gather
information about the universe or for communication. It is carried by a rocket and placed in the orbit
around the earth. Some of the Indian satellites in space are INSAT, IRS, EDUSAT, etc.
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 CHAPTER 2
GLOBE : LATITUDES AND LONGITUDES
Globe is a true model of the Earth. A needle is fixed through the globe in a tilted manner, which is
called its axis. The imaginary line running on the globe divides it into equal parts. This line is known
as the Equator. Two points on the globe through which the needle passes are two poles – North Pole and South
Pole.
EQUATOR: The equator is an imaginary circular line to locate places on the earth. All parallel circles from
the equator up to the poles are called parallels of latitudes. Latitudes are measured in degrees. The equator
represents the zero degree latitude. Since the distance from the equator to either of the poles is one-fourth of
a circle round the earth, it will measure ¼th of 360 degrees, i.e. 90°. Thus, 90 degrees north latitude marks the
North Pole and 90 degrees south latitude marks the South Pole.
All parallels north of the equator are called ‘north latitudes.’ Similarly all parallels south of the equator are called
‘south latitudes.’ The value of each latitude is, indicated by the letter ‘N’ or ‘S’.
As we move away from the Equator, the size of the parallels of latitude decreases. The four
important parallels of latitude are :

• Tropic of Cancer (2312°N)

• Tropic of Capricorn (23122°S)
• Arctic of Circle (6612°N)
• Antarctic Circle (6612°S)
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 LONGITUDE:

• The line of reference running from the North Pole to the South Pole is called Meridians of
Longitude.
• The distance between them is measured in ‘degrees of longitude’.
• All meridians are of equal length.
• The meridian which passes through Greenwich, where the British Royal Observatory is located,
is called the Prime Meridian.
• The value of Prime Meridian is 0° longitude and from it, we count 180° Eastward as well as 180°
Westward.
• Prime Meridian divides the earth into two equal halves, the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western
Hemisphere.
• 180° East and 180° West meridians are on the same line.
• We can locate any point on the globe if we know its latitude and longitude.

LONGITUDE AND TIME:

• As the earth rotates from West to East, those places East of Greenwich will be ahead of
Greenwich time and those to the West will be behind it.
• The earth rotates 360° in about 24 hours.
• At any place, a watch can be adjusted to read at 12 o’clock when the Sun is at the highest point
in the sky.
• The rate of difference can be calculated as follows. The earth rotates 360° in about 24 hours, which
means 15° an hour or 1° in four minutes. Thus, when it is 12 noon at Greenwich, the time at 15° east
of Greenwich will be 15 × 4 = 60 minutes, i.e., 1 hour ahead of Greenwich time, which means 1 p.m.
But at 15° west of Greenwich, the time will be behind Greenwich time by one hour, i.e., it will be 11.00
a.m. Similarly, at 180°, it will be midnight when it is 12 noon at Greenwich.

STANDARD TIME: The local time of places, which are on different meridians are bound to differ. In
India, for instance, there will be a difference of about 1 hour and 45 minutes in the local times of Dwarka in
Gujarat and Dibrugarh in Assam. It is, therefore, necessary to adopt the local time of some central meridian
of a country as the standard time for the country. In India, the longitude of 82½° E (82° 30’E) is treated as
the standard meridian. The local time at this meridian is taken as the standard time for the whole country.
It is known as the Indian Standard Time (IST).
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 HEAT ZONES OF THE EARTH:

Torrid Zones – The mid-day sun is exactly overhead at least once a year on all latitudes in between the
Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This area, therefore, receives the maximum heat and is
called the Torrid Zone.

Temperate Zones – The mid-day sun never shines overhead on any latitude beyond the Tropic of Cancer
and the Tropic of Capricorn. The angle of the sun’s rays goes on decreasing towards the poles. As such,
the areas bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle in the Northern Hemisphere, and the
CHAPTER 3
Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle in the Southern Hemisphere, have moderate temperatures.
These are called Temperate Zones.
MOTIONS OF THE EARTH
Frigid Zones – Areas lying between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole in the Northern Hemisphere and
Thethe
Earth has two
Antarctic types
Circle ofthe
and motions:
South Pole in the Southern Hemisphere are very cold. It is because here the
sun does not rise much above the horizon. Therefore, its rays are always slanting and provide less heat.
Rotation – It is the movement of the earth on its axis.
These are called Frigid Zones.
Revolution – The movement of the earth around the sun in a fixed path or orbit is called revolution.

Orbital Plane – The axis of the earth, which is an imaginary line, makes an angle of 66½° with its orbital
plane. The plane formed by the orbit is known as the orbital plane. The earth receives light from the sun and
due to its spherical shape, only half of it gets light from the sun at a time. The portion facing the sun experiences
day while the other half, away from the sun, experiences night.

What would happen if the earth did not rotate? The portion of the earth facing the sun would
always experience day, thus bringing continuous warmth to the region. The other half would remain in darkness
and be freezing cold all the time. Life would not have been possible in such extreme conditions.

Circle of Illumination – The circle that divides the day from night on the globe is called the circle of
illumination. The earth takes about 24 hours to complete one rotation around its axis. The period of rotation
is known as the earth day.

Leap Year: The second motion of the earth around the sun in its orbit is called revolution. It takes 365¼
days (one year) to revolve around the sun. A year consists of 365 days and we ignore six hours for the
sake of convenience. Six hours saved every year are added to make one day (24 hours) over a span of
four years. This surplus day is added to the month of February. Thus every fourth year, February is of 29
days instead of 28 days. Such a year with 366 days is called a leap year.
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 Summer Solstice/Winter Solstice/Equinox:
A year is divided into summer, winter, spring and autumn seasons. Seasons change due to the change
in the position of the earth around the sun.
The areas near the poles receive less heat as the rays of the sun are slanting. The North Pole is inclined
towards the sun and the places beyond the Arctic Circle experience continuous daylight for about six
months. Since a large portion of the Northern Hemisphere is getting light from the sun, it is summer in
the regions north of the equator. The longest day and the shortest night at these places occur on
21st June.
At this time in the Southern Hemisphere, all these conditions are reversed. It is winter season there. The
nights are longer than the days. This position of the earth is called the Summer Solstice. On 22nd
December, the Tropic of Capricorn receives direct rays of the sun as the South Pole tilts towards it. As
the sun’s rays fall vertically at the Tropic of Capricorn (23½° S), a larger portion of the Southern
Hemisphere gets light. Therefore, it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere with longer days and shorter
nights.
The reverse happens in the Northern Hemisphere. This position of the earth is called the Winter
Solstice. On 21st March and September 23rd, direct rays of the sun fall on the equator. At this
position, neither of the poles is tilted towards the sun; so, the whole earth experiences equal days
and equal nights. This is called an equinox. On 23rd September, it is autumn season in the Northern
Hemisphere and spring season in the Southern Hemisphere.
The opposite is the case on 21st March when it is spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the
Southern Hemisphere.
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 CHAPTER 4
MAPS
Map – A map is a
representation or a
drawing of the earth’s
surface or a part of it
drawn on a flat surface
according to a scale.

Political Maps Thematic Maps

Physical Maps Some maps that focus
Maps showing cities,
Maps showing natural towns and villages, on specific information;
features of the earth and different such as road maps,
such as mountains, countries and states rainfall maps, maps
plateaus, plains, rivers, of the world with showing distribution of
oceans etc., are called their boundaries are forests, industries etc.,
physical or relief map called political maps. are known as thematic
maps.

Atlas – When many maps are put together we get an Atlas. Atlases are of various sizes, measurements
drawn on different scales.

There are three components of Maps:

1) Distance
2) Direction
3) Symbol

Distance:
Scale is the ratio between the actual distance on the ground and the distance shown on the map. Scale
is very important on any map. If you know the scale, you will be able to calculate the distance between
any two places on a map. When large areas like continents or countries are to be shown on paper,
then we use a small scale. It is called a small scale map. When a small area like your village or town
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is to be shown on paper, then we use a large scale that is 5 cm. It is called a large scale map.
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 Direction:
There are four major directions, North, South, East and West. They are called cardinal points. Other four
intermediate directions are north-east (NE), southeast (SE), south-west (SW) and north-west (NW). We
can find out the direction of a place with the help of a compass. It is an instrument used to find out main
directions. Its magnetic needle always points towards north-south direction.

Symbols:
It is the third important component of a map. It is not possible to draw on a map the actual shape and size
of different features such as buildings, roads, etc. So, they are shown by using certain letters, shades,
colours, pictures and lines. These symbols give a lot of information in a limited space. Maps have a
universal language that can be understood by all. There is an international agreement regarding the use
of these symbols. These are called conventional symbols.
Various colours are used for the same purpose. For example, generally blue is used for showing water
bodies, brown for mountain, yellow for plateau and green is used for plains.

Sketch: A sketch is a drawing mainly based on memory and spot observation and not to
scale. A rough drawing is drawn without scale is called a sketch map.

Plan: A plan is a drawing of a small area on a large scale. There are certain things which
we may sometimes want to know, for example, the length and breadth of a room.
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 CHAPTER 5
MAJOR DOMAINS OF THE EARTH
Lithosphere – The solid portion of the earth on which we live is called the Lithosphere.
Atmosphere – The gaseous layers that surround the earth, where oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and
other gases are found.
Hydrosphere – The earth’s surface surrounded by water is called the Hydrosphere. The Hydrosphere
comprises water in all its forms, that is, ice, water and water vapour.
Biosphere – The Biosphere is the narrow zone where we find land, water and air together, which contains
all forms of life.

Lithosphere:
The solid portion of the earth is called the Lithosphere. It comprises the rocks of the earth’s crust and the
thin layers of soil that contain nutrient elements, which sustain organisms. There are two main divisions
of the earth’s surface. The large land masses are known as the continents and the huge water bodies are
called the ocean basins. All the oceans of the world are connected with one another. The level of seawater
remains the same everywhere.
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 Continents:
There are seven major continents separated by large water bodies. These continents are – Asia, Europe,
Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Antarctica.

• The greater part of the land mass lies in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Asia is the largest continent.
• The combined landmass of Europe and Asia is called Eurasia.
• Africa is the second largest continent. It is the only continent through which the Tropic of Cancer,
the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn pass.
• North America is the third largest continent of the world.
• South America and North America are linked by a very narrow strip of land called the Isthmus of
Panama.
• Australia is the smallest continent. It is also called an island continent.
• Antarctica is permanently covered with thick ice sheets. ,
• India has a research station named as Maitri and Dakshin Gangotri at Antarctica. .

Hydrosphere:
The earth is called the blue planet. More than 71% of the earth is covered with water and 29% is with land.
Hydrosphere consists of water in all its forms. More than 97% of the Earth’s water is found in the oceans and
is too salty for human use. A large proportion of the rest of the water is in the form of ice sheets and glaciers
or under the ground and a very small percentage is available as freshwater for human use.

• Oceans: The four major oceans are the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian
Ocean and the Arctic Ocean.
• The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean.
• The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean.
• The Indian Ocean is the only ocean named after a country, that is, India.
• The Arctic Ocean is located within the Arctic Circle.

Atmosphere:
The earth is surrounded by a layer of gas called the atmosphere. It provides us with the air we breathe and
protects us from the harmful effects of sun’s rays. The atmosphere is composed mainly of nitrogen and
oxygen, which make up about 99% of clean, dry air. Nitrogen 78%, oxygen 21% and other gases like carbon
dioxide, argon and others comprise 1% by volume.
Oxygen is the breath of life while nitrogen helps in the growth of living organisms. Carbon dioxide, though
present in a minute amount, is important as it absorbs heat radiated by the earth, thereby keeping the planet
warm. It is also essential for the growth of plants.

The atmosphere is divided into five layers—the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the
thermosphere and the exosphere.
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 Biosphere – The Domain of Life:
The biosphere is the narrow zone of contact between the land, water and air. It is in this zone that life, that is
unique to this planet, exists. There are several species of organisms that vary in size from microbes and
bacteria to huge mammals. All the living organisms including humans are linked to each other and to the
biosphere for survival. The organisms in the biosphere are broadly divided into the plant kingdom and the
animal kingdom.
The three domains of the earth interact with each other and affect each other in some way or the other. For
example, cutting of forests for fulfilling our needs of wood, or clearing land for agriculture may lead to fast
removal of soil from slopes. Similarly, earth’s surface may be changed due to natural calamities like
earthquakes.

GLOBAL WARMING: Discharge of waste material into lakes and rivers makes the water unsuitable for
human use. It also damages other forms of life. Emissions from industries, thermal power plants and
vehicles, pollute the air. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an important constituent of air. But increase in the
amount of CO2 leads to increase in global temperatures. This is termed as global warming.
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 CHAPTER 6
MAJOR LANDFORMS OF EARTH
INTRODUCTION:
The earth has an infinite variety of landforms. These landforms are a result of two processes. Within the earth, a
continuous movement is taking place. The first or the internal process leads to the upliftment and sinking of the
earth’s surface at several places. The second, or the external process is the continuous wearing down and
rebuilding of the land surface. The wearing away of the earth’s surface is called erosion. The surface is being
lowered by the process of erosion and rebuilt by the process of deposition. These two processes are carried out
by running water, ice and wind.

Various types of landforms:

Mountains

Plateaus

Plains

Mountains:

• A mountain is any natural elevation of the earth surface.

• There are permanently frozen rivers of ice. They are called glaciers.
• Mountains may be arranged in a line known as the range.
• The Himalaya, the Alps and the Andes are mountain ranges.
• There are three types of mountains—Fold Mountains, Block Mountains and Volcanic Mountains.
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• The Himalayan Mountains and the Alps are young fold mountains.
• The Aravalli range in India is one of the oldest fold mountain systems.
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• Block Mountains are created when large areas are broken and displaced vertically.
• Volcanic mountains are formed due to volcanic activity, e.g. Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.
 Plateaus:

A plateau is an elevated flat land. It is a flat-topped tableland standing above the surrounding area. A plateau
may have one or more sides with steep slopes. The height of plateaus often varies from a few hundred metres
to several thousand metres. Plateaus, like mountains, may be young or old.

• The Deccan plateau in India is one of the oldest plateaus.

• The Tibet plateau is the highest plateau in the world.
• The African plateau is famous for gold and diamond mining.
• The lava plateaus are rich in black soil that are fertile and good for cultivation.

Plains:
Plains are large stretches of flat land, not more than 200 metres above mean sea level. Some plains are
extremely level and others may be slightly rolling and undulating. Most of the plains are formed by rivers and
their tributaries. The rivers flow down the slopes of mountains and erode them. They carry forward the
eroded material. Then they deposit their load consisting of stones, sand and silt along their courses and in
their valleys. It is from these deposits that plains are formed.
Plains are very fertile, which makes it easier for construction of transport purposes. These plains are very
thickly-populated regions of the world. Some of the largest plains made by the rivers are found in Asia and
North America. For example, in Asia, these plains are formed by the Ganga and the Brahmaputra in India and
the Yangtze in China.

Landforms and the People:

Humans have been living on different kinds of landforms in different ways. Life is difficult in mountainous areas.
Plains provide much better conditions. Natural calamities such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms and
floods cause widespread destruction. Quite often we use land for wasteful purposes, for example constructing
houses on fertile land. Similarly, we throw garbage on land or in water making them dirty.
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 CHAPTER 7
Our Country India
INTRODUCTION:
India is a country of vast geographical expanse bounded by the lofty Himalayas, Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal
and the Indian Ocean. India has an area of about 3.28 million sq. km. The north-south extent from Kashmir to
Kanyakumari is about 3,200 km. And the east-west extent from Arunachal Pradesh to Kutch is about 2,900 km.

Locational Setting

• The Tropic of Cancer (23°30′ N) passes almost halfway through the country.
• From South to North. India extends between 8°4′ N and 37°6′ N latitudes.
• From West to East, India extends between 68°7′ E and 97°25′ E longitudes.
• The local time changes by four minutes for every one degree of longitude.
• The local time of longitude of 82°30′ E has been taken as the Indian Standard Time.

India’s Neighbours:

• There are seven countries that share land boundaries with India.
• The seven countries are Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan. Myanmar and Bangladesh.
• Island neighbours are Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
• Sri Lanka is separated from India by the Palk Strait.

Political and Administrative Divisions:

India is a vast country divided into 29 States and 7 Union Territories. Telangana became the 29th state of
India on 2 June 2014. It was previously a part of Andhra Pradesh. Delhi is the national capital. The states
have been formed mainly on the basis of languages.
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 Physical Divisions:
India has diversity of physical features such as mountains, plateaus, plains, coasts and islands.

Himalayas: Himalaya mean ‘the abode of snow’. The Himalayan mountains are divided into three main
parallel ranges. The northernmost is the Great Himalaya or Himadri. The world’s highest peaks are
located in this range. Middle Himalaya or Himachal lies to the south of Himadri.

Northern Plain: The Northern Indian plains lie to the south of the Himalayas. They are generally level
and flat. These are formed by the alluvial deposits laid down by the rivers– the Indus, the Ganga, the
Brahmaputra and their tributaries. These river plains provide fertile land for cultivation. That is the reason
for high concentration of population in these plains.

Great Indian Desert: In the western part of India lies the Great Indian desert, dry, hot and sandy
stretch of land. To the south of northern plains lies the Peninsular plateau. This is a region with numerous
hill ranges and valleys. Aravalli hills, one of the oldest ranges of the world, border it on the north-west
side.

The Western and the Eastern Ghats: The Vindhyas and the Satpuras are the important ranges.
The rivers Narmada and Tapi flow through these ranges. These are west-flowing rivers that drain into the
Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats or Sahyadri’s border the plateau in the west and the Eastern Ghats
provide the eastern boundary. The plateau is rich in minerals like coal and iron-ore. To the West of the
Western Ghats and the East of Eastern Ghats lie the Coastal plains. The western coastal plains are very
narrow. The eastern Coastal plains are much broader. There are a number of east flowing rivers. The
rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri drain into the Bay of Bengal. These rivers have formed
fertile deltas at their mouth. The Sunderban delta is formed where the Ganga and Brahmaputra flow into
the Bay of Bengal.

The Islands: Lakshadweep Islands are located in the Arabian Sea. These are coral islands located
off the coast of Kerala.
The Andaman and the Nicobar Islands lie to the southeast of the Indian mainland in the Bay of Bengal.
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 CHAPTER 8
India Climate Vegetation and Wildlife
The major seasons recognised in India are:

1. Cold Weather Season (Winter) December to February

2. Hot Weather Season (Summer) March to May
3. Southwest Monsoon Season (Rainy) June to September
4. Season of Retreating Monsoon (Autumn) October and November

Cold Weather Season or Winter: During the winter season, the sun rays do not fall directly in the
region. As a result, the temperatures are quite low in northern India.

Hot Weather Season (Summer): In the hot weather season sun rays more or less directly fall in
this region. The temperature becomes very high. Hot and dry winds called loo, blow during the day.

South-West Monsoon Season (Rainy Season): This season is marked by the onset and
advance of monsoon. The winds blow from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal towards the land. They
carry moisture with them. When these winds strike the mountain barriers, rainfall occurs.

Season of Retreating Monsoon (Autumn):

• Winds move back from the mainland to the Bay of Bengal.

• Most of the rain is brought by monsoon winds.
• The climate of a place is affected by its location, altitude, distance from the sea and relief.
• Mawsynram (Meghalaya) receives the world’s highest rainfall.
• The southern parts of India, particularly Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh receive rainfall in this
season.

Natural Vegetation:The grasses, shrubs and trees, which grow on their own without
interference or help from human beings are called natural vegetation.

The vegetation of India can be divided into five types-

o Tropical evergreen forest

o Tropical deciduous forest
o Thorny bushes
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o Mountain vegetation
o Mangrove forests.
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 Tropical Rain Forest:

• They are found in the areas which receive heavy rainfall.

• Many species of trees are found in this forest, they shed their leaves at different times
of the year. They are called evergreen forests.
• Important trees are mahogany, ebony and rosewood.

Tropical Deciduous Forest:

• They are also called monsoon forests.

• Trees of these forests shed their leaves at a particular time of the year.
• Important trees are sal, teak, peepal, neem and shisham.

Thorny Bushes:

• They are found in dry areas of the country.

• The leaves are in the form of spines to reduce the loss of water.
• Important trees are cactus, Kaner, babool, keekar, etc

Mountain Vegetation:

• At a height between 1500 metres and 2500 metres, most of the trees are conical in
shape. These trees are called coniferous trees.
• Important trees are chir, pine and deodar.

Mangrove Forests:

• These forests can survive in saline water.

• Sundari is a well-known species of trees.
• Example: Bengal (sundarbans)

Necessity of Forests:
Forests are very useful and perform various functions. Plants release oxygen that we breathe and absorb
carbon dioxide. The roots of the plants bind the soil; thus, they control soil erosion. Forests provide us with
timber for furniture, fuelwood, fodder, medicinal plants and herbs, lac, honey, gum, etc.
Forests are the natural habitat of wildlife. Natural vegetation has been destroyed to a large extent because of
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the reckless cutting of trees.

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 Wildlife
Forests are home to a variety of species of animals and a large variety of reptiles, amphibians, mammals,
birds, insects and worms which dwell in the forest. The tiger is our national animal. It is found in various
parts of the country. Gir forest in Gujarat is the home of Asiatic lions. Elephants and one-horned
rhinoceroses roam in the forests of Assam. Elephants are also found in Kerala and Karnataka. Camels
and wild asses are found in the Great Indian desert and the Rann of Kutch respectively.
The peacock is our national bird. Other common birds are parrots, pigeons, mynah, geese, bulbul and
ducks. There are several bird sanctuaries which have been created to give birds their natural habitat.
Due to the cutting of forests and hunting, several species of wildlife of India are declining rapidly. Many species
have already become extinct. In order to protect them many national parks, sanctuaries and biosphere
reserves have been set up. The Government has also started Project Tiger and Project Elephant to protect
these animals.
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