Competitive Exams: What is a Natural Region? Geography Notes on Fundamentals of Natural Regions

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Concept and Types of Region

Natural region is an area of earth throughout which there are similarities in conditions of relief,

rainfall, temperature, vegetation and human activities.

Climate Zone

Equatorial Region

Also called Amazon type, Selvas (in S. America) , which in Portuguese means forest; winters of the Tropic. Area under this climate region are from North and South of the equator. In Central America (Panama) , in S. America come Brazil, there it is called Amazon low land, Coast Guyana. In Africa: Congo basin i.e.. Liberia, Ivory coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Gulf of Guinea. In South East Asia: Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea and parts of Philippines. Temperature: or ; average temperature is . Annual range of temperature is

  • Rainfall: 100 - 250 cm. and is of convectional type. Mean monthly rainfall is 15 cm. and humidity is very high.
  • Natural Vegetation: Equatorial Rainforest type.
  • Leaves are found viz. Mahogany, Ebony, Rosewood, Greenheart, Cinchona and Rubber, Coconut Palms, Mangroves, Oil Palms.
  • Important Tribes: Semang in Malaysia, Kubus in Sumatra, Daykas in Borneo, Pygmies in Congo Basin, Amazon Indians in Brazil.
  • Climate: InterTemporal Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is dominated by warm, moist, maritime equatorial and maritime tropical air masses yielding heavy convectional rain.

Hot Zone

Between ; North and South, this comprises:

Tropical Monsoon or Indian Type

  • Regions: India, Pakistan, SriLanka, Bangladesh, S. China, Thailand, Myanmar, N. Australia, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
  • Temperature: Between March and June , between June and Oct. , between Nov. to Feb. . Annual temp, range Rainfall: Maximum 300 cm. Heavy summer rain up to 60 inches. .
  • Vegetation: Monsoon forest i.e.. Deciduous forest viz. Teak, Rosewood, Deodar, Bamboo, Sal.

Tropical Marine

  • Regions: Central America, N. E. Australia, West Indies, C6astal low lands of Brazil and East Africa, E. Malagasy and Philippines.
  • Temperature: , annual temperature range . Rainfall: Summer rain upto 4080 inches, both convectional and orographic. Vegetation: Deciduous forest viz. Teak, Rosewood, Deodar, Bamboo, Sal.

Sudan Type or Savanna or Tropical Grassland/Continental

  • Region: and most ideally ; N & S of equator. In S. America Brazilian highlands (Savanna region is locally called Cerado) , parts of Bolivia, Paraguay, Llanos, Valley of Columbia, Venezuela, Argentina.
  • In Central America Cuba, Jamaica, Caribbean Islands. In AfricaSudan, Mali Guinea, Niger, Senegal, Chad, Ghana, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Dahomey. In Australia Northern regions and Queensland. Temperature: In summer , in winters and annual temperature range is 1 PC. Average Temp.
  • Rainfall: Convectional type; of 25150 cm. Humidity high in summers.
  • Vegetation: Elephant grass, Bottle trees, Baobaps, Savanna (tropical grass) .
  • Tribes: Masai or Kraal (in African Grassland) , Kikuyus in Kenya, Hausas in Sahara and Llanos in Venezuela.

Sahara Region or Tropical Desert Climate

  • It is a region of land which has less than 25 cm. of rainfall in a year. It has three types: 1 . Tropical Desert e. g. Sahara; 2. Temperate or midlatitude desert e. g. Gobi and Turkistan; 3. Cold desert: Tibet and Tundra Regions: In US lower California and Mexican Desert. In S. America Atacama Desert. In Africa Namib, Sahara Desert (main countries which come in this are Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania) and Kalahari Desert (in Namibia and Angola) . In Asia Iranian, Arabian and Thar Desert. In Australia The Great Australian Desert.
  • Temperature: ; maximum temperature in Jacobabad (Pakistan) is up to , in California՚s Death Valley is , highest is in Azizia . Annual temperature range
  • Vegetation: Shrubs Cactus, Spines, Prickly Pear.
  • Tribes: Tuaregs (Western Sahara Desert) , Bedowins (Arabian Desert) , Bindibus (Australian Desert) , Bushmen (Kalahari Desert) .

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