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India's
Geography
India covers
3,287,263 sq km, which extends from the Himalayas, the
world's highest mountains, to the southern tropical rain
forests. It is the seventh largest country in the world
and the mountains and sea that surround India separate it
from other parts of Asia. In the shape of a triangle,
India's topography is greatly varied in that there
although there are deserts and rain forests, much of it's
land is comprised of fertile river plains and high
plateaus. Some of the main rivers that flow through India
are the Ganges, Brahmaputra and the Indus. These rivers
start in the high mountains and carry down rich alluvial
soil to the plains below, thus creating the fertile river
plains.
Four distinct
regions can be found in India - mountains, plains, the
desert and the southern peninsula. The mountainous region
is comprised of the Himalayas, a mountain range that has
some of the highest peaks in the world. They have rivers
that increase and decrease in amount with the snowfall.
During the monsoon season, the heavy water coming out of
them causes frequent flooding. On one side of India, the
heights make them impassable, whereas in the east the
ranges are considerably lower. The plains are made up of
basins by three main rivers in India - the Indus, the
Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Flat alluvium (rich soil
deposited by rivers) is abundant and this area is
considered to be one of the largest areas of it in the
world. In addition to that international distinction,
this area is also considered to be one of the most heavily
populated areas in the world. The desert areas in India
are split by land that is rocky and comprised of limestone
ridges. The last region, the peninsula, has mountains
surrounding it, with coastal areas on the other side of
the mountains.
The climate
in India is characterized as tropical-monsoon. Seasonal
winds determine the climate. There is a north-east monsoon
that is known as the winter monsoon and it goes across the
land to the sea. The south-west monsoon is called the
summer monsoon as it comes from the sea and blows across
the land. This monsoon brings the highest amount of
rainfall to the country.
India is the seventh largest country in
the world. It has the world's second largest population.
Located entirely in the northern hemisphere it is bound by
Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and
Bangladesh. The Arabian sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay
of Bengal border it's coastline.
The mainland has three well-defined
geographical regions, the mountain zone of the Himalayas,
the Indo-gangetic plain, ( formed by the basins of three
great rivers Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra) and the
southern peninsula of the Deccan Plateau.
The main river systems are the
Himalayan rivers like Ganga and Brahmaputra which are
snow-fed; the peninsular rivers like Godavari, Krishna and
Mahanadi; and the coastal rivers.
India has a rich variety of vegetation
and animal life, with special types of flora and fauna.
The climate of the country varies from
region to region. In some places, including the coastal
areas, the climate is almost uniform throughout the year.
There are quite a few places in the country which have a
moderate climate, such as towns in the North of the
country or Bangalore in the South. On the other hand most
areas are very hot in summer.
The Indian seasons can be divided as
follows:
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