Our Country India BOSEM Class 6 Social Science Solutions

Chapter Name: Our Country India
Subject: Social Science
Lesson: 6
Class: 6
Board: Board Of Secondary Education Manipur (BOSEM/BSEM)
Contents: Chapter, Questions and Answers, Important points to Remember.

Chapter 6: Our Country India

India is a big country. It is the seventh largest country in the world. It extends from 8°4’N to 37°6’N latitude and 68°7’E to 97°25’E longitude. It has an area of 3.28 million square kilometres.

India is the second most populous country after China. She has a population of more than one billion. Thus, India is the home of 16% of the world’s total population.

India is the land of many religions, languages, cultures and traditions. This variety has enriched the heritage of our country. We are proud of our culture and heritage.

India’s Neighbours

Seven countries have common boundaries with India. Bangladesh and Myanmar are India’s neighbours in the east. Pakistan and Afghanistan are our neighbours in the north-west. China, Nepal and Bhutan are our northern neighbours. In the south, India has two island neighbours. They are Sri Lanka and Maldives. Sri Lanka is separated from India by the Pak Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. Maldives lie off the southern coast of India in the Indian Ocean.

Physiographic Divisions

India has a variety of landform features. There are hills, mountains, plateaus and plains in different parts of the country. Thus, according to surface features India is divided into four physiographic divisions. They are:

1. Himalayan Region
2. Northern plain
3. Peninsular plateau
4. Coastal Plains and Islands

Himalayan region

There are high mountain ranges in the north of India. These mountains have some of the highest peaks in the world. They are called the Himalayas which means the abode of snow. Most of the Himalayas peaks are covered with snow throughout the year. The Himalayas are young mountains and they are also known as fold mountains.

There are three parallel ranges in the Himalayas. They are the inner or great Himalaya (Himadri) in the north, the middle or lesser Himalaya (Himachal) in the middle and the Outer Himalaya (Siwalik) in the south.

The inner Himalayas are the tallest of the three ranges. Mount Everest (8848 m), the highest peak in the world is in the Inner Himalayas. It lies in the Nepal. But the highest peak in India is Mount Kanchenjunga in Sikkim. It is 8598 meters high above sea level.

The middle Himalaya lies to the south of the Inner Himalaya. The beautiful hill stations of India such as Shimla, Missouri, Nanital and Darjeeling are located in this range.

The outer Himalaya is also known as the Siwalik. This is the southernmost and the lowest range of the Himalayas. In this range, there are some flat valleys called duns. Dehra Dun is one of them.

The Himalayas extend southwards as the Patkai, the Naga, the Manipuri and the Mizo hills in the northeastern part of India. These hill ranges are known as the North-Eastern Hills or the Purvanchal.

Northern Plain

The northern plain lies to the south of the Himalayas. It extends from Punjab in the west to Assam in the east. This plan is one of the largest in the world. It is formed by the deposition of silt brought by the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. These three big rivers have many tributaries. Tributaries are the smaller rivers or streams that join the big rivers. River Indus have five important tributaries viz., the Satluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab and the Jhelum. The Indus and its tributaries flow mainly in Pakistan.

The Ganga and the Brahmaputra have formed a large delta called Sundarbans. It is the largest delta in the world. A delta is a triangular landmass formed at the mouth of a river due to the deposition of silt. The place where a river enters a sea or lake is known as its mouth.

The northern plain is the most fertile region in the country. It produces a variety of agricultural crops. Because of the level surface, transport systems are well developed. So, the northern plain is densely populated.

The western part of the northern plain is a dry sandy land. This part receives very little rainfall. So, it becomes a desert. It is called the Thar Desert or the Great Indian Desert. It is located in the western part of Rajasthan.

In the Thar Desert, there are low hills of loose sand. They are called sand dunes. The strong winds of the desert carry the sand from one part to another. Therefore, the sand dunes keep on moving.

Nowadays, the Indira Gandhi Canal carries the water of the Satluj to the dry areas of Rajasthan. This canal has turned parts of the Thar desert into fertile land.

Peninsular Plateau

Look at the triangular landmass lying to the south of the northern plain. This is a plateau and it is the oldest part of India. It is surrounded by the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. Such a landmass surrounded by the sea on three sides is called a peninsula. Therefore, the plateau is known as the Peninsular Plateau. This plateau is made up of hard rocks and is rich in minerals.

River Narmada divides the peninsular plateau into two parts- the Malwa Plateau in the north and the Deccan Plateau in the south. The Malwa plateau extends towards the east as the Bundelkhand and the Chotanagpur plateaus. The Deccan plateau is bounded by the Eastern Ghats on the east and the Western Ghats on the west. The western Ghats are higher and continuous while the eastern Ghats are lower and discontinuous. The two Ghats meet at the Nilgiris and extend further as the Anaimalai hills are the highest peak of the Peninsular plateau.

The Deccan plateau slopes from west to east. So, the rivers like the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery flow into the Bay of Bengal. Note that the Narmada and the Tapti are the two big rivers of the Peninsular Plateau that fall into the Arabian Sea.

Coastal Plains and Islands

On both sides of the peninsular plateau, there are strips of plain all along the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. They are the coastal plains.

The eastern coastal plain is wide and fertile. Rivers like the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery pass through this plain. They have formed deltas at their mouths. The southern part of the eastern coastal plain is known as Coromandel.

The western coastal plain is rocky and narrow. The northern part of this plain is called Konkan while the southern part is known as Malabar. The Malabar Coast is famous for its backwaters and lagoons. Lagoons are saltwater lakes getting cut off from the main sea.

Our country has two groups of islands. They are the Andaman and Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea. There are more than 300 islands in the Andaman and Nicobar group. Some of them are of volcanic origin. The southernmost part of India is located in the Nicobar Island. It is called the Indira Point.

The Lakshadweep islands lie off the coast of Kerela. These islands are smaller and fewer in number. They are formed by the deposition of skeletons of dead coral polyps (tiny sea organisms). Such islands are called coral islands.

Climate

India is the land of a monsoon climate. You must have heard the word monsoon. It is derived from the Arabic word mausim meaning season. So, monsoons are the winds that change their direction with the change of seasons. In summer, they blow from sea to land and bring much rain to the country. But in winter, they blow from land to sea and, therefore, they become dry.

A year in India is divided into four seasons. They are-

1. Cold season (winter) – December to February
2. Hot season (summer) – March to May
3. South-west monsoon season – June to September
4. Retreating monsoon season – October and November

Cold season

The season is generally cold and dry throughout the country. Clear skies, warm sunny days and cold nights are the common features of this season. Temperature is low except in the extreme south. During this season, the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu receive abundant rain.

Hot season

From March the temperature continues to rise and in May it is very hot in the northern plain. Thus, dust storms are very common during this season. In the northern plain, hot and dry winds, locally known as loo, blow frequently. Local thunderstorms occur in the northeastern part of the country.

South-West Monsoon Season
This is the rainy season of India. It starts in June and continues up to September. During this season, monsoon winds blow over India from the south-western direction. They bring a lot of rain from the sea. The Indian peninsula divides the monsoon winds into two branches. The Arabian Sea branch provides rain to the western coastal plain, Gujarat, Rajasthan, etc. The Bay of Bengal branch, on the other hand, provides rain to the eastern and northern parts of the country.

Retreating Monsoon Season

By the end of September, monsoon winds begin to withdraw from the northern parts of India. They leave the whole country by early November. This withdrawal of monsoon is called the retreating monsoon. The weather starts to cool further in late November. This is a transitional period from the hot-wet season to the cold-dry season.

Natural Vegetation

You know that India has different relief features like mountains, plateaus, plains and deserts. Again, climatic conditions also differ from one part of the country to another. The relief and climate of a place determine the type of vegetation of that place. For example, we find evergreen forests in the northeastern hills, thorny plants in the Thar Desert and mangrove forests in the Sundarbans.

Based on rainfall, we can divide India into five vegetation zones. They are

1. Tropical evergreen forests
2. Tropical deciduous forests
3. Thorn forests
4. Tidal forests and
5. Himalayan forests

Tropical evergreen forests

Tropical evergreen forests are found in regions where rainfall is heavy. The western slope of the Western Ghats, the northeastern hills and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the regions where we find these forests. The trees of these forests are very tall and do not shed their leaves. So, these forests look green all the year round. Because of this, they are called evergreen forests. Mahogany, Ebony, Rosewood and Bamboo are the varieties found in these forests.

Tropical Deciduous forests

Tropical deciduous forests occur in areas where rainfall is moderate. So, these forests are found in the Siwaliks, the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats and in parts of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. The trees of these forests shed their leaves during the hot-dry season. These forests are so common in India that they are called monsoon forests. Teak, Sal, Sandalwood, Peepal, etc./ are important trees.

Thorn forests are found where rainfall is low. Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and drier parts of the Deccan are the regions where we find these forests. Babul and Kikar are important trees. Date palms, thorny bushes and cacti are the other varieties of these forests.

Tidal Forests

Tidal forests can thrive in saline water. They are found mainly in the Sundarbans. They are also known as Mangrove forests. Sundari is an important tree of these forests. Sundarbans have been named after the Sundari trees.

Wildlife

India is rich in wildlife. There are many species of animals, reptiles, birds, fishes and insects. Some of the important wild animals are elephants, lions, tigers, rhinoceros, leopards and deer. Elephants live in the forests of Assam, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Gir Forest in Gujarat is the home of the Indian lion. The famous Bengal tiger is found in the Sundarbans. The tiger is our national animal. To protect the endangered species, Tiger Reserves have been set up in different parts of the country. Kaziranga in Assam is noted for its one-horned rhinoceros. Snow leopards are found in the higher regions of the Himalayas. The deer can be seen in most of the forests of our country.

A large variety of reptiles such as snakes, pythons, cobras and lizards are found all over the country. Crocodiles and tortoises are common in many rivers of India. A rare variety of turtle known as Olive Ridley is found off the Orissa coast.

Various kinds of birds are also found in the Indian forests. Peacocks, pheasants, parrots, mynahs, eagles, woodpeckers and cranes are some of them. Peacock is our national bird.

Several sanctuaries have been set up in different parts of the country to provide natural habitat for wildlife. Corbet Park in Uttarakhand, Gir in Gujarat, Kanha in Madhya Pradesh, Kaziranga in Assam and Periyar in Kerala are some of the famous sanctuaries of India.

Need for conservation of forests and wildlife

A country should have at least one-third of its total area under forests. But India has less than one-fourth of its area under forest. This is because we have been felling trees for various purposes viz., expansion of agriculture or industries or settlements. Thus, we have destroyed our forests to a great extent.

You know that forests are useful in many ways. They give us timber, fuel wood, pulp, resin, honey, lac, and gum. Cane. Bamboo and medicinal herbs. They also help in conserving soil. Depletion of forests causes soil erosion. It leads to the silting of river beds. This is the main reason for the occurrence of floods in our country. So, we must stop careless cutting down trees.

Several species of wildlife in India are declining rapidly. Greedy hunters kill the animals for the sake of money. Many species have become extinct and few animal species are endangered.

Wildlife is an important asset for the nation. Tourists from other countries are attracted by the rich wildlife of India. To preserve wildlife in its natural setting, the government has set up national parks, sanctuaries and biosphere reserves in different parts of the country.

A national park is a reserved area meant for preserving its natural vegetation and wildlife. A sanctuary is a reserved area meant for the preservation of endangered species. A biosphere reserve is a large area where forests and wildlife are protected in their natural surroundings

Important Points To Remember

Bosem Solutions for Class 6 Social Science Chapter 6

Q1. How many states are there in India?
Ans: 28 States.

Q2. Name two important trees of tropical Deciduous Forests.

Ans: Teak and Sal

Q3. Mention the two rivers of the peninsular plateau that fall in the Arabian Sea.

Ans: Narmada and Tapti.

Q4. What are the four different seasons of Inda?

Ans: The four different seasons of India are

1. Cold season (winter) – December to February
2. Hot season (summer) – March to May
3. South-west monsoon season – June to September
4. Retreating monsoon season – October and November

Q5. What are the three parallel ranges of the Himalayas?

Ans: The three parallel ranges of the Himalayas are the Inner or Great Himalaya (Himadri) in the north, the Middle or lesser Himalaya (Himachal) in the Middle and the Outer Himalaya (Siwalik) in the south.

Q6. Where do we find the Tropical evergreen forest in India?

Ans: Tropical evergreen forests are found in the regions where rainfall is heavy. The western slope of the Western Ghats, the northeastern hills and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the regions where we find these forests.

Q7 What are the Two island groups of India?

Ans: Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.

Choose the correct answer
i) The Triangular Landmass of silt formed at the mouth of a river is known as

Ans: Delta

ii) In India, the southwest monsoon winds blow from

Ans: Sea to land

iii) To which part of India does Manipur Belong?

Ans: Himalayan Mountain.

Fill in the blanks

1. The Outer Himalaya is also known as Siwalik.
2. The rainy season in India starts in June.
3. The peacock is our national bird.
4. A landmass surrounded by the sea on three sides is called a peninsula.