Location, Time Zone, Population, Area, Landforms and Northern and North-Eastern Mountains
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Location
Q: Why is India՚s north-south distance (3214 km) more than the east-west distance (2933) , though both latitudinal and longitudinal extent of India is about 30 degree?
A: This is because the distance between the longitudes decreases near the pole whereas the distances between latitudes remain the same everywhere.
Time Zone
- There is a general convention to select the standard time zone meridian in multiples of 7o30՚ of longitude. There are 24 time zones on earth, each 15 degree apart.
- USA uses multiple time zone system (7 time zones)
- India has the longest international boundary with Bangladesh.
- Tropic of Cancer passes through the following 8 states
- Gujarat
- Rajasthan
- MP
- CG
- Jharkhand
- WB
- Tripura
- Mizoram
- Gujarat has the longest coast line.
- UP borders the maximum number of states: 8
- HP
- Haryana
- Uttarakhand
- Rajasthan
- MP
- CG
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
Population
- Highest: UP > Maha > Bihar > WB
- Lowest: Sikkim < Mizoram < Arunachal < Goa
Area
- Highest: Rajasthan > MP > Maha ≫ Andhra
- Lowest: Goa < Sikkim < Tripura < Nagaland < Mizoram
Landforms
Three Geological divisions:
- The peninsular block
- The Himalayas and other Peninsular Mountains
- Indo-Ganga-Brahmaputra Plain
Peninsular block is made of gneisses (metamorphic) and granites (igneous) .
Six physiographic divisions:
- The Northern and North-eastern Mountains
- The Northern Plain
- The Peninsular Plateau
- The Indian Desert
- The Coastal Plains
- The Islands
Northern and North-Eastern Mountains
- Approximate length of the Great Himalayan range: 2500 KM. Width: 160 - 400 KM
- Impact of Himalayas on the climate of India.
It can be divided into five sub-divisions:
- Kashmir (or North-western) Himalayas
- Himachal and Uttaranchal Himalayas
- Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas
- Arunachal Himalayas
- Eastern Hills and Mountains
Kashmir Himalayas
- Ranges: Karakoram, Ladakh, Zaskar, Pir Pinjal
- Glaciers: Baltoro, Siachen
- Passes: Zoji La (Great Himalayas) , Banihal (Pir Pinjal) , Photu La (Zaskar) and Khardung La (Ladakh)
- Lakes: (freshwater) Dal and Wular; (saltwater) Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri
- Pilgrimage: Vaishno Devi, Amarnath Cave, Charar-e-Sharif
- They are also famous for Karewa formations which are useful for the cultivation of Zafran (a local variety of Saffron) . Karewas are the thick deposits of glacial clay and other materials embedded with moraines.
- Kashmir is located on the banks of Jhelum river.
- Meanders is a typical feature associated with the rivers in this region.
- In South, there are longitudinal valleys called duns, Jammu dun and Pathankot dun
Himachal and Uttarakhand Himalayas
- Lies between rivers Ravi and Kali
- Drained by two major river systems: Indus and Ganga
- Northernmost part is an extension of the Ladakh desert, lies in Spiti.
- Ranges: Great Himalayan Range, Lesser Himalayas (Dhaoladhar in HP and Nagtibha in Uttarakhand) , Shivalik range
- Pilgrimage: Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib and the five famous prayags (Refer to Panch Prayag)
- Famous for hill stations: Dharamshala, Mussoorie, Shimla, Kaosani; Cantt. : Kasauli, Almora, Lansdowne, Ranikhet
- The important distinguishing features of this area are the ‘Shivalik’ and ‘Dun formations’ .
- Important duns: Chandigarh-Kalka, Nalagarh, Dehra, Harike, Kota
- Dehradun is the largest of all duns: Length – 35 - 45 KM, Width: 22 - 25 KM
- Inhabited with the Bhotia tribe. They migrate to higher reaches (Bugyals) in summer and return to the valleys during winters.
Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas
- Between Nepal Himalayas and Bhutan Himalayas.
- Fast flowing rivers such as Tista
- Peaks: Kanchenjunga
- Tribe: Lepcha
- Has a mixed population of Nepalis, Bengalis and Tribals from Central India.
- Importance: Due to the moderate slope, it is best suited for tea plantations. < India produces about 26 pc of tea in the world: second after China. Also, accounts for 12 pc of tea exports; fourth in the world. >
- Duar formations are peculiar to this region.