6.Chapter 7.Geo.India Land of Monsoon Climate.

Chapter 7 India.Geography.

India - The Land of Monsoon Climate (Natural Vegetation and Wildlife) D - 1 India is known as the land of monsoon climate.  Monsoon refers to the rainy season '.  The rain bearing monsoon winds blow from the Indian Ocean and enter the mainland of India.  People of India eagerly wait for the arrival of monsoon rains to get relief from the oppressive heat of the Indian) weather.  The people are aware of the normal dates of the arrival of the monsoon.  The weather experts also forecast the arrival of the monsoon.  If monsoon arrives on time, people can expect a good crop.  If the monsoon fails to arrive or the amount of rainfall is less than normal, the drought conditions 

do you know?  .  Thus, the word 'monsoon' has been derived from an Arabic 

make the life of people miserable

the monsoon influences the life of the word mausim which literally means' season!  people in India to a great extent.  The Himalayan chain of mountains protects India from chilly cold winds blowing from the northern polar regions.  The Himalayas, thus, provide the whole of northern India warm climatic conditions.  Therefore, India is called a land of tropical monsoon climate.  Though the climate of India is tropical, yet, it represents the diversity at regional level.  The main reason is that India is a vast country extending from tropical zone to the temperate zone with the Tropic of Cancer passing through the middle of the country.  In south India, the climate is hot and humid.  The coastal areas have moderate climate as the ocean modifies the temperatures.  The north India experiences extreme climate.  The summers are very hot and winters are very cold.  The mountain regions receive snowfall during winter.  The night temperature in January sometimes drops to - 40 ° C near Kargil in Kashmir The desert of Rajasthan is hot during the day time and cold during the nights.  The day temperature in May shoots up to 50 ° C at several places.  The north - east states experience heavy rainfall between June to September.  Some places in Meghalaya have recorded rainfall over 1000 cm every year.  On the other hand, the desert of Rajasthan gets very little rainfall.  It remains almost dry throughout the year.  

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THE SEASONS OF INDIA 

There is an annual cycle of seasons by which we can understand the climate of India in a better way.  The weather experts have identified a cycle of four seasons in India namely, the Cold Weather Season, the Hot Weather Season, the Season of Advancing Monsoon and the Season of Retreating Monsoon 

The Cold Weather Season December, January and February are generally the months of cold  weather throughout the country.  The temperature in north India is low.  The winds in this season blow from land to the sea, hence, there are almost dry weather conditions in a large part of the country.  A little rainfall occurs in the north - western plains caused by the western cyclonic disturbances from the Mediterranean sea.  

The Hot Weather Season The duration of the hot INDIA weather season is from March RAINFALL to May.  The temperature begins to rise by the end of March.  The sun is overhead and to the north of the equator.  May and June are the hottest months in KACHCHH north India when temperature rises up to 45 ° C in some places.  MAWIYNAM in western Rajasthan, it shoots (Meghalaya up to 50 ° C. The hot and dry winds blow in the entire ARABIAN Northern Plains. These winds SEA BAY OE BANGAL are called Loo. RAJASTHAN RANN OF INDEX Heavy Rainfall Medium Rainfall The Advancing Monsoon June  to September is the period of this season. The winds reverse their direction and begin to blow from south west to north - east. They blow from sea to land and have a lot 

Page 61 It is the season of monsoon rain.  The winds enter the southern tip of India in the first week of June and gradually move northwards and spread over the whole country within a month.  Mawsynram in Meghalaya is the wettest place of the world, 

the monsoon season affects the lifestyle and economic activity of the people throughout India, the farmers, all over India, start their agricultural activities with the onset of monsoon.  The first rain of the monsoon is welcomed with joy in every part of the country.  Timely rainfall helps in getting a good harvest.  

The Retreating Monsoon The monsoon winds start retreating from the Northern Plains when temperature begins to fall in the months of October and November.  They retreat from the whole country by the end of November.  The weather in north India becomes clear but high humidity makes it very oppressive and sultry during this season the eastern coast of south India receives rainfall from tropical cyclones, coming from Bay of Bengal.  

NATURAL VEGETATION The natural vegetation is directly affected by the variations in the climatic conditions in India.  We, therefore, have various types of natural vegetation.  The type of vegetation changes with the change in the amount of rainfall and temperature.  Relief features and the type of soil also influence the growth and variety of plants.  The natural vegetation of India may be divided into five groups: 

Tropical Evergreen Forests: These are also called Tropical Rain Forests.  They grow in the regions of heavy rainfall over 200 cm per annum.  Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Western Ghats and the wet North - Eastern hilly parts are the major areas where these forests are found these forests are dense and remain green throughout the year.  The trees are tall with hard wood.  Mahogany, rosewood, ebony and bamboo are the typical species of trees found in these forests.  

Tropical Deciduous Forests: These forests are the typical Monsoon Forests.  They grow in the areas where the amount of rainfall is between 100 cm to 200 cm, they cover major parts of India.  Some of the areas are the north - eastern parts of the Peninsular Plateau covering Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and the eastern Maharashtra, the other areas include eastern slopes of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and the Northern Plains.  The trees in these forests shed their leaves during the dry season.  Saal, teak, shisham, peepal, sandalwood and jamun are the important species of trees.  Some of the species are economically valuable and very useful 

The Thorny Forests: They grow in the areas where rainfall is scanty and less than 50 cm.  The trees are of small size and scattered over a large area.  In these parts, thorny bushes and cactus plants grow well.  The trees, like kikar, babul, khair and date palms, are found in areas where rainfall ranges between 40 cm and 50 cm. 

Page 62 These forests are found in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and western parte of Gujarat.  They are also found in the interior parts of the Deccan Plateau region.  The Tidal Vegetation or Mangroves: India The Mangrove vegetation grows NATURAL VEGETATION well in the low - lying delta regions along the eastern coast of India.  The delta regions of Ganga, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and kaveri are flooded by tidal waves.  The tidal vegetation grows in swamps and marshes of salt and fresh waters.  Mangroves is a typical vegetation.  IN DA Sundri is the important tree of these forests.  That is why tidal forests of Ganga Delta have been named as BAY OF BENGAL Sundarban.  The Mountain Vegetation: In the Himalaya mountains, the vegetation changes according to the altitude, it is because the temperature and rainfall decrease with height.  There are different belts of vegetation.  At the foothills up to the height of 1000 meters, Monsoon Forests are India - Natural vegetation found.  Sal, teak, shisham are the main species of trees.  As we climb higher, the monsoon forests are replaced by trees having broad leaves like oak, chestnut, pine, etc.  This type of forests are found up to the height of 2000 meters.  The belt of coniferous trees start from the height of 1600 meters up to 3300 meters.  Pine, spruce, silver fir and cedar are the main species of trees found in these forests.  The coniferous belt is Do You Know?  succeeded by the alpine vegetation which includes small trees, grasses the bark of the birch tree are commonly known as Bhojpatra was used for writing articles in ancient India.  and mosses.

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CONSERVATION OF FORESTS (The cutting of forests ruthlessly, le deforestation has created many problems, such as increase in soil erosion, floods, landslides and extension of desert area, different types of pollution have considerably increased. All this disturbs the ecological balance on the earth  The forests are the source of various products. We get timber, wood for paper industry, valuable herbs, medicines, lac, resin, gum, etc., from them. Forests help in carrying an ecological balance as AND trees help in purifying the air  They reduce temperature and increase the amount of rainfall. Forests are also the habitat of wildlife it is, therefore, necessary to conserve and protect the forest cover. The products from forests programmes of planting more and more trees, ie afforestion must be launched on  warfooting to increase the forest cover. The forests should be saved from fire. The cutting of Do you know? trees for fuel should be prohibited and In India  , the Forest Conservation Act was introduced the use of other substitutes, such as LPG, as late as in 1980 to protect and conserve the forests.  Gobar Gas, etc.  , should be encouraged for cooking.  

WILDLIFE India is rich in having a large variety of wildlife.  It includes mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and a variety of insects and worms.  About 81,000 species have been identified in India.  The elephants are found in hot and humid climate.  Their habitat is the evergreen forests of Kerala, Karnataka and Assam.  One - horned rhinoceros is another specie which is found in the marshes of Assam and West Bengal, the habitat of camel is the Thar desert and wild asses are confined to the Rann of Kachchh.  Another group of animals include Indian bison and nilgai, four - horned antelope or chu - singha, blackbuck, gazelle and deer.  There are several species of deer, such as Kashmir stag, musk deer, etc.  Among the animals of prey, Indian lion is found in the Gir Forests in Gujarat.  The natural habitat of the Royal Bengal Tiger is the Sundarban mangrove forest.  The tiger is our National animal.  

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The leopard and panthers are, also the animals of prey, found in several parts of India.  The Himalaya are the habitat of wild sheep, mountain goat and snow leopard.  India has several species of monkey such as hoolock gibbon, macaques and langurs.  

There are several species of reptiles and snakes i cobra, krait, python.  The crocodiles and several species of turtles are also found in our country, there are about 1200 species of birds, like parrots, pheasants, peacocks, parakeets, pigeons, cranes etc.  The peacock is our National bird.  Among the birds of prey, eagle and falcon are famous Lion Langur Water buffalo Tigers Snow - leopard Peacac Musk - deer Black - buck Crocodile Animals and Birds Conservation of Wildlife Many efforts are being made to protect and preserve the endangered species of wildlife.  A few species of birds, like the Indian bustard, and a few animals, such as the tiger and the rhinoceros are being preserved and protected.  

Do you know?  "Project Tiger '- a nation-wide campaign to protect tiger, was launched in 1973. 

India has 47 tiger reserves at present.

Page 65 A number of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks have been set up all over India in order to preserve our rich wildlife A new scheme for the conservation and protection of our rich biological diversity has been served.  Under these schemes, many blosphere reserves have been set up in different parts of India.  All of us should feel responsible to save our rich bio diversity  

Keywords afforestation: planting more and more trees 

deforestations ruthless cutting of forests.  

humidity: dampness of the atmosphere that indicates the amount of moisture in the air monsoon: the rainy season.  natural vegetation any vegetation which grows in a region according to the geographical and atmospheric conditions without human support sultry weather hot and humid condition of the atmosphere.